Why Play Politics with Afghanistan

So president Obama is going to announce today the extent of the millitary draw down in Afghanistan over the next 18 months. This is a travesty. Simply put, there is no millitary benefit to making this announcement, but there is a substantial cost. Obama is making clear to the Taliban and its allies just how much longer they will face an onslaught from American troops. Obama is informing the Afghan population that there will soon be less reason to side with the Americans. Obama is telling the world that American commitments are not all that they are claimed to be.

So if there is no benefit but great cost millitarily, why is Obama doing this? Again, the answer is simple. Obama wants to gain a political benefit. Obama wants those in his party who are calling for withdrawal to know that it is underway. He wants to appear to be a moderate to the millions of Americans who are tired of the war. He is looking for votes for 2012, and he is doing so at the cost of the men and women who are serving in Afghanistan.

There are many who will point to earlier discussions of troop strength and say that Obama is doing nothing unusual. There is some truth to this insofar as the recent past is concerned. We had the very public indecision by Obama about the levels of troops in Afghanistan just a year ago. President Bush also went public with his decision to send in the surge in Iraq. In fairness to Bush, there is much less downside to telling your enemies that you are sending more troops after them. Nevertheless, it would have been better if Bush too had kept his mouth shut.

Think of it this way: during World War II did the USA ever announce how many men it had in Europe or the Pacific? During Desert Storm wasn't the whole millitary strategy based upon misleading the Iraqis about the nuber and location of coalition forces? In other words, in those conflicts wasn't the American goal to win the war? There has never been another conflict like this one where troop levels were consistently announced other than Vietnam. And we all know how that turned out.

Even if Obama were to decide to pull out some forces, there is no need to announce this. Let's kkep the Taliban guessing as to whether or not this is just a fluctuation in troop levels or if it is a true diminution.

I doubt whether anyone in the media will speak out in favor of less information. It is just sad that the president does not have the strength of character to value the safety of our troops and the success of their mission over his own political future.