It never ceases to amaze me the way that leftists fight wars. Unless there is an "exit strategy" or a hard and fast withdrawal date, they refer to the conflict as a "quagmire" and hence, a "failure."

It's not as if you need a degree in advanced physics to understand that by announcing a date for your exit, you give aid and comfort to the enemy - especially in the kind of asymmetrical warfare we find ourselves engaged in these days. One would think it would be as obvious to the president as it is to the rest of us that telling the enemy your strategy ahead of time allows them to sit back and wait out whatever efforts you are making to bring stability to a war torn country.

Apparently not. And this doesn't sit well with  Marine Commandant, General James Conway:

"We know the president was talking to several audiences at the same time when he made his comments on July 2011," Gen. James Conway told reporters on Tuesday. "In some ways, we think right now it's probably giving our enemy sustenance....In fact, we've intercepted communications that say, ‘Hey, you know, we only have to hold out for so long.'"

Conway, who recently returned from a trip to the region, said he expected Marines to remain on the ground in southern Afghanistan, the traditional stronghold for the Taliban, well after July 2011, though he himself is set to retire in the fall.

"I certainly believe that some American units somewhere in Afghanistan will turn over responsibilities to Afghanistan security forces in 2011, I do not think they will be Marines," he said.

The Marines form only one part of the 78,000-strong U.S. troop contingent, which is in turn part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which includes some 120,000 troops from 47 nations. Marine operations are focused primarily on the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand Provinces, in Afghanistan's Pashtun heartland.

Obama's far left allies will not allow him to stay past any deadline he has already set. They have already begun to turn on him, forgetting how much they supported "The Good War" during the presidential campaign. If the deadline slips, his base will desert him - just in time for the 2012 campaign. For this reason, if the president decides to run for re-election, it is likely that he will either cut the best deal he can with the Taliban, declare "victory," and bring the troops home, or simply withdraw forces under the cover that will be supplied by NATO who will also be pulling out next year.

So much for "The Good War."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog post mis-identified General Conway as our top Marine general in Afghanistan. This is not correct, as Conway is the Marine Corps Commandant.

American Thinker regrets the error.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky