Afghanistan: Leading Questions

We've been in Afghanistan for eight years. We drove the Taliban from power and (temporarily) broke up its terror network. We installed a semi-democratic government and laid the groundwork for women there to be treated as human beings.

But we didn't (perhaps couldn't) commit enough lives and resources to make Afghanistan safe for democracy, and now there is a real risk the country (if that's what it is) could return to its pre-9/11 state of chaos, of providing a safe haven for terrorists who could wreak havoc once again on the U.S. Leaving, therefore, is not an option, particularly if we want to protect those who have risked all to help us.

With extremists seemingly gaining power by the day, the status quo is not only intolerable, it is impossible. So we are left with only one option: victory, which is supposed to have been the goal all along. So what does victory look like in Afghanistan, and how do we get there? Those are the questions President Obama faces, complicated by his rabid antiwar base and his apparently insincere posturing while a candidate.

If ever we needed a president who can lead, it is now. President Obama: You wanted to be president. Now is the time to start earning your pay. Any time you're ready. We're all waiting.