More Troops Now, Less Later

Judah Grunstein explains why he supports a time-bounded surge in Afghanistan:

I'm not optimistic that a year from now, we'll find ourselves in a significantly better situation. And even if we are, it might not be a direct result of the increased troops. But signaling matters, and although it might be too late, a message of strong commitment now, accompanied by more forceful and conditioned demands of our partners in the effort, might make the difference between a measured drawdown and an unraveling. And that's a pretty big difference.

So this surge would be what the last surge was: a face-saver for withdrawal with no guarantee of any long-term gain. And how do you ask a soldier's mother to sacrifice her son for a face-saver?