Left I on the News

Like his predecessor, President Obama slinks into a country occupied by the U.S. under cover of night (and leaves before dawn), and delivers the bait-and-switch:

"Al Qaeda and their extremist allies are a threat to the people of Afghanistan and a threat to the people of America, but they’re also a threat to people all around the world, and that’s why we’re so proud to have our coalition partners here with us."

Of course the U.S. hasn't been fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan for years, they're fighting the Taliban. And the claim that the Taliban are a "threat to the people of America" or "people all around the world" is as specious as the claim that Iraq had WMD and the U.S. had to attack. Obama knows that only by throwing up the Al Qaeda bogeyman can he possibly justify the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Of course, that's not his only justification. His other? We're there because we're there:

"The United States of America does not quit once it starts on something. You don’t quit, the American armed services does not quit, we keep at it, we persevere, and together with our partners we will prevail."

What exactly "we" will "prevail" at isn't specified. The "war on terror", no doubt.

And, by the way, if the U.S. is still in Afghanistan to prevent "Al Qaeda and its extremist allies" from regaining power and threatening the U.S., why is the U.S. still in Iraq? "We" "won" apparently, because there hasn't been any claim that Al Qaeda is active in Iraq for a long time now, and, even if they are, there doesn't appear to be the slightest chance they will gain power there. So why are there still American troops in Iraq? Waiting for a "stable government" to emerge? Hell, we don't even have that in the U.S.! Obama just had to appoint 15 people to important positions by "recess appointments" because the simplest government function, confirming someone's appointment for office, couldn't be accomplished in over a year! This is the country that is going to lecture others about democracy? The country where one person can put a "hold" on unemployment benefits for millions? The country where the idea that "majority rules" is a thing of the past? That country?