McCain et al on AFG - lean in

This is an outstanding article. Clear, concise, and better yet -- exactly right.

McCain, Graham, & Lieberman. BZ. You've heard me say before - play to win or go home. This explains why we have no choice but to play to win.

More troops will not guarantee success in Afghanistan, but a failure to send them is a guarantee of failure. As we saw in Iraq, numbers matter in counterinsurgency. Protecting the population and developing capable indigenous security forces are inherently manpower-intensive endeavors. Moreover, in the absence of basic security, the other crucial components of successful counterinsurgency—fostering the emergence of effective, legitimate government and economic development—simply cannot get off the ground.

Read it all.