Another Friedman Unit Down the Drain:

A U.S. military official used the term "decisional" to describe Monday evening's meeting among Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Gates, Clinton, National Security Adviser Jim Jones, Eikenberry and senior U.S. military commanders.

The administration's plan contains "off-ramps," points starting next June at which Obama could decide to continue the flow of troops, halt the deployments and adopt a more limited strategy or "begin looking very quickly at exiting" the country, depending on political and military progress, one defense official said.

"We have to start showing progress within six months on the political side or military side or that's it," the U.S. defense official said.

That's it? Well, all righty then!

Ah, well. I hoped Obama would be courageous enough to take the bull by the horns rather than "letting us down easy" by throwing another 34,000 troops x 1 million dollars down the drain. I take it that this is part of the long projected "declare something and get out" strategy that never really pans out. It reminds me of the old joke: A Drill Sargent must inform a recruit that his mother has died. He lets the kid down easy "son, your mother is very sick but she's going to get better..." Next week "son, your mother is very sick, its not looking good..." Week after "son, your mother is very sick, she may not make it..." and so on and on and on until the kid has been so thoroughly broken to the news that it doesn't come as any surprise. Well, its funnier when someone else tells it. Not the President.

aimai