Afghan Rift? It's Just 'Smoke and Puffery'

The 'skunk at the family picnic' has Obama's ear

(NEWSER) - It may have looked as though Joe Biden lost last fall’s argument over strategy in Afghanistan, but he actually emerged with a powerful, well-defined role in the administration. His position, in his own words: “the skunk at the family picnic.” Biden has been the in-house skeptic on Afghanistan, but his subtlety and discretion have deeply impressed President Obama, Politico reports. “He’s not off the leash,” says one official. More»

Pundits can't understand how the general let this happen

(NEWSER) - Stanley McChrystal’s Rolling Stone stunner has pundits baffled—no one can understand how he let this happen. Here’s what they’re saying:

• Joe Klein of Time defends the “McChrystal I know” as “an extraordinary man” who, unfortunately, has no PR skills and is “incapable of fudging the truth.” He’ll have to be fired, “and it is a real tragedy, because Stanley McChrystal is precisely the sort of man who should be leading American troops in battle.”

Prez was relentless in analyzing every angle

(NEWSER) - Amid cries of "dithering" and the silent finality of Arlington's rows of white tombstones, President Obama calmly, analytically, and exhaustively reviewed all options in Afghanistan before finally announcing to his team on Nov. 29 that he would send in 30,000 more troops. The New York Times retraces the president's steps in a lengthy retelling. Highlights: More»

Administration's decided it can't wipe out Taliban

(NEWSER) - President Obama has requested detailed, province-by-province analysis of Afghanistan’s local and tribal leaders, hoping to find more effective partners than the country’s weak and corrupt central government. The administration has concluded that no surge in troops will be able to eradicate the Taliban as a political force, but they believe that some provincial leaders, including Taliban-affiliated ones without ties to al-Qaeda, may be trusted to run their provinces without international help. More»

White House denies a decision has made, but UK's move would make more sense

(NEWSER) - President Obama will announce a troop surge in Afghanistan next week, sources tell the BBC, with Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US saying Obama will commit as many as 45,000. The White House says there’s been no decision, with spokesman Robert Gibbs sniffing that the BBC wouldn’t be the first to get such news anyway. More»