McChrystal said the first component would be "a complete elimination of al-Qaeda" from Pakistan and Afghanistan. That, in turn, would prevent al-Qaeda from operating in either country with the Taliban, which he said would not be "destroyed" but rather made "irrelevant."
So our victory in Afghanistan requires Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda inside Pakistan?
I did mention this is a problem. And it raises the issue of whether Pakistan or Afghanistan is the real main front. And if Pakistan is, what good does our Afghan surge do?
These are reasons why I'm not a fan of the surge in Afghanistan. It just can't fully end until Pakistan wins their part of the Taliban Campaign.
With House Democrats eager to pull the plug on the no-longer-the-good war, this should go over well.
