New York Post Runs Anti-War Op-ed

The distinction between a newsroom and op-ed pages notwithstanding, it was quite surprising to see Ralph Peters' column in the New York Post slamming the war in Iraq. Peters endorses the Biden plan to focus on Al-Qaeda, and does an excellent job distilling the reasons this war cannot be "won."
1. The corrupt and weak Karzai government will never be a partner in building a stable democracy:
It's not a "retreat" if we announce that we've tried to help, but the Karzai government failed its own people. We're caught up in a civil war in a non-country and should back the tribes that share our interests. You can't nation-build where there's no nation...Despised by its own people, the ruinous Karzai government would collapse without our support. (If you're going to back a strongman, you should at least pick one who's strong.)

2. We have been failing in Afghanistan for eight years. Just because most Americans just started paying attention to the war last week doesn't mean we haven't had eight years to achieve our goals:
After eight years of engagement, we haven't produced an Afghan army or police force worth a damn. Afghans won't fight for the Karzai government. Yet the Taliban attracts plentiful volunteers willing to give their lives for their cause -- and not just because they've been bribed. That ought to tell us something.

3. Eight years is enough! How many times can you redeploy a soldier to fight for a misguided war?
Even if there were a remote chance of "fixing" Afghanistan -- and there isn't -- we just don't have the troops. Eight years of war have taken their toll. The Army's depleted and the Marines are battle-worn...We're grinding down our forces for campaign promises and political vanity. Our military needs to catch its breath for the next real fight.

There is an opening right now for conservatives and libertarians to join the ranks calling for withdrawal. First of all, it gives them a chance to oppose President Obama. Second, conservatives aren't supposed to like nation-building or blowing money overseas. Third, keeping our military "strong" by deploying it endlessly is nonsensical. Hopefully more columnists like Peters will emerge in favor of withdrawal.