E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Obama Says a Way Out of Afghanistan Is Needed
WASHINGTON -- The United States must look for a way out of the war in Afghanistan, President Obama said, in a signal that the military build-up in Afghanistan will not be open-ended and will lead to the eventual withdrawal of American and NATO troops from the country. "There's got to be an exit strategy," Mr. Obama said in a wide-ranging interview shown Sunday on "60 Minutes" on CBS. "There's got to be a sense that this is not perpetual drift."
All of a sudden the 'good war' isn't. Bambi now realizes that all his tough talk in the campaign about Afghanistan and Pakistain, about getting bin Laden, has to be matched by action. He can't do it. He doesn't know how and he's getting contradictory and bad advice. This isn't going to go well.
European officials have been outspoken about their plans to leave Afghanistan in the next three to four years. Mr. Obama's remarks, which were recorded on Friday, indicated that the administration, which has more troops and resources in Afghanistan than European countries do, is also working toward a long-term strategy.

Last month, he announced that he would send 17,000 more American troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer, adding to the 36,000 already there.

In the interview, Mr. Obama also signaled that the United States was redefining its mission in Afghanistan, away from the Bush administration's broader strategy of promoting democracy, civil society and governance in Afghanistan and toward getting the country to a point where it is not used to start attacks on the United States.
The 'realists' are in charge when idealism is what the Afghan people in the north and west have bought.
Asked what the United States' mission in Afghanistan should be, Mr. Obama replied: "Making sure that Al Qaeda cannot attack the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests and our allies. That's our No. 1 priority."
Posted by: Steve White 2009-03-23
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=265774