Broder on Afghanistan: Better a Quick Choice Than the Right One
It’s pretty clear, I think, that the Obama administration’s decision-making process on Afghanistan has left something to be desired. At the same time, given that the initial round of policy reviews didn’t lead to a satisfactory outcome I certainly think it’s better for the administration to try to take its time crafting a policy that it stands behind rather than to rush to rubber-stamp something purely in order to make the policy look smoother. But Steve Benen finds that David Broder actually thinks “the urgent necessity is to make a decision — whether or not it is right.”
I can’t believe he actually thinks that. But, again, this is one of these moments when you wonder what the editors of newspaper opinion sections are for. Surely this would have been a good opportunity for someone to say “David, you don’t really mean that do you?”
28 Responses to “Broder on Afghanistan: Better a Quick Choice Than the Right One”
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November 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
why don’t you think broder actually thinks that? on what basis do you assume that david broder’s brain functions in a way that normal people might recognize?
as for editors, you still seem to cling to the belief that it is not the wapo’s position that opeds consist of opinion, which can’t be edited, presumably for the same reason that you think broder didn’t really mean the stupid thing he typed.
namely, that you’re still young and you still find it hard to believe that people this moronic are in powerful and influential positions in this country. but they are.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I do think it’s a strange part of reality that people care what nincompoops like David Broder think about important policies.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I can’t believe he actually thinks that. But, again, this is one of these moments when you wonder what the editors of newspaper opinion sections are for. Surely this would have been a good opportunity for someone to say “David, you don’t really mean that do you?”
You obviously have a very poor understanding of Fred Hiatt(or any flunkie he hires).
November 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I don’t thing Broder really believes that either but it shows how Afghanistan and Iraq within the beltway have become chronic and not acute conditions anymore.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’m not convinced of this. It’s true that the leaks have been problematic. But from what I’ve heard of the actual process, Obama’s asking the exact questions I want him to be asking. That’s what I care about most. So, what’s your exact problem with the process?
November 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Pundits can back any number of awesomely wrong decisions about national security and get away with it. Politicians can usually skate too. The rest of us get stuck with the consequences: funerals of friends in the military, terrorism, a ten trillion dollar National Debt.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Well, this depends on whether you think that any of the options presented are better than the status quo. In this case, it is better to make the worst decision out of hteo nes that are presented than not to make a decision.
Or if you think that the chances of things going bad if you wait are so high that randomly choosing a path is more likely to have a positive outcome than waiting; David may mean that it is better to take a chance that one will make the wrong decision than to wait, because losing is certain without a decision being made.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Like slag, I am not so sure that the AfPak decision making is broken. True, the uncertainty can’t be helpful for those at the sharp end and it does have obvious political risks. But these are relatively short-term problems.
I am not at all sure that they could come to the right conclusion other than through this process, with the c-i-c refusing to sign off until a credible plan is produced.
November 15th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
And wasn’t the decision-making process necessarily hostage to the tangled, delayed, and inconclusive outcome of the Afghan election debacle–which really only played out to its conclusion some days ago? I find it truly bizarre that anyone who claims to have a rational, sophisticated, and pragmatic view on our Afghan policy (like all these newly minted beltway AfPak geniuses) would try to assert that the Obama administration’s policy determinations should have been carried out in a vacuum, oblivious to developments (or the lack thereof) on the ground in Kabul.
November 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I’m w/ slag, Dornan, & elle loco. I don’t think BHO’s decision making here is a problem. You’ve got a situation where much is in flux on the ground and I think he’s been wise to see how events shake out.
BTW: With all the media squealing about “Is it on, is it off?” let’s take a moment to remember that we’re talking about a decision which ultimately could cost thousands of lives, hundreds of $billions, and could effect stability in the region & US security for decades. BHO should take all the time he wants.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
For those who think that President Osama is dithering on making a decision about Afghanistan, here’s a quote from George Will putting down former Vice-President Cheney. Like a stopped clock, Mr. Will is occasionally right.
“A bit of dithering might have been in order before we went into Iraq in pursuit of non-existent weapons of mass destruction,” Will said on ABC’s “This Week. “For a representative of the Bush administration to accuse someone of taking too much time is missing the point. We have much more to fear in this town from hasty than from slow government action.”
November 15th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I have to say that in general I have not seen much evidence of superior decision-making from Obama to this point, no matter how long he takes on any specific decision/issue.
Cranky
November 15th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Anyone who disagrees with Obama is either senile or a racist…heaven forbid they are right.
Our inexperienced community organizer is performing just as expected….like the inexperienced community organizer he is.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
jeez, awesome argument, dude: straight outta 2003.
the giveaway, of course, is that nobody is saying broder is senile because he criticized obama and nobody is saying that broder (or anyone else) is a racist for criticizing obama on afghanistan.
what a number of us have been saying for a long time is that broder is a terrible and hopeless hack who no longer deserves a platform, and that this particular argument of his – quick, do something! – is immensely stupid.
what we’re also saying is that you’re a joke.
November 15th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I love how there are people so fucking stupid that, after two terms of a total empty suit whose experience after running the nation for eight years is insufficient to make him presidential caliber, complain that the “by the bootstraps” constitutional law professor is merely a “community organizer.”
November 15th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Airheads like Broder have to try to say something that sounds moderately insightful. But they are too stupid, lazy, or ill-informed to make any good points about what the actual content of our Afghanistan policy should be. That requires having some reasonable understanding of what is going on over there.
So they take the easy way out and focus on the politics and process. It’s so much easier to whine that Obama is taking too long! It’s the same sort of useless bellyaching that Clive Crookson delivers in the FT. I don’t even bother to read the stuff because I know they have nothing insightful to offer.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:20 am
And wasn’t the decision-making process necessarily hostage to the tangled, delayed, and inconclusive outcome of the Afghan election debacle–which really only played out to its conclusion some days ago?
A little, but not excessively so. Neither Karazai nor Adbullah advocate a withdrawal of coalition forces. And they both more or less agree on how they would like to see things run wrt coalition support at the sub-national level.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:29 am
No post in this thread changes anything I stated, except that in addition to being a racist and senile you are also stupid if you disagree with obama.
What a pathetic excuse for a leader and a pathetic excuse for a bunch of groupies.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:46 am
Fix yourself another drink and shut the fuck up.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:44 am
Is Broder really this stupid, or is he still in training ?
November 16th, 2009 at 5:05 am
In this blog, I can state the obvious: with regard to geopolitics, Broder is a dumbass. To live with a bad decision now when setting overall policy for a war is just wrong.
Good, bad, or indifferent, weʻre gonna have to live with whichever direction the Administration chooses for years… so if the President wants to take a few months either because a) he wants to go in eyes wide open, or b) is paralyzed with the fear that Af-Pak is going to go pear-shaped no matter what he does, thatʻs ok with me.
Frankly, my guess is that the President is now fully informed, and has come to the conclusion that Afghanistan is not worth another 40,000 soldiers and Marines. Therefore, what heʻs now considering is how to break this to the electorate, and whether to play for time until after the mid-terms.
If we assume that the nature of this war is that sooner or later weʻre going to basically say “thatʻs good enough for government work” and pull the plug, moʻ bettah to do it when weʻre only pulling out tens of thousands, rather than upwards of 100,000.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:37 am
I eagerly await Obama’s announcement that he will not provide the resources which his hand picked commander has told him are needed to go forward in Afghanistan and hope that there is a High setting for your spin cycle Matt.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:43 am
The White House may be engaging in a lengthy trial balloon. If enough people and pundits begin to realize the Afghanistan futility, which is doubtful, they will slowly back off. However, because we have no draft, no critical media, there will be no mobs in the streets for us.
November 16th, 2009 at 10:23 am
choochoo! you do understand that in this country, the civilians rule the military? i realize over the last 8 years, that little constitutional nicety has been neglected as the children played war games with our blood and treasure, but now that the adults are involved, the commander in the field is only one source of input.
dude, of course, doesn’t understand anything: he honestly seems to think that he made a point….
November 16th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Polls have repeatedly shown that the majority of Americans don’t think we should be in Afghanistan, and most of us think we should leave sooner rather than later.
My sense is that Obama would like to see the majority find their voice.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Re ChooChoo
The problem here is that President Osamas’ handpicked ambassador,who is a retired general who was formerly in charge in Afghanistan has advised against the recommendation of President Osamas’ handpicked commander.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
MY: David Broder actually thinks. . .
That’s your first mistake. David Broder does not actually think. He is an android that has been programmed to identify the average conventional wisdom in Washington and encapsulate it in easy-to-digest columns.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I think broder’s point was that there are no “right” decisions