It looks like a decision has been made on Afghanistan:
The president still has more meetings scheduled on Afghanistan, but informed sources tell CBS News he intends to give Gen. Stanley McChrystal most, if not all, the additional troops he is asking for.
McChrystal wanted 40,000 and the president has tentatively decided to send four combat brigades plus thousands more support troops. A senior officer says “that’s close to what [McChrystal] asked for.” All the president’s military advisers have recommended sending more troops.
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I’m still not convinced we have a realistic endgame in mind for Afghanistan, and four additional combat brigades* seems too small a force to win outright. But it’s too large a commitment — not just in blood and treasure, but in prestige — for any result we’re likely to achieve.
However, the President is the commander-in-chief, and gets the benefit of the doubt. For now.
*We were promised during the campaign that four combat brigades would be enough to turn the tide — the four brigades the President already ordered deployed months ago.
Any time a Democrat promises “brigades,” you can be fairly sure that divisions are what is actually necessary. Democrats require a losing war to validate their theory that America is no better than any other country.
“However, the President is the commander-in-chief, and gets the benefit of the doubt. For now.”
Oh my goodness. I was also about to congratulate Barack Obama for doing the right thing. However, we have since learned that nothing whatsoever has been decided! The Afghanistan issue remains unresolved. Once again, Obama is punting the ball the down the field.
In the US Army, a brigade’s population is seldom more than 4,000. Four of those, plus “thousands more support troops” seems to fall a long way short of “most, if not all, the additional troops [General McChrystal] is asking for.”
Hamlet, a man who couldn’t make up his mind.
Obama, the American Othello, with the Left as Iago.
Well, it’s certainly a tale told by an idiot.