As it happens, Mr Obama had a perfect opportunity to send just such a signal on September 20th, when he appeared on several of America’s Sunday talk shows in an effort to boost support for health reform. He has had the general’s report for several weeks and the White House confirms that he has read it. But no indication of unwavering commitment was forthcoming—if anything, the opposite. “Until I'm satisfied that we've got the right strategy I'm not gonna be sending some young man or woman over there—beyond what we already have,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press”. “I'm not interested in just being in Afghanistan for the sake of being in Afghanistan or saving face or, in some way—you know, sending a message that America is here for the duration.”
This was not a case of a president being caught on the hop. Robert Gibbs, his press secretary, told reporters on Monday that an overall assessment of strategy in Afghanistan was continuing inside the administration and would not be completed for several more weeks. No decision would be made about sending more troops until it was. And this assessment, Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said last week, was starting from “first principles”.
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9:16 PM
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