What not to say in an Irish pub

Here's a little history quiz for you. Which war was the longest in American history?

If you answered "Vietnam," you'd have been right until about three weeks ago. U.S. combat there officially lasted eight years and eight months. But this June, it was overtaken by Afghanistan, where fighting has gone on uninterrupted since October 2001.

The arrival of this fact — much more so than the death of the 1,000th American soldier in Afghanistan in May, which was overshadowed by the oil spill — has raised two big questions:
1. Is the war winnable? and
2. If it's not winnable, whose fault is that?

The second question was answered by the general in charge of Afghanistan, Stanley McChrystal. He blamed top officials in the U.S. government — Vice-President Joe Biden and Special Representative Richard Holbrooke in particular — calling them ineffective. And he did so in a most inelegant way. While being interviewed for Rolling Stone magazine — which is often critical of the military — he and his top aides invited the reporter along to an Irish pub, where a lot of casual and bitter comments were made.

A one-way ticket home

When the article came out a few days ago, McChrystal's boss — Barack Obama — summoned the general to Washington and demanded his resignation. McChrystal was not allowed to return to Afghanistan; his belongings were packed up and shipped to him. Obama's rationale was that McChrystal had undermined the principle of civilian control of the U.S. military.

Obama will nonetheless allow McChrystal to retire with his four stars (if Congress agrees), in recognition of his years of service to the country.

But what about the first question? The best outcome at this point seems to be a stalemate — and that's not even the most likely option. The other NATO countries, which jointly declared war, have failed to send more than a handful of extra troops. The extra American troops sent last year are only about half of the number needed. The Taliban have gained strength, and the number of roadside bombs has doubled. The clock is also ticking: Obama had envisioned the U.S. withdrawal beginning a year from now — something that's starting to be called into question.

"Yes, we can!"

When things looked this bad in Iraq in 2007, George W. Bush decided to give things one last try. Most generals said it couldn't be done. One agreed to take up the challenge. It was David Petraeus.

Once again, Petraeus is the only general saying, in spite of inadequate resources, "Yes, we can" — and this is why Obama has nominated him to do McChrystal's job.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination yesterday, and the full Senate will vote on it in the days ahead.

Peace with honor?

When America withdrew from its second-longest war, President Richard Nixon called it "peace with honor". In Vietnam, America accomplished none of its objectives. But Afghanistan is another story.

The war's actual objective — as stated in the authorization given by Congress — was not to dismantle the Taliban. It was to use military force against those responsible for 9/11. Osama bin Laden, if he's even still alive, has probably been in Pakistan since before the first NATO air strike. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the guy who planned 9/11, was caught by Pakistan's intelligence service in 2003. And Al Qaeda has moved on to other battlefields, where the U.S. is successfully containing it.

Bringing civilization to Afghanistan may be too big a task, even for Petraeus. The original objective was achieved (by Pakistan, with U.S. help) long ago. When America recognizes this, we will probably find "peace with honor" — Taliban or no Taliban.