"The security situation in Afghanistan remains tenuous, with instability fueled by a resilient and still confident insurgency, tribal tensions, political challenges, and competition for influence in the future,"- David Petraeus, laying the groundwork for permanent occupation. Henry Kissinger says two things:
Mr Kissinger added that fighting the Taliban until it was reduced to impotence “would take more time than the American political system would permit”.
But:
“On the other hand, if we are willing to pursue the stated [war] objective the public must be prepared for a long struggle. This is a choice that needs to be made explicitly.”
I agree with that. Obama needs to pony up and make the case for permanent occupation of Afghanistan as a ward of the US if he is to continue his current "surge".