What Afghanistan Says About Obama's Foreign Policy

Matthew Yglesias worries about an emerging narrative where "the left" turns on President Obama. Instead, he argues, it's a case of Obama shifting his position on Afghanistan - from one of limited aims to armed state building.

On the contrary, I think the administration has been very forthright about their approach to foreign policy, Afghanistan included. Consider the speech from Susan Rice yesterday. As I noted earlier, it is quite expansive in its conception of the threats to the United States and the tools necessary to deal with them. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that the administration is looking at a problem like al Qaeda in Pakistan and concluding that they have to rebuild Afghanistan, mollify Pakistan-Indian tensions, reform Pakistan's internal governance all while subduing a cross-border insurgency and waging an air war on al Qaeda in Pakistan.

This administration has stated on several occasions the security of the United States is "inextricably" bound to the well being of everyone on the planet. We shouldn't be surprised when they start to put our money and our soldiers' lives where their mouth is.

This is progressive national security policy in action.

(AP Photos)