Poll: Most in US Say Afghan War Not Worth It

President Obama: Afghanistan will never be 'perfect'

(AP) - President Obama and leaders around the globe locked in place an Afghanistan exit path today that will still keep their troops fighting and dying there for two more years, acknowledging there never will be point at which they can say, "This is all done." Obama, presiding over a 50-nation war coalition summit in his hometown, summed up the mood by saying the Afghanistan that will be left behind will be stable enough for them to depart—essentially good enough after a decade of war—but still loaded with troubles. More»

On surprise trip, president says goal of defeating al-Qaeda in reach

(NEWSER) - President Obama wrapped up his surprise trip to Afghanistan —during which he signed an accord with Hamid Karzai on how the US will wind down its presence after 2014—with an address to Americans. He declared that the US has "a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan," but vowed to end war "responsibly," reports CNN and the New York Times . Some excerpts:

• "My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the predawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon."
• “The goal that I set, to defeat al-Qaeda and deny it the chance to rebuild, is now within our reach."

Politics comes second to protecting troops, he says

(NEWSER) - Saying sorry to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for the accidental burning of Korans by US troops helped calm tensions, President Obama says. "We're not out of the woods yet," he told ABC . "But my criteria in any decision I make, getting recommendations from folks who are actually on the ground, is what is going to best protect our folks, and make sure that they can accomplish their mission." More»

He finally rejects misguided 'bigger is better' Afghan strategy: Steve Clemons

(NEWSER) - President Obama's decision to bring home 30,000 troops by the end of next year isn't getting much praise, writes Steve Clemons at the Atlantic . Critics think it's either too much too fast or too little too slow. But Obama and Joe Biden "have it just right—and have achieved something very important in the political battle over America's Afghanistan adventure," asserts Clemons. They have finally "broken the back" of the misguided doctrine that "ever larger numbers of deployed troops equal ever large security" gains. More»

Sarkozy has 4,000 troops there

(NEWSER) - A mere 12 hours after President Obama spoke on his Afghanistan drawdown, France offered its support for the plan. It will also begin a pullout of its 4,000 troops next month, “in a proportional manner and in a timeframe similar to the pullback of the American reinforcements,” the Élysée Palace said. The decision came after a phone conversation between Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, the New York Times reports. More»