i usually like hendrik hertzberg. in this piece he is way too soft on obama. maybe coz he’s quite misguided about the war. what struck me however was his astute understanding of why obama is calling for an escalation. the reasons r purely political: “Withdrawal, beginning at once? The political and diplomatic damage to Obama would be severe: a probable Pentagon revolt; the anger of NATO allies who have risked their soldiers’ lives (and their leaders’ political standing) on our behalf; the near-certainty that a large-scale terrorist attack, whether or not it had anything to do with Afghanistan, would be met at home not with 9/11 solidarity but with savage, politically lethal scapegoating.” Full article.