Be careful Thomas ....

Who is Thomas P.M. Barnett talking about?

... you beat your enemy by isolating him, denying him allies, keeping him in the dark and - bit by bit - wearing down his energy:

Let's see:
1. America Alone becomes less of a book and more of a way of life when action is needed.
2. Led by CAN and NLD and encouraged by President Obama's West Point speech over a year ago and the JUL 11-14 timeline, more and more of our allies are leaving the field in AFG and elsewhere - content to let us to the heavy lifting.
3. It took us almost a decade to find OBL - just down the street from Pakistan's West Point in one of its city's largest compounds.
4. The American public is tired of "overseas contingency operations."

Well - in the afterglow of OBL assuming room temperature and becoming food for hagfish - Thomas was talking about OBL and his ilk - but he could have been talking about the USA as well.

This war is/will be a long one. Though our enemy may be getting tired - so are we. We need strategic patience and leadership to push us through.

Let's not get cocky because one guy is dead. Much more work remains to be done. Stay serious, stay focused, and stay on mission.