Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses his article “Obama Leaves Door Open to Long-Term US Afghan Combat;” the “lunatic warmonger” Republicans who reversed course after hearing the “end the wars” demands of their constituents; how Obama essentially traded the domestic Democratic political agenda for the Afghan surge; how, despite the minimal drawdown, David Petraeus got almost everything he wanted; the hubris of Robert Gates, who had no idea the US national security state could be subject to economic limits; and why US strategy in Afghanistan is best described as praying for a miracle.
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