So what has the Taliban surge gotten them?
The Taliban offered to begin negotiating with the government. In Afghan parlance, that's the Taliban way of saying they are defeated and want to discuss peace terms. Over the past few months, Taliban attacks have become increasingly desperate, and bloody. But most of the dead have been Taliban. The only "successful" attacks have been those using suicide bombers, and these kill mostly Afghan civilians.
The Taliban were able to build up a war chest in the last few years, allowing them to hired thousands of unemployed young men. But casualties have been high, with over a third of these hired gunmen getting killed, wounded or captured.
The Taliban surge failed militarily. And it failed politically.
But here back home, our Left is so invested in our defeat that they see only enemy victories.
So it isn't as if the Left can't root for victory in the face of adversity, is it?
