THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF SPEAKS – AT 10:40 P.M. ET:  President Obama made one of his rare speeches to the nation on military affairs tonight, telling us his plan for Afghanistan.

It was like Santa Claus in military fatigues.  There was something for everyone.  Obama reminded me of Ed Sullivan, putting on a "really big sheew."  For the left, there was the promise to pull 33,000 American troops from Afghanistan by the end of next summer, otherwise known as right before the election.  For the right, there was the promise to get the job done.  Exactly what the job is was somewhat difficult to discern.  From Fox:

President Obama, outlining his vision for ending the war in Afghanistan, vowed Wednesday to withdraw all surge troops by next summer and declared that after a decade of fighting "the tide of war is receding."

Yeah, right.  That's what we said in late '44, just before the Battle of the Bulge.

In a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House, the president assured the nation that the U.S. military will begin its drawdown next month from a "position of strength" following the death of Usama bin Laden. He described that drawdown as "the beginning, but not the end, of our effort to wind down this war" -- a transition he wants complete by 2014.

If you're in a position of strength, Field Marshal Obama, how about pressing your advantage?  When you've got the enemy by the neck, squeeze the neck.  Or is this "position of strength" business just more political rhetoric?

"We have put Al Qaeda on a path to defeat, and we will not relent until the job is done," the president said.
As anticipated, the president called for 10,000 troops to be withdrawn by the end of this year. He said the rest of the surge troops, or about 23,000 will be removed by the end of summer in 2012. It is expected that all surge troops will be out of Afghanistan by September next year.

The president, in framing the drawdown, tried to appeal to competing factions on Capitol Hill and elsewhere over the war. To those urging the president to cut the mission short and withdraw forces at a more rapid pace, Obama affirmed that his interest is "nation-building here at home," not in Afghanistan.

"We won't try to make Afghanistan a perfect place. We will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely," he said.

But to those concerned the impending withdrawal could leave Kabul ill-equipped to keep the Taliban at bay and extremist elements out, Obama vowed not to let Afghanistan again become a "safe haven" for terrorists.

I'm surprised he didn't sincerely describe his attitude toward dentistry in Afghanistan.  You know, we can't fill every cavity, when we have cavities at home, but we can get most of them.  But no orthodontia.

As could be expected, no one was entirely pleased with the speech, which wasn't exactly ringing with the spirit of America. 

Anti-war Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., scoffed at the president's announcement, saying such a reduction in 2011 would "not even get us back to pre-escalation levels." She suggested withdrawing 50,000 combat troops and is planning several amendments aimed at de-funding the mission.

Lee has been all over the tube, and is the most left-leaning member of Congress.  A Fidelista, she was the only member to vote against military action after the 9-11 attacks.  Strictly party line.  Not a serious person.

Democrats have been joined by Republicans, some Tea Party-aligned, in calling for a swift end to the war. Even some GOP candidates for president have echoed the call.

I wish some of these Republicans would explain how their stand differs from that of the Democratic left. 

But as the president faces bipartisan pressure to get out of Afghanistan, he also faces bipartisan pressure not to leave too quickly.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, expressed concern that the withdrawal plan would put too much of a burden on the remaining troops and "increase risk in a number of areas."

House Speaker John Boehner said Wednesday he'd be "concerned about any precipitous withdrawal" from Afghanistan.

At least these guys have the guts to stand up to temporary trends in public opinion.  We are at war.  Decisions must be made based on good strategy, not straws in the wind.

COMMENT:  We are a nation in peril from a number of threats, both military and economic.  The president simply does not come off as a leader.  He has the image of Jimmy Carter, a deal maker in over his head.  It's widely reported that he developed his Afghanistan plan against the advice of his generals.  That, of course, is hardly a crime.  Lincoln defied his generals as well, to the national good.  And Truman finally tired of the imperial MacArthur, and fired him.  The president is commander-in-chief and must decide independently.

At the same time, Lincoln and Truman were leaders with a clear vision.  But Mr. Obama has rarely sought to try to explain what his goal in Afghanistan actually is, and how his stragegy will achieve it.

I don't know whether this new approach will work, make things better, or make things worse.  I do know that I was less than assured that there is a coherent strategy at work.  Mr. Obama is to be commended for accepting many of George W. Bush's security policies.  Now he is on his own, and no one is particularly confident.

June 22, 2011