Pull out of Iraq and the focus will then switch to how to get us out of Afghanistan. The simple fact of the matter is for the Leftists establishment there is NO good reason to deploy the US Military ANY where where legitimate US National Interests are to be protected. Just remember these are the SAME people who ran around right after 09-11 squealing about how we had brought 09-11 on ourselves and we needed to understand why they hated and buy off their hate with more foreign aid etc. The simple fact is the current leadership of the Democrat Party will never, under any circumstance, willingly step to the plate and defend the American people with offensive military action. Kerry said it himself in 2004. To Democrats terrorism is merely a law enforcement problem to be responded to after the fact, not really a deadly threat at all.
Agreed, thyye have to show that they are tough on terrorism. Spin with some truth to it. NATO is having a hard time meeting its troop commitments. "In addition to capping troop levels, Clinton said, she wants to increase troops in Afghanistan and tie U.S. aid to Iraq to certain benchmarks."
This is precisely why the Reps need to call them on it. The Dems need to demonstrate why they are hawks in Afghanistan and cut and runners from Iraq, where we have far more important strategic national interests involved.
Nato is still struggling to find up to 2,500 extra troops for southern Afghanistan and it needs them urgently.
If they cannot be found then the success of Nato's mission could be called into question and this in turn could have a considerable impact upon future perceptions of the alliance itself. Nato leaders accept that Afghanistan represents a fundamental test for the alliance.