Heritage Foundation Statement on the War in Afghanistan
Ed Feulner /
The artificial Afghanistan withdrawal deadline has obviously caused some of our military leaders to question our strategy in Afghanistan.
That deadline, which President Barack Obama announced to the American people, the military, our allies and our enemies on December 1, 2009, has provoked many — including the government in Kabul, the Afghan people, the military in Pakistan, and our enemies the terrorists — to question America’s resolve to win the War in Afghanistan.
More disconcerting for the American people is that the timeline appears to be putting tremendous unnecessary pressure on our armed forces to accomplish their task: victory on the ground.
We don’t need an artificial timeline for withdrawal. We need a strategy for victory.
Though the president can’t pretend he never set a timeline, he can now exercise his authority as commander in chief to make things right.