Washington Times - Obama's surge -- and withdrawal: "If you happen to live in Kabul or Jalalabad, Ghurian or Kandahar, then a U.S. presidential speech about Afghanistan is, indeed, about Afghanistan.
If you live anywhere else on the planet, a U.S. presidential speech about Afghanistan is really about America - about American will, American purpose, American energy. How quickly the bright new dawn fades to the gray morning after. In Europe, the long awaited unveiling of this most thoughtful of presidents' deliberations got mixed reviews - some bad, some brutal. Der Spiegel called it 'half-hearted,' the Guardian called it 'desperate.' And those are his friends.
You could watch the great orator's listless, tentative performance with the sound down and get the basic message: I don't need this in my life right now. If you read the text, it made even less sense. There's something for everyone: A surge... and a withdrawal. He has agreed to surge for a bit, but only in preparation for a de-surge in 18 months' time. I said on the radio that the speech reminded me of the English nursery rhyme:
'The Grand Old Duke of York
He had 10,000 men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.'"
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