AP story by way of Our Man in Kabul that reminds us that two timelines are out of synch:
The commander of NATO and U.S. forces stressed Sunday that progress toward real stability in Afghanistan will be slow as international troops painstakingly try to win over a population that includes its enemies and has little trust in the government.
The NATO push in Afghanistan has long been running on two timelines: one in which officials call for years of patience to establish peace in the war-wracked nation, and one in which President Barack Obama promises to begin drawing down troops in July 2011.
McChrystal hinting at the truth: "Progress will be measured in months, rather than days."