Announcing an end that is not an end

The draw down has been made public.

The plan: 10,000 troops out by the end of the year; another 20,000 by next fall and a steady draw down after.

That’s not exactly a sprint and, of more concern, it leaves about two thirds of the troops in place as President Obams’s first term comes to a close — or his presidency ends. Either way, that’s too many men and women in Afghanistan and makes it too easy for the nation’s leaders to back away from the withdrawal plan.

This is not, despite what the president said tonight, an end to the war in Afghanistan. The war is going to continue to smolder for several years, just as the war in Iraq continues to smolder.

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Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet