"What this massive new air assault suggests to me - and I'm just speculating here - is that this is an attempt to generate as much leverage over the Taliban to secure as face-saving a political formula for withdrawal next year," - the Daily Dish, October 13, reacting to a piece by Noah Shachtman.
"Airstrikes on Taliban insurgents have risen sharply here over the past four months, the latest piece in what appears to be a coordinated effort by American commanders to bleed the insurgency and pressure its leaders to negotiate an end to the war," - Dexter Filkins, NYT, October 14, in a piece titled, "U.S. Uses Attacks to Nudge Taliban Toward a Deal".
2006-2011 archives for The Daily Dish, featuring Andrew Sullivan