Obama's Speech, Reaction Part II

Obama is a really smart guy - certainly the most intelligent president of my lifetime. So what's he up to? He must know that he'll never get the support of the right, and he's losing the support of the middle and the left. He must also know that trying to pacify or civilize Afghanistan is a fool's errand.

He did a masterstroke by putting the war in the budget process. That will put the Republicans in the awkward position of having to vote for his plans, because the Democrats alone won't do it. If nothing else, that will embarrass the Republicans into giving a veneer of bipartisanship to his war policies. He also knows that his supporters have nowhere else to go. What are they going to do, vote for Palin in 2012?

But in the end, he'll still be spending billions and wasting American lives on a hopeless venture that does nothing to make America "safer."

So what's he up to? Maybe he's cut a deal with Pakistan to somehow hunt down Osama bin Laden in the border areas or allow the CIA to hunt him down in return for some favors regarding Kashmir and India. Or maybe it's just plain old-fashioned cash. But wouldn't that be the surprise of the century if Obama bagged Osama? Obama could then pull out all the troops with his head held high. His base would again support him, and the right would be crushed.

Truly a "Mission Accomplished" moment.