Obama's Afghanistan Strategy Copies Bush's Surge

By Ryan Mauro

The decision by the Obama administration to fire General McKiernan as commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and replace him with General Stanley McChrystal has been met with widespread praise, with former vice president and current chief Obama critic Dick Cheney describing McChrystal as "an absolutely outstanding officer." With all the focus on whether McChrystal can decisively change the situation in Afghanistan, commentators are missing what McChrystal's selection means. Think about President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan. He's put in place a reputable new commander in preparation for a broad counterinsurgency campaign. He's dispatching over 20,000 additional soldiers to help bring security to the country and is putting pressure on the country's neighbors to crack down on those trying to destabilize Afghanistan and kill our soldiers. Sound familiar? [more...]