Reply #5: "Simply put, when is this war over?" [View All]

[chill_wind]

The answer cannot be ''once we've killed them all,'' because we will never know whether or when that has been achieved. Using the killing of every active or potential member of al-Qaeda as the metric for victory is simply a recipe for extending the war for as long as the government deems convenient. Nor is the metric ''after al-Qaeda surrenders'' useful, because there will be no surrender ceremony.

The answer is likely to be murky: when US intelligence no longer judges al-Qaeda to be a clear and present danger. The Government should clarify what that looks like and, to the extent possible, define that goal with as many concrete and measurable benchmarks as possible so that there is objectivity and accountability in its assessment. Without such metrics, we are simply trusting that the Government will make the right decision and relinquish its war powers of its own accord, by its own judgment, when it deems the time right.

I don't know the exact answer. But I also don't get the sense that the Obama administration is even asking the question, and that is most worrisome of all.

"The writer served as a National Security Council director for Afghanistan from 2007 to 2009."

K & R