I expected better from Biden on Afghanistan

THE FORUM: "Why we can't go small in Afghanistan," by Bruce Riedel and Michael O'Hanlon, USA Today, 24 September 2009.

Biden pushing this with Obama (a plan to go very Robert Kaplan-y and try to rule the region with just Special Operators--something I think even Kaplan has backed away from re: Af-Pak, has he not?) is just plain disappointing.

But that's why he never could elected president: his vaunted foreign policy skill really isn't that hot.

The dream of successful drone strikes with minimal ground presence--or better yet, social presence--is a true chimera. That's one of the several points made by Riedel and O'Hanlon in this very smart piece.

Comments

[stuart abrams]

A lot of this has to do with domestic politics. I think Obama wanted Biden primarily because he has been around Washington a long time and he has good instincts on dealing with Congress. I'd be surprised if Obama really pays much attention to the substance of Biden's foreign policy advice. If Obama is frightened of a revolt among Congressional Democrats, he will listen to Biden. IMO, it depends on how the healthcare thing turns out. If the end product is highly compromised (i.e., does not include the "public option"), Obama is going to be very concerned about his left flank, and he is going to feel that he has no choice but to pull back in Afghanistan. If he wins on healthcare, watch him go all in on Afghanistan. Obama is a quarterback who knows that you need to establish the ground game, but when the opportunity arises, his instinct is to throw the long ball.