Early Afghan Withdrawal .... Are The Politicians Listening?

An interpreter shakes hands with a man in the village of Bidak at Logar province, Afghanistan, May 9, 2010. U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 173rd Brigade Support Battalion visited the village to conduct key leader engagements to discuss issues the village is having and how they can be resolved. U.S. Army photo by Spc. De'Yonte Mosley

Warning To Politicians About Early Afghan Troop Pull-Out -- The Independent

One of the chief proponents of the US military's "surge" policy in Afghanistan has declared that "unrealistic expectations" were raised over the gains made by Nato's offensive to capture the Taliban stronghold of Marjah.

General Jack Keane, a former vice -chief of the US Army, also warned that politicians talking about the early pullout of troops from the conflict send the wrong signals to both allies and enemies about the West's commitment.

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My Comment: I still have confidence that there will be no early Afghan withdrawal .... or even a semblance of withdrawal if the security situation on the ground worsens. In fact .... if the Afghan war heats up, I do expect that many of the soldiers in the surge will be told that their deployment will be extended .... and there will be no pull-out to go home. Will President Obama experience a political hit .... probably .... but that is risk that a leader must take.