As I've argued before, I still think Democrats have failed to capitalize on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan to undo the Republican meme that liberals are soft on national security. In fact, recent developments show the Bush administration may finally be coming around to the fact that incursions into the tribal regions of Pakistan beyond the occasional predator strike are necessary to block Taliban advances in southern Afghanistan. If it's true that a deal has been struck to allow Allied Special Forces operations in Waziristan, and other tribal territory, it has been done quietly, and it's unlikely most of the US public know about it. Obama should adamantly argue the need for further US incursions into Pakistani territory to exterminate residual Al Qaeda forces and a newly invigorated Taliban insurgency. While it's true that on the stump he calls for the addition of two combat brigades, or about 10,000 troops, he has been unclear about what role they would play in Pakistan. It will certainly be difficult to navigate the treacherous waters of US-Pakistani diplomacy, but surely Obama could argue more vociferously for an expanded role for US forces in Pakistan by saying on the stump he would push the Pakistani government to allow an ever greater presence of US military forces to 'assist' in the destruction of the Taliban. Obama continues to face questions about how strong he would be abroad, and by forcefully arguing that America needs to finish what bin Laden started on 9/11, he could win over a number of independents nervous about electing a foreign policy novice when, on the other ticket, a war hero continues to press his own military advantage. The opportunity that Afghanistan presents, however, is slipping away and Obama needs to present a hawkish plan detailing specifically what he wants to do with his two new combat brigades. Subsequent to that, he needs to make such a plan a major part of his appeal to independents on the campaign trail.
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