Levin: No Afghan War if We'd Caught bin Laden

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."

But president is 'more determined' to withdraw troops

(NEWSER) - President Obama warned today against a "rush for the exits" in Afghanistan over the alleged killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier, CBS News reports. "I think it's important for us just to make sure that we are not ... in Afghanistan longer than we need to be," Obama said in an interview with a CBS affiliate. But in a separate interview, he added that "it's important for us to make sure that we get out in responsible way, so that we don't end up having to go back in." More»

Pawlenty, Romney hawkish as Huntsman calls for faster withdrawal

(NEWSER) - The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan could become a major bone of contention among the GOP's 2012 hopefuls, judging by their differing responses to President Obama's speech outlining the US drawdown.

• Tim Pawlenty took the most hawkish position, calling the decision to bring all the surge forces home by the end of next summer a "grave mistake." "Look how he phrased the outcome of this war: He said we need to end the war 'responsibly,'" Pawlenty told Bill O'Reilly. "When America goes to war, America needs to win. We need to close out the war successfully."

Officials say that's the number he's settled on for 2011

(NEWSER) - President Obama will outline his plans for starting to get American troops out of Afghanistan in a speech to the nation tomorrow night, and officials tell the Los Angeles Times that the magic number for 2011 will be 10,000. That's more than what many were hoping to hear: Robert Gates, ahead of his retirement at the end of the month, has called for a conservative withdrawal, and the Pentagon favors withdrawing just 3,000 to 4,000 troops this year. More»

Says he wouldn't expect real progress until at least winter

(NEWSER) - Robert Gates confirmed today that the US is in "preliminary" talks with the Taliban, reports the Hill, cautioning that they've only been going on for a "few weeks." Appearing on State of the Union and Fox News Sunday, the outgoing defense secretary said the State Department was handling talks—though not at the level of Hillary Clinton—but that he didn't expect "substantive headway until at least this winter. "I think the Taliban have to feel themselves under military pressure and begin to believe that they can't win before they are willing to have a serious conversation." Elsewhere on the Sunday dial, as per Politico: More»