[Seizethecarp]

I disagree. Obama’s plan for the changed USA requires that he make the world safe for Global Secular “Democratic” Socialism which requires defeating Islamic totalitarians.

Obama is comfortable with the secular PLO backed by his buddies at Columbia and in Chicago because they were socialists, just like his father was a pan-African socialist.

So Obama cannot allow a defeat in Afghanistan that would allow religious zealot Muslims to launch attacks on his dreamed of socialist utopia in the USA, but more immediately a defeat would guarantee that he wouldn't get reelected to implement the final Chavez-style humiliations on the USA after 2012.

[Seizethecarp]

I believe Obama is nearly certain to order the additional troops. He is just stalling to keep the far left on board long enough to force through a bill with “health” in the title somewhere. Obama knows that when he orders the additional troops for Af-Pak, the left wing Dems will hit the streets in protest (talking about my mom here)and abandon support for his domestic agenda.

I see Obama as being committed in Af-Pak just long enough to kill Bin Laden, Zawahiri and Omar with drones, then declare victory over Al Qaeda. Then wind down and redirection of funds to the socialist agenda he promised during the campaign can begin in earnest. Cutting war spending by $100 billion per year by ending Iraq and Af-Pak war spending was a key element in his “budget savings” compared to the supposed Bush/McCain plan.

[screaminsunshine]

Socialism never works and requires Totalitarianism every time. Socialism can never be “democratic”. Socialism must be forced upon its victims because it is against human nature. The quest for Utopia will continue anyway.