Top war historian skeptical of Obama surge

Add the name of Max Hastings to those skeptical of Obama accomplishing much in Afghanistan. Unlike most NYT columnists, Hastings knows how to write a hard-hitting column with a lede and nut graf up front. His second sentence says enough:

The additional forces sound large in headlines, but shrink small in the mountains.

Hastings rejects most Afghanistan-Vietnam parallels, but not all. He says one is especially pertinent:

One Indochina parallel seems valid: that war was lost chiefly because America’s Vietnamese allies were unviable.

Finally, Hastings wonders just how much of a coherent political strategy for Afghanistan Obama has. Read the full column.