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Barack Obama has rejected all the options put forward by advisers on the war in Afghanistan because they do not have a clear enough exit strategy, it emerged today.
The President will announce his plans in the next fortnight after weeks of agonising, fearful that he is being rushed into his biggest decision yet.
He is expected to send thousands more troops but is believed to be insisting that they be tied to strict targets for bringing them home. He also fears higher casualty rates.
A leaked cable from the US ambassador in Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, said "it was not a good idea" to send more troops unless government corruption is finally tackled.
He said the 40,000 troop "surge" advocated by war commander General Stanley McChrystal could make the country more rather than less dependent on American military help.
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First he sets up his Ambassador to say no more troops are needed, then he carries on dithering about more troops until the Afghans give up on the US and decide their future lies in being nice to those lovely Taliban guys. Then Obama can say, well, it's pointless sending more troops as the war is lost. Great strategy! Voting 'Present' again as always. Just like Brown, never around when a decision has to be made that might make him a teeny bit unpopular. God help us, becasue Obama sure won't!
- Stephen Rothbart, Prague, Czech Republic, 12/11/2009 18:35
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