After Bin Laden: The Administration Battle over Troops in Afghanistan (Part 2)

On Tuesday, we wrote of the rapid mobilisation of Administration officials who did not want the death of Bin Laden to be any reason to pull American troops from Afghanistan in the near-future. As one "senior Administration official" primed The New York Times, "I hope people are going to feel, on a bipartisan basis, that when you move the ball this far it’s crazy to walk off the field.”

It did not take long for a counter-attack from those within the Administration --- read White House and State Department --- who want at least some fulfillment of President Obama's promise to begin withdrawal in July. They chose Rajiv Chandrasekaran of The Washington Post as their broadcaster.:

“Bin Laden’s death is the beginning of the endgame in Afghanistan,” said a senior administration official who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal policy deliberations. “It changes everything.”

Another senior official involved in Afghanistan policy said the killing “presents an opportunity for reconciliation that didn’t exist before.” Those officials and others have engaged in urgent discussions and strategy sessions over the past two days about how to leverage the death into a spark that ignites peace talks.

The officials put out the line that the killing of bin Laden will encourage the Afghan Taliban to talk, and they are putting forth an alternative that maintains the image of US strength while maintaining Obama's July pledge: "a strategic partnership agreement with the Afghan government that will endorse the long-term presence of a modest number of U.S. troops in the country to continue to train Afghan security forces and to conduct counterterrorism operations".

Another "senior official" summarised --- in words that could apply both to the Taliban and to his Administration opponents who want no talk of withdrawal --- “We know where we want to go, but getting there won’t be easy. There’s a long and complicated path ahead.”