Reply #59: That is a sound assessment.

[Lasher]

Obama should get some credit in that respect. He has at least been trying to come up with a policy and hopefully a clear mission objective. This is in sharp contrast with a distinct lack of either during the conflict's 7 years druing the Bush administration.

Long ago al Qaida escaped to Pakistan, as you said, where they stayed with relative impunity during all the Bush years. Obama said during the campaign he would bring pressure on al Qaida in Pakistan. He has, and those havens are not quite as safe as they once were.

Now Obama's critics complain because he's not cleaning up Bush's mess in Afghanistan fast enough. Matthew Hoh is helping them, with no mention of Tora Bora or the 7 wasted years under Bush. Quite the contrary, he has this to say about the conterproductive mission in Iraq:

"There are plenty of dudes who need to be killed," he said of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. "I was never more happy than when our Iraq team whacked a bunch of guys."

It will be interesting to see what career path unfolds now for Hoh.