Tuesday night, President Obama delivered a major speech concerning his our nation's involvement in Afghanistan.  This was against the backdrop of Republican criticism that he was stalling and increasing discontent with the prospect of an escalation from the left.  The bullet-points?  30 000 troops are headed to Afghanistan to help stabilize the Afghan government and a timetable for the withdrawal of our troops from that country.

My impression is to give the speech an A. It was a somber and sober assessment of the situation we find ourselves in and a good explanation of why Obama has chosen the path he did.  I found one thing interesting at the outset: I cringed out of instinct when he mentioned 9/11 (that's what 7 years of Bush 9/11 speeches will get you).  Then I realized that, wait, that's actually relevant.

On Tuesday, Michael Moore got a lot of attention online when he posted an open letter to the president saying that if Obama increased the number of troops in Afghanistan (which he did), he would be the new "War President" (which I don't think he is).

Moore was echoing the criticisms that have been slowly growing from the left in recent weeks. My main problem with this line of thought is that I'm not sure what the alternative is.  In his letter, Moore argued for an immediate withdrawal of our troops. I can't believe that this would be beneficial to anyone. I think that our initial engagement in Afghanistan was justified and prudent.

We have a moral obligation to not abandon the people of Afghanistan, pure and simple.

I'm reminded of our nation's involvement in Central and South America, where we acted out of self-interest to the detriment of the region and its people. Rightly or wrongly, this is our reputation in the world: that we use our military to further our economic and political interest and don't really care about how we impact the lives of people in other countries. To leave now would be to confirm that perception.

Actually, this whole argument has given me a slightly more nuanced view of the Iraq war and of George Bush. Now, I'll never forgive him for starting that war, nor for completely ruining its execution, but I do now appreciate how the decision to withdraw or send in more troops was a complex one, both from a strategic and moral point of view. I'll admit that my views on Iraq a few years ago (which were essentially in line with the left) were overly simplistic.

I want to give Obama a chance to improve the situation in Afghanistan. His decision to include a timetable also gives me reassurance that, unlike Bush, his commitment his not open-ended.