And Now Some Breaking News From Afghanistan. . .

By Douglas V. Gibbs

It doesn't seem like very long ago, no matter which television channel I turned it to, the war in Iraq was receiving nightly coverage. The talking heads of the mainstream media discussed how the carnage was unacceptable, and how George Bush and his band of merry idiots were messing up the region with their moronic idea of nation-building.

Although I supported our presence in Iraq, I did not think the reason for our presence should be "nation building."

Now, Iraq and Afghanistan are Obama's wars. The news coverage has backed off, and the talk of carnage has changed to talk about the difficulties of the regions. Joe Biden has even said to Larry King that he sees a stable government in Iraq's future, and that Iraq will be one of the Obama Administration's great achievements. . .

Yeah, I was shaking my head in dismay on that one too.

I also seem to remember how President Bush and General Petraeus were demonized for their silly notion of a troops surge, and how adding troops to the war on terror was not going to make matters better, and in fact would make matters worse.

Now, with Barack Obama's surge in Afghanistan taking place, the increased forces are attempting to take more control over the difficulties in Afghanistan, which includes hitting strategic regions that have been largely held by the Taliban.

The press has been cool with the surge, with a few dissentions, and the rhetoric that changed the tide of the popularity of the war against Bush is absent in regards to Obama's surge.

One of the pieces of good news coming out of Afghanistan is that working with the U.S. and British troops is a large contingent of Afghan forces, much larger than it was before. And the combined force is making headway, fighting an anemic Taliban force, while navigating the various booby-traps laid.

As American forces help the Afghan government gain control over various regions, the U.S. is pouring millions of dollars of aid into those zones (remember the complaints about military spending during the Bush Years?). The money is used to rebuild damaged homes, fix infrastructure, provide cash-for-work opportunities for the locals, and police the area. This is the "hold" phase of our "clear and hold" strategy.

The Taliban, having been chased into the hinterlands and having seen its support among the locals wane in the face of our successful efforts, has been experiencing the defection of a large portion of its fighters in the region. When losing on the battlefield, the Islamists begin to doubt Allah's support in their current effort. However, if President Obama begins to draw down our forces by July of next year, it could undermine the surge's effect. American troops pulling out may cause Taliban fighters to perceive more hope for success than they otherwise would.

Nonetheless, Obama's surge is in play, and the number of American Troops is increasing in the region. My neighbor, a United States Marine stationed on Camp Pendleton, is expecting to ship out in a few days, flying out of March Air Force Base to Afghanistan. I wish him a safe flight, and a safe return. I support what he is doing, regardless of my opinions regarding the continued presence in Afghanistan. . . and I pray for victory.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary