Charles Krauthammer " Problem is, Afghans are not quite as sophisticated in interpreting American intraparty maneuvering. This kind of Washington nuance does not translate into Pashto. They hear about an American departure date, and they think about what will happen to them when the Americans leave. The Taliban will remain, and what they lack in popular support — they poll only 6 percent — they make up in terror: When they return to a village, they kill “collaborators” mercilessly, and publicly.
"The surge succeeded in Iraq because the locals witnessed a massive deployment of U.S. troops to provide them security, which encouraged them to give us intelligence, which helped us track down the bad guys and kill them. This, as might be expected, led to further feelings of security by the locals, more intelligence provided to us, more success in driving out the bad guys, and henceforth a virtuous cycle, as security and trust and local intelligence fed each other.
"But that depended on a larger understanding by the Iraqis that the American president was implacable — famously stubborn, refusing to set any exit date, and determined to see the surge through. What President Bush’s critics considered mulishness, the Iraqis saw as steadfastness." Emphasis added.
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