Obama's Afghan Reality Check

Until the President can explain his goals in Afghanistan, the voices of critics like Michael Steele will only get louder.

Barack Obama has an Afghanistan problem. Today, Michael Steele became the first major political figure to publicly criticize President Obama's Afghan policy. Steele called the McChrystal firing “comical,” arguing that the “one thing” the United States should not be fighting is a “land war in Afghanistan.”

Steele's comments come on the heels of a Byron York column in which he suggests that America’s interests might be better served if it withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. In the column, York wonders whether Americans will continue to tolerate the expense of American lives and American dollars with few tangible signs of military progress. (Yesterday, before Congress, Petraeus cited increased use of cell phones and an uptick in the number of children being educated as signs of progress.) As for the assertion by our military leaders that we need to win the “hearts and minds” of the Afghan population, York points out that these are the “the very words used to describe the folly of U.S. policy in the Vietnam era.”

The questions raised by York are not going to go away, and critics like Steele will only get louder as the war gets less popular. Even if the President won't re-consider the troop drawdown, the President has avoided explaining what specific policy outcome the United States aims to bring about before it gets out.  The President needs to do this, and he needs to do it sooner rather than later.  Details, Mr. President.  Give us details.

Follow Jeb Golinkin on Twitter: @Jgolinkin