This Just In: King George Doctrine Still Dead

Crooks and Liars:

The steady stream of bad news about Afghanistan this week served to highlight two inescapable truths regarding the conflict against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. First, Barack Obama is right that the ongoing commitment of American forces in Iraq is limiting the United States in its pursuit of Al Qaeda along the Pakistan frontier. Second, the Bush Doctrine - with its first tenet of “no safe havens” for terrorists - is still dead.

In Washington, President Bush acknowledged that June, which saw the highest U.S. casualties of the Afghan war, was a “tough month.” Bush, who is reported to have recently ordered U.S. intelligence assets and Special Forces to make a final push to capture Osama Bin Laden, then promised more soldiers and Marines for the fight. As Time rightly noted:

“We’re going to increase troops by 2009,” Bush said, without offering details about exactly when or how many.

The President would have done well to first consult with Admiral Michael Mullen, his Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. On the very day that 2,200 U.S Marines learned their tours in Afghanistan will be extended by 30 days, Mullen admitted to reporters at the Pentagon that the United States could deploy more forces there only by drawing down from Iraq:

“I don’t have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach, to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq. Afghanistan has been and remains an economy-of-force campaign, which by definition means we need more forces there.”