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"We have a clear and focused goal, to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan." That was the soundbite all three newscasts used from Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama's speech on his new policy. He deployed 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan to train its army and police and pledged $1.5bn in extra civilian aid for Pakistan over the next five years. ABC's Jake Tapper observed that a "major component lacking in today's announcement is a total price tag--or even an estimate." Another missing component, NBC's Richard Engel pointed out from Kabul, was that the President "never once mentioned nationbuilding, never once mentioned the idea of democracy." NBC's Savannah Guthrie pointed to a further omission: "The President did not outline a clear exit strategy."
CBS' Lara Logan called the "biggest change" in Obama's policy the notion that "Afghanistan and Pakistan will no longer be treated as separate problems. One challenge, one goal." Obama may now treat al-Qaeda as his sole enemy but Logan brought us Exclusive footage from behind guerrilla lines to show that the Taliban have not yet received the memo. They are "preparing a surge of their own." She quoted a Taliban commander: "We do not care if hey send 20,000 or 50,000. The more troops they send the more casualties they suffer." NBC's Engel reminded us of the fate that befell the Soviet Union when it tried to reinforce its presence in Afghanistan: "Russian hardware is everywhere. It is so plentiful here the Afghans use it to build bridges and dams, a very grim reminder of how difficult it is to fight in this country."
Obama: Pakistan is now part of our war
Better watch once than a lot of time to read.
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