Max Boot thinks Andrew Sullivan's whacking at a straw man by bemoaning the fact that surge boosters want us in Afghanistan forever. Writes Boot:
I hope Andrew is right â?? not because I or anyone else is in favor of perpetually occupying Afghanistan (talk about a straw man!) â?? but because the only way to prevail is to show the will to stay in the long run.
Then he conveniently declines to specify what the long run is. But why? If Boot thinks the way to leave Afghanistan is to never say we're going to leave could he at least proffer a guess as to when the U.S. will have achieved its goals in the country sufficient enough to stop transferring American wealth and risking American and NATO lives in the country?
I do understand Boot's frustration - President Obama's time line was a mistake, reflecting a muddle between trying to reassure Americans that they won't be handing over their wealth and soldiers to Afghanistan en-perpetuity, while nevertheless committing to a counter-insurgency strategy that requires patience, manpower and resources. It would behoove the administration to move decisively in one direction.
