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We actually have a real socialist party now too. Not a slur, just a fact.

There are other options between cut and run and nation building. But first you have to identify your goals. Our goal in Afganistan should be to continue to disrupt Al Quaeda and their allies the Taliban. Note that this will probably mean some ongoing presence in Afganistan for decades no matter what strategy is adopted to meet the goal.

Cut and Run can not meet this goal and therefore must be accepted.

Putting in Special Forces to work with the tribes and warlords just as we did to initially drive the Taliban out would be relatively inexpensive and could meet our goal. It requires that we hold our collective noses as we work with a lot of unsavory people and will take a long time thereby not satisfying the left. Personally this is the strategy I prefer.

Putting in small number of troops to hold a base, say no more than 30,000, along with the extensive use of Special Forces is more expensive and could meet our goal. Note this is basically what Bush did, despite his nation building rhetoric, and for 8 years we have effectively disrupted Al Queda in Afganistan despite the wrong criticism that we took our eye off the ball.

Putting in a large number of troops and civilian support to build a nation. This will take a lot of money as we will have to build lots of roads and other infrastructure beyond the military expense. Michael Yon has suggested this may take 50+ years. I believe him.

Obama has adopted the latter strategy but limited the time significantly with pullouts to begin in 18 months. This is both expensive and futile. So after 9 months being President and declaring in the campaign and subsequently that this is a war that must be won, he adopts one of two strategies that can't succeed. What a leader????

I thought Obama's speech was pretty uninspiringly although it did clearly lay out what he wants to do. From a strategic point of view, his approach fails completely. First, he didn't define winning although we are adopting a counter insurgency strategy. Second, to succeed a counter insurgency strategy requires time and an assurance to the populace that we will protect them for the long term. Telling everyone we are going to begin to withdraw after 18 months completely undercuts these requirements. As such, it is also wasting the lives of the troops over there. Third, Afganistan is not a nation except on a map. Every valley is almost a separate tribe. And each tribe views outsiders (which include both us, Al Queda and often the Taliban) with suspicion. Given that, a counterinsurgency strategy won't work unless you have about fifty years to build roads and other infrastructure that is necessary to build a nation.