McChrystal Light

According to those good old anonymous "U.S officials," President Obama is considering sending McChrystal more troops to pursue his dubious aims, though not as many as McChrystal has asked for. While usually an AP report without numbers or attributed sources wouldn't be much of a news story, the piece also claims that Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a George Bush appointee, is the swing vote on the decision within the Obama team. You know, just like Republican Senator Olympia Snowe is the swing vote on healthcare in the Democratic Senate.

Gates apparently does not like the Biden plan, but he also doesn't support a long, open-ended occupation. Like Obama, Gates seems to view splitting the baby as the best policy prescription. As much as I support the withdrawal of American troops from most parts of Afghanistan, I would prefer a massive escalation to a small one, which will only drag out the military conflict in its stalemate form. I imagine my more hawkish friends would agree with me that it's all in or all out at this point. Instead, what we will probably end up with is something like an additional 15,000 troops, the gross nutra-sweet taste of McChrystal Light. Finally, some food for thought for those who accuse Obama of dithering: he has already sent 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan since taking office nine months ago. We don't have to ask if a surge will work, we already know it's not working.