Leaks Cast Doubt on Afghan Policy

Among the many side effects of WikiLeaks’ exhaustive Afghanistan document leak, President Obama’s foreign-policy team is already facing scrutiny over their reaction to the incriminating revelations. Senator John Kerry, a top Democrat and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has already suggested a strategy review: “These policies are at a critical stage, and these documents may very well underscore the stakes and make the calibrations needed to get the policy right more urgent,” he said. The bright side, according to some administration officials, is that the leaks could be used as leverage to increase cooperation with Pakistan, whose role in aiding Afghan insurgents was illustrated to a shocking degree in many of the documents. Foremost, though, the White House must convince the electorate that the seemingly botched war is worth salvaging. “We are in this region of the world because of what happened on 9/11,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stressed on Monday.