The Long Withdrawal Amendment Suggestion

Three senators want the US to be completely out of Afghanistan by the end of 2012.  “‘We commend the president for sticking to the July date he had outlined for beginning the withdrawal. However, his plan would not remove all regular combat troops until 2014,'” Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in The New York Times.

Their reasoning is one many of us agree with: “America would be more secure and stronger economically if we recognized that we have largely achieved our objectives in Afghanistan and moved aggressively to bring our troops and tax dollars home,” by 2012 rather than 2014.  It’s likely that the 2014 date will be pushed back to some other mystical time, which is perhaps why Senators suggest to be out by 2012 – it might happen by 2014.  Perhaps, if we bring the troops home in 2012, the world won’t end at the end of that year.  All problems solved.