Troop Commitment

Hope nobody's waiting for me to complain about Obama's troop commitment speech. Sure, he could have axed the part about how his predecessor was too dovish on Afghanistan. He doesn't have to preface everything with an "inherited this" disclaimer. And it's a little foolish to announce when you'll start pulling troops out... But on the big point: that the stability of Afghanistan, and Pakistan, are vital to us, and to the world - good, he seems to have got it.

***Update:
Good, Rumsfeld contests Obama's claim that there were longstanding requests for additional troops that were denied on Bush's watch. It just doesn't sound right. Maybe it's one of those if-you-lie-loud-enough moments.

Also -- many people are worried about the timetable for troop withdrawal. It is foolish, as I've said, but I suspect the conditions on the ground will modify that commitment. At least Obama seems to realize that if he lets Afghanistan explode, the subsequent fall of a nuclear Pakistan will be on his head. He knows that he won't be Savior of the World, or Bringer of Utopia -- he should be happy to avoid being The Guy Who Broke Everything.


image shopped a little