Eugene Robinson of Washington Post

By turning from Afghanistan prematurely to launch an elective, unnecessary and ill-advised invasion of Iraq, Bush and Cheney managed to transform one war we were winning into two that we were in danger of losing....

But the decisions on Afghanistan truly are either-or. Obama can decide to pursue a counterinsurgency strategy or a counterterrorism strategy. He can do one or the other -- not both. If he chooses counterinsurgency, he has to send enough troops to make that strategy work. If he doesn't want to send all those troops, he needs to pursue counterterrorism or do something else...

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan who has devised the counterinsurgency strategy, is asking for 40,000 or more additional troops. Obama is right to examine the general's calculations, but it would make no sense to try a middle path and approve, say, a troop increase of 20,000. That would just put more Americans in harm's way without giving McChrystal the resources he says he needs. This game's been going on for eight years. It's time to raise or fold...

We invaded Afghanistan to ensure that the country could never again be used to launch attacks against the United States. That mission is accomplished, and our only goal should be making sure it stays accomplished -- whether the place is run by Hamid Karzai or the Taliban. The counterinsurgency campaign that Obama is contemplating looks like a step onto the slipperiest slope imaginable. It doesn't matter whether the step is tentative or bold.

Sometimes a "war president" has to decide to start bringing the troops home. That's what Obama must do.

I'm sorry Eugene but I have to disagree.  This is not the time to be rushing the troops out of Afghanistan.  You are correct, we've spent 8 years there, you are wrong however in thinking we've given it our 'all' and that Afghanistan will never again be used to launch attacks against us. 

As you pointed out, the war we 'thought' we were winning was suddenly dropped or forgotten by President Bush and Vice President Cheney for a war they preferred to be fighting --in Iraq.

We haven't given half the attention we gave Iraq to Afghanistan, not in troop strength nor politically.  For the past 6 years our troops have been in limbo in Afghanistan, protecting a few major cities like Kabul.  This is not fighting a war, it's policing a city.  It's kind of like having police in downtown Chicago and not training more police officers to help control the violence across the rest of Chicago

I'm guessing because I don't know the details of what's happening over there (we hear very little from you in the media about the actual war - except for the political side of it); but I think perhaps there needs to be enough troops sent over to help protect the other troops, give them reinforcements, to cover their backs - and possibly spread the security around the nation. 

Think about Chicago during the mob days in the 40's and 50's.  If the cops had just gone downtown and ignored the suburbs (which they did in the beginning), they would have never gotten control of Chicago.  Instead, the cops were sent across the city, showing up on the streets of small neighborhoods, giving at least the sense of 'control' - giving those that lived there a feeling of security and in some cases making them feel a little braver.  Because of that feeling, they began squealing on the bad guys to those same cops on the streets.

There needs to be a surge alright Eugene; but not in combat troops, in the training of Afghans to fight for their own country.

Until we have given Afghanistan our 'all', as was done in Iraq, we should not leave.

As for the U.S. political side of the issue;  Can't you just hear the Republican Party's accusations toward the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama if he were to come out tomorrow and say, "Enough is enough, we're leaving Afghanistan"?  

"Be prepared to be attacked again because Democrats are weak on defense.  We warned you", they would say.  Ignoring of course that odds are, we'll be attacked whether we stay or not.

No sir, it's not time yet.  President Obama and his administration must prove they've given Afghanistan their 'all'; then and only then should he announce our withdrawal of troops from there.