The Afghan Surge Fell Short

U.S. Marines prepare to move out on patrol after taking a break during Operation Eastern Storm in the Kajaki Sofla district in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Oct. 15, 2011. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. James Clark

New Afghan War Plan Concedes the Surge Fell Short -- The Danger Room

As the Obama administration winds down its troop surge in Afghanistan, it’s adopted a new political strategy for ending the war. And that new strategy represents a tacit concession that the best the surge could accomplish was rescuing Afghanistan from from the brink of total failure.

What was the surge for, anyway? In one sense, as explained by President Obama, it was merely designed to stop the Afghanistan war from deteriorating. But Obama’s generals promised that it would do more — that it would whup the Taliban into suing for peace. And in the broadest sense of all, it would contribute to the Obama team’s ultimate objective for the region: to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat” al-Qaida.

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My Comment: I usually disagree with Spencer Ackerman .... but in this post .... he is on the money. This is a good summary and analysis .... read it all.