Obama’s “Enduring commitment:” until July, 2011

When the Obama administration says that they are in Afghanistan for the long haul, know that that really means until July, 2011. And our enemies know this as well. From Obama’s speech at West Point:

Now, taken together, these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground.

But what he misses is that in the case of Iraq, President Bush would not tell the enemy when we would be leaving. In 1983 Democrats, including then-Senator Joe Biden, established a timeline for withdrawal of the U.S. peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Knowing the American resolve had expired, Lebanese terrorists knew that in order to remove the U.S. peacekeepers, all that was needed was a few more casualties. Terrorists killed 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers, just as Marine Corps Commandant P.X. Kelley warned.

As history shows, announcing the day you will begin your retreat to your opponents is just asking for defeat and disaster.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s statement requires a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (her words to Gen. Petraeus):’

It should be clear to everyone that — unlike the past — the United States and our allies and partners have an enduring commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region.

Only with a combination of Hillary Clinton and diplo-speak  can “enduring commitment” translate into July, 2011.

You see, all the Taliban and al Qaeda now have to do is keep up appearances – a roadside bomb here, overrun an outpost there – until we retreat. Then Afghanistan is theirs for the taking, albeit with a far better infrastructure – funded by our tax dollars.