Triangulating Afghanistan

Triangulating Afghanistan

President Barack Obama's "new" approach to Afghanistan is a surge in sheep's clothing.

Robert Gibbs' woolly explanation prior to Obama's speech is illustrative: "What the president will announce is an acceleration of our targeting of al-Qaida and its allies."

Gibbs served PR piffle for retreat-wing Democrats in Congress, a sound-bite fairy tale intended to calm the defeatist impulse that insistently infects the left of Obama's party.

The president's speech continued that triangulation, adding benchmarks for Afghan security forces and cautioning that America's commitment is not open-ended. Essentially, Obama gave the Afghanis...