Completely The Hell Out?

With diplomacy involving Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the basement and the Afghan government on the verge of throwing us completely out of the country, President Obama appears to be trying to make the best of an awful situation by withdrawing everyone from Afghanistan by the end of next year and calling it a day.

Mr. Obama is committed to ending America’s military involvement in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and Obama administration officials have been negotiating with Afghan officials about leaving a small “residual force” behind. But his relationship with Mr. Karzai has been slowly unraveling, and reached a new low after an effort last month by the United States to begin peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar. 

Mr. Karzai promptly repudiated the talks and ended negotiations with the United States over the long-term security deal that is needed to keep American forces in Afghanistan after 2014. 

A videoconference between Mr. Obama and Mr. Karzai designed to defuse the tensions ended badly, according to both American and Afghan officials with knowledge of the conversation. Mr. Karzai, according to those sources, accused the United States of trying to negotiate a separate peace with both the Taliban and its backers in Pakistan, leaving Afghanistan’s fragile government exposed to its enemies. 

Mr. Karzai has made similar accusations in the past. But those comments were delivered to Afghans — not to Mr. Obama, who responded by pointing out the American lives that have been lost propping up Mr. Karzai’s government, the officials said. 

The option of leaving no troops in Afghanistan after 2014 was gaining momentum before the June 27 video conference, according to the officials. But since then, the idea of a complete military exit similar to the American military pullout from Iraq has gone from being considered the worst-case scenario — and a useful negotiating tool with Mr. Karzai — to an alternative under serious consideration in Washington and Kabul. 

In other words, Karzai is calling our bluff, and he's doing so coldly that it's starting to look like the only viable option.  Surprise, it's been the right thing to do for years now, but apparently it's taking Karzai saying "Go ahead, do it, we want you gone" in order for us to consider it.

And I'm completely okay with this.  I think the Obama administration should be trumpeting this from the rooftops.  Get them all out and bring them home, Mr. President.