The White House five-page summary review of the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan is decidedly delphic, if not downright opaque. Nonetheless, on December 16, President Obama concluded that “the strategy is showing progress.” That is certainly true in the south, the heartland of the Taliban movement. Obama also said he had agreed with Afghan officials to “complete transition by the end of 2014, after which the U.S. will continue to support Afghanistan’s development and security.”
This deadline is a victory for General Petraeus, the military complex, and our national security. In 2009, Obama had declared his strategy was “not fully res