So, After their great success predicting that President Obama secretly wanted to kill the public option and wanted to push some hollow "HCRINO" (HCR in name only) to say he did something, the presidential mind readers got busy on Afghanistan. (some other time, I'll pose the question of why a man who won by treating people like they are intelligent would make a 180 degree change as soon as he got into office)
In the last few days I've seen plenty of stories and blog posts about how the Afghan troop increase was a done deal.
Here are a couple, you can find plenty more on your own...
Digby:
There's no way that Obama is going to withdraw from Afghanistan and it's almost a sure thing that he's going to escalate in some fashion. I suspect they are hoping they can master the PR enough to sell it like a successful "surge" and take it off the table for 2012. Maybe they can. But if Obama's second term depends upon his staying in Afghanistan, I think it's a 100% probability that he will do it.
Huffington Post (emphasis added):
Obama's decision to go along with the Petraeus/McChrystal campaign for a massive escalation in Afghanistan and the Pakistani borderlands contradicts every precept of sound strategy and statesmanship. Rarely, if ever, has a great power so willfully set itself down the path of self-destruction with so little reason. This is pathological behavior that cries out for diagnosis and correction.
Wow, decision made, 100% sure that Obama will go with escalation, and for no apparent reason!
Except...
President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
(again, emphasis added)
Sooooo...maybe Obama isn't the Great Betrayer. Or maybe I'm a blind follower because I don't see "what's really going on!! Open your EYES man!!!"
Good thing our side is so much better at prognostication than the 'wingers!
Update: Based on some of the comments, I see that I didn't make my point clearly. I am encouraged that the President reportedly is demanding plans with measurable goals. I was also making a roundabout comment on people who want to project motivations on the President. As noted in the comments, every tangible result that Digby expects could prove to be true. I disagree with (what I perceive as) her assuming that the only consequences he cares about are political ones. On the other hand, I think the guy from HuffPo is just a jackass.