No Conflict Too Small - Many Too Big for Our President
Obama tells us it was an unprecedented accomplishment at the NATO summit to receive a pledge for 5,000 more NATO troops to Afghanistan. Golly, he hadn't even asked for them and this really wasn't a pledging session. Baloney. His administration has been pressing for more combat troops for some time now. The amazing NATO pledges are not for combat troops. Some of those troops will be there only for temporary security duty during the Afghan elections. Some troops included in the promised new total are actually part of a contingent already in Afghanistan. NATO countries did pledge $100 million to fund the Afghan army, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Obama is attempting to inflate the significance of getting a commitment to, dare I say it, distract from its meager content. I respect every member of the NATO military who serves in Afghanistan in any capacity and thank them for their service. The painful reality is NATO effectively tossed some coins at Obama as much as to say, "Here, that's all you're going to get now stop bothering me." The much vaunted agreement to the strategy is an acknowledgment that it's important not to lose in Afghanistan. Europe wishes us well in accomplishing that, but holds back on helping. [...]
There's more. When you look at the facts, I don't think this trip has been nearly as successful as the media hype keeps telling us it is.
We've made many concessions, and don't have much to show for it. Unless you think that having Europe "like" us more is important. Yeah, right. Everyone loves a sucker; so easy to take advantage of, and walk all over. That's why I've always preferred respect over popularity.
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