Opinion: Afghanistan: Getting out while the gettin’s good
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Stay tuned: Doyle McManus joins Gwen Ifill for a ‘Washington Week’ round-table discussion. This week’s topic: Afghanistan. In his most recent Op-Ed, McManus provided analysis on President Obama’s decision to start bringing our troops home:
Obama’s decision is a gamble, but so are many decisions in war. If Afghans on both sides conclude that the United States is leaving the battlefield, and the Taliban resurges, the president’s choice this week won’t look brilliant. But if the U.S. military’s assessments of the Taliban are accurate, that’s not likely to happen.So yes, it’s a pivot point, both in U.S. strategy and in the politics of the war at home. From now until election day in 2102, Obama can (and doubtless will) cast our progress in Afghanistan in a new, more hopeful narrative. The late Sen. Aiken would have recognized the approach: We’ve redefined our goals, we’re winning, and we’re getting out.
The program airs Friday evening. You can watch the program online here.
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--Alexandra Le Tellier
Graphic: Robert Burns / Los Angeles Times
