President Barack Obama's insistence he is winning the war against terrorists in Afghanistan is based not on reality but on the primary goal of everything he does and says these days - getting him re-elected.
It is clear U.S. policy toward Afghanistan needs to be adjusted, however.
Several days ago the heads of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees said they believe Taliban terrorists are growing stronger in Afghanistan. That came after the two, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., visited the country and talked with its president, Hamid Karzai.
Feinstein's concern is especially striking because she has been a strong supporter of President Obama. Now she says he is dead wrong about Afghanistan.
White House policy is part of the reason the Taliban are growing in strength and influence. The president's insistence on setting a date for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan - by the end of 2014 - was a terrible mistake. It has encouraged the Taliban and their al-Qaida comrades to pursue an offensive they have every reason to believe will be successful.
What is to prevent the Taliban from retaking Afghanistan, then re-establishing a safe haven for al-Qaida? President Obama seems so busy patting himself on the back for a non-existent victory that we doubt he has given much thought to that.
Someone should.