“BUT that the long-term is what matters, and that long-term outlook is tenuous because we have an idiot in the White House who is turning his back on Iraq.”
There’s that, of course, but also the fact that we’re betting on a Muslim country to be a good partner in the future. I’m doubtful myself.
But the long term is a separate issue from whether we are better off TODAY, right now, because of our actions in Iraq.
Maybe you would argue we are not, but it is an argument to be made. I believe we are, and I think Gates is wrong to dismiss the notion in deference to the separate question of whether we can sustain or strengthen our gains.
When WW2 started, did it mean that WW1 was not worth it? If in 10 years Germany decided to launch a 3rd world war, would it mean that WW2 wasn’t worth it?
We gave a people a chance for democracy, freedom, security, and a better life. Whether they end up taking it or not, that in itself was worth the sacrifice, in my opinion. Moreso than what we have acheived so far in Afghanistan.