Afghanistan Review

[Incendiary Lemon]

PDF Link (http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Afghanistan-Pakistan_White_Paper.pdf)

Therefore, the core goal of the U.S. must be to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan.

...

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces were reportedly overcome with feelings of joy, nostalgia, and optimism this week after learning they would soon be withdrawn from Iraq and allowed to finally return home to Afghanistan. "I never thought this day would come," said Cpl. Douglas Robinson, who hasn't seen the barren hills and smoking craters of his beloved Kabul in nearly six years. "Being away from those you left behind, for this long, it definitely starts to take a toll on you." Added Robinson, "I can't believe I'm going home again."

[Incendiary Lemon]

Link (http://abumuqawama.blogspot.com/2009/03/report-of-reports.html) - Andrew Exum's thoughts...

1. The new regional focus. Not just Pakistan but all the neighbors.

2. The triumph of my boss, John Nagl. It appears as if they are turning an entire brigade of the 82d Airborne into advisers, which to me is both overdue and also a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to Army culture.

Link (http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2009/03/a-good-plan-for-afghanistan.html) Patrick Lang on the choice between nation building and a COIN operation in Afghanistan or a more limited effort.

The other possibility in policy was that the US would spend a reasonable, but not excessive amount of money helping the Afghans in the development of physical and governmental infrastructure, would assist in enlarging Afghan security forces and improving their training in an effort scheduled to end in 2011 and most importantly would concentrate on energized and mobilizing native Afghan and Pakistani forces against their enemies and ours

[Grifman]

So should we say that Obama is "surging" in Afghanistan? Heaven forbid!

[Anaxagoras]

So should we say that Obama is "surging" in Afghanistan? Heaven forbid!

Do you ever add anything substantive?

I'm just joshin'. We all already know the answer.