When President George Bush made the case for the surge in Iraq in January 2007, he made it clear to the Iraqi people and our allies abroad that he would not bow to domestic political pressures by setting a date for troop withdrawal. President Barack Obama has chosen a different path, explicitly naming a July 2011 retreat date in the sentence immediately following his troop increase announcement.
So how does Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spin this pre-retreat to our allies:
It should be clear to everyone that — unlike the past — the United States and our allies and partners have an enduring commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region.
Only people who equivocate on what the definition of “is” is could have the audacity to call an 18 month commitment “enduring”.
