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Obama's plan ? what plan ?

By Amir Taheri

Obama's plan? what plan?

Despite his claims, the president has no Afghan strategy

By AMIR TAHERI

The New York Post

Last Updated: 12:42 AM, September 27, 2009

Posted: 12:26 AM, September 27, 2009

Throughout last year�s presidential campaign, Barack Obama lambasted the Bush administration for fighting �the wrong war� in Iraq and ignoring the right one in Afghanistan. Iraq was a �war of choice,� Obama claimed, while Afghanistan was a �war of necessity.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Repeatedly, he claimed that, if elected president, he�d unveil a new �stronger, smarter and comprehensive strategy.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
In March, in one of those solemn-looking occasions in which he excels, Obama said that the new strategy, which he did not elaborate, was already in place. He speeded up the troop buildup ordered by the Bush administration, and a few weeks later named a new commander for Afghanistan.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
That commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, lost no time in revealing that the Obama administration had no specific strategy and that his first task was to work one out. By the end of August, he�d drafted a �new strategy� and submitted it to the Pentagon in the form of a 66-page report that included specific steps for moving ahead, as well as a request for still more troops.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Then, nothing happened � until someone leaked the report.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
One can only imagine the general�s surprise when President Obama, asked to comment on the leaked report, said he wouldn�t allow himself to be rushed into sending more troops, as requested by McChrystal, pending the development of a �new strategy.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
One might say, Wait a minute! We thought you had a strategy before you were elected, when you castigated Bush�s performance in Afghanistan � or at least in March, when you announced �the new, smarter strategy,� or in June, when you appointed a commander to �carry out the new strategy.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
What of McChrystal�s proposed �new strategy� spelled out in his report? No, the president says he�s still looking for a strategy.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Obama has reportedly set up a special �situation room� to look for a strategy. One meeting has been held, with three or four more planned for the next few months.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
As on so many other issues with Obama, we have �on-the-job training� on grand scale.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The New York Times recently quoted administration officials saying that the president may be having �buyer�s remorse� after �ordering an extra 21,000 troops there within weeks of taking office before even settling on a strategy.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Cynics might say that Obama drummed up the �necessary war� mantra in Afghanistan in order to paint the Iraq war as �a strategic error� without appearing to be soft on national security.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Now that he�s in office, however, he no longer needs to take risks with a difficult war � especially when Afghanistan is becoming a liability in terms of public opinion.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
The US media tell us the administration is divided over strategy. We�re told Vice President Joe Biden is pressing for a reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan, while Secretary of Sate Hillary Clinton urges more boots on the ground.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Nor is there agreement on the diagnosis of the problem. Biden thinks that Al Qaeda is no longer a threat in Afghanistan, that America should transfer the war to Pakistan. Clinton mocks that view � insisting that, if the US scales down its military footprint, al Qaeda will return to Afghanistan �like mushrooms after rain.�&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Let us welcome Obama�s delayed admission that he has no strategy, and his tacit dropping of his claim that Afghanistan is a �war of necessity,� rather than a war of choice.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
Despite all talk of doom and gloom, America its NATO and Afghan allies have already defeated the forces of obscurantist terror in Afghanistan. What they face is the consolidation of a hard-won victory that, unless protected for many more years, could be undone by the enemies of the Western democracies � who happen to also be enemies of the Afghan people.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
To become credible on Afghanistan, Obama must do several things:&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
* Demonstrate clearly that he knows what he�s talking about. Right now, there are at least five diagnoses of the Afghan situation in his administration (those of Biden, Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Gen. McChrystal and political adviser David Axelrod). He must take the lead in developing a synthesis supported at least by his own team.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;
* Try to convince both friend and foe that he�s committed to Afghanistan.&lt;p&gt;
	            &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br&gt;

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Obama&apos;s plan? what plan?

Despite his claims, the president has no Afghan strategy

Obama's plan? what plan?