Analysis: Next Obama test is Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

Analysis: Next Obama test is Afghanistan
By STEVEN R. HURST
Associated Press Writer
Mar 29, 3:11 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fresh from a bruising victory on health care and a nuclear arms deal with Russia, President Barack Obama turned to a third campaign promise - victory and an honorable exit from Afghanistan. That could prove tougher than any challenge overcome so far, and the president appears to know it.

Seldom does a U.S. leader devote more than 24 hours flying to and from a war zone to spend only six hours on the ground. But the stakes are enormous.

Since taking office, Obama has nearly tripled the number of U.S. forces committed to Afghanistan, which hasn't known peace in at least three decades. After eight years of war, the U.S. military says it now is blunting advances by Taliban militants, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai still has little power outside Kabul, the capital, and his government is riddled with corruption.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, key lieutenants and foot soldiers still hide across the mountainous border in Pakistan even though U.S. drone strikes have killed dozens of the terrorist group responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Al-Qaida enjoyed sanctuary from Taliban militants who ruled Afghanistan, before they were driven out in the U.S.-led invasion at the end of 2001.

Obama campaigned on a pledge to focus on the Afghan war, which he said -unlike the fight in Iraq - was critical to American security and being overlooked and poorly resourced by the Bush administration.


Rest of article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_AFGHANISTAN_ANALYSIS?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-03-28-17-35-05



unhappycamper comment: Victory! Honorable exit. Neither of those two things are going to happen.

[bigtree]

1. politically

. . . he doesn't appear to need an 'exit' right now, even among self-identified 'liberals'. Hard road ahead for opponents.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/behind-the-numbers/2010/03/the_presidents_ratings_on_afgh.html

[G_j]

2. yep

I really hate to say this but, Obama has essentially killed the peace movement.

[bigtree]

3. there never was much of one

. . . in Congress. He has provided rhetorical cover for Democrats comfortable hiding behind the many myths, misconceptions, and justifications used to keep us bogged-down there. There is a question of whether he'd actually follow through and pull back from his own escalation of force IF Afghans manage to assume whatever fight he thinks the military's waging there. The rhetoric about 'progress' as a benchmark is all that's been needed, so far, to pacify legislators and Americans led to believe there's some actual defense of 'national security' in all of the militarism there. That's not entirely his doing . . . it's his propaganda to manage now, though, to muddle through to whatever outcome.

The best we can hope for with this WH is a return to pre-escalation troop levels, like in Iraq. There's still plenty of uphill ground left for the 'peace movement' to traverse, that's for sure.