The Obama administration has decided to begin publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he'd begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011, administration and military officials have told McClatchy.
The new policy will be on display next week during a conference of NATO countries in Lisbon, Portugal, where the administration hopes to introduce a timeline that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan by 2014, the year when Afghan President Hamid Karzai once said Afghan troops could provide their own security, three senior officials told McClatchy, along with others speaking anonymously as a matter of policy.
Unfortunately, it just puts the hard date for withdrawal a few years into the future rather than conditioning it on victory.
Still, this could be the Obama administration's first benefit from the November 2010 elections--he no longer has to worry about his left flank demanding a retreat from Afghanistan and enforcing it with the power of the purse.
Funny how life works.
