HOBSON'S CHOICE

Finally, the long wait is over and the President has made known his proposed Afghanistan policy. It was a good speech, delivered with authority and credibility, that of a man who has been through a long deliberative process from which he has forged his plan.


As expected and totally predictable, critics from the right and left used their blowguns to assault this "no-win-no-clear-moral imperative" policy. Whatever the President says, he is wrong to somebody. One critic referred to "platitudes"; another to "same old, same old".


I respect John McCain's concern that putting a timetable on our withdrawal can play into the Taliban's hands. On the other hand, if the President failed to make clear some kind of exit strategy, he would play into the hands of the increasing numbers against the continuation of the war, not to mention putting the current Afghan administration on notice that they are expected to maximize their efforts to deal with their problems in an efficient, non-corruptive way.


You have "the minimalists" who think we should do as little as possible in American involvement and emphasize playing up to creating divisions in the war lords to fight the Taliban on a local level. The Vice-President and Tom Friedman, to name two, both with international expertise, seem to favor this course of action. On the other extreme, you have General McChrystal and many Republican hawks, who think 40,000 troops a necessity. (I might add, if Obama had said 40,000, then many Republicans would have probably opted for 50,000! Whatever he suggests is automatically wrong.)


Involving and working with Pakistan, making them "partners", as the President stated, is essential. If we don't have their total support in pursuing the Taliban and Al-Quaeda operatives who find safe haven in the hill country next to Afghanistan, we can't possibly change the course of this war.


Equally essential is the deeper involvement of the other NATO forces to take on a larger share of troop responsibility. I note that Nicholas Sarkozy refuses to involve French troops. I wonder what he would do if the disproportionately large Muslim population of France suddenly created even deeper civil war in the form of suicide bombings in Paris, for example.


It is truly Hobson's Choice with no clear facile answers. I think we need to give the President our support and give this plan a fair chance.