The United States is considering pulling out all its troops from Afghanistan next year but is far from making a decision, White House and Pentagon officials said on Tuesday, but Afghan officials expressed skepticism that President Barack Obama would back a complete withdrawal.
President Obama never tried to rally America to achieve victory in Afghanistan, even after the president tripled our troops commitment and sent more troops to fight and die. I often complained that President Bush failed to rally the country over Iraq, with infrequent speeches. In retrospect, the Bush administration couldn't shut up about the Iraq War and the need to win.
The charitable explanation is that we are bluffing to pressure a very difficult Karzai. The explanation based on experience is that the president will bolt from Afghanistan, too, and only seeks an excuse to blame Karzai for the failure to get an agreement.
