Spencer Ackerman makes a good catch on the “Good Morning America” interview with Peter Galbraith I linked to earlier:
I also notice that the chyron used by Diane Sawyer in this clip is “Surge Or Leave?” Absolutely no one within the Obama administration is arguing that the U.S. needs to leave Afghanistan. Galbraith’s substantive recommendations are closest to those of Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who has not ruled out a counterinsurgency strategy and leans most heavily on more Afghan troops to prosecute it.
As the debate over the war picks up steam, it’s important for the media to be clear on this point—the unresolved questions being discussed by Obama and his team have to do with the size and nature of America’s commitment, not whether we’re in Afghanistan at all.
Greg Marx is an associate editor at CJR. Follow him on Twitter @gregamarx.