I will write much more about this subject in coming days, but I am increasingly worried about the framing that America’s next President and his team are applying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
To be blunt, they have been arguing that “Iraq was the bad war and Afghanistan is the good war,” not in those precise words — but close enough.
A mutual friend of Katrina vanden Heuvel and mine wrote this to her (and then me) in an email:
“Afghanistan. The place where the dreams and hopes of the Obama Presidency are buried.”
We have to be careful of who we think we are fighting in Afghanistan. What army exactly is America trying to squelch? If we are now in a full on war with the Taliban, then this country will see its global leverage deteriorate to even lower levels than what is the case today.
More later — but we shouldn’t allow corruption scandals and other silly posturing on Sunday morning shows to distract us from the reality that we are on a quite negative trajectory in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) right now — and we need whopping game-changing moves there that are as significant, if not more, than challenges about America’s auto sector.
— Steve Clemons
Travel Update: In Pittsburgh today — off to see the Andy Warhol Museum and then Mt. Washington. In Washington, DC Monday. Plan to be in New York on Tuesday.
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