Austin Bay writes that we need to continue the fight.
President Obama says we aren't running:
U.S. President Barack Obama says there will be no "rush for the exits" from Afghanistan despite the killing of 16 Afghan civilians in a rampage by a suspected U.S. soldier on March 11.
On the surface, that is good. But I worry that the president's statement is not inconsistent with the first two observations.
We can refrain from rushing for the exits without trying to win. We might just sit there and try to avoid casualties--trying to seem like we are there and continuing the fight--until the clock is run out and our presidential election is over. But this is just a plan to lose a war while exposing our troops to death and maiming to avoid the political fallout of being seen as deciding to retreat.
I'd rather hear words like "victory" from our president when he speaks of our theaters of war rather than talk of "responsibly ending" a war or assuring us there will be no "rush for the exits."
War is surely an an extension of politics. But that doesn't mean war is an extension of a domestic reelection campaign. Well, it shouldn't be, anyway.
UPDATE: President Obama is answering questions now on TV with Prime Minister Cameron of Britain, and says that during the coming fighting season in Afghanistan that we will retain troops there to make sure the Taliban know they can't regain momentum.
That sounds like the plan is to remain on the defensive. So it looks like no offensive in Regional Command East to beat down the enemy there. But we'll remain to be targets, if nothing else.
