Four More Years in Afghanistan?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates put an end to any speculation on a quick exit or a clean break from Afghanistan, saying that the U.S. presence in the country will likely continue for the next two to four years despite a withdrawal date set for 2011. Gates and Hillary Clinton made the rounds of Sunday morning talk shows to explain President Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan and the eventual handover to local security forces. "It's an effort to try and let the Afghans know that while we intend to have a relationship and support them for a long time, the nature of that relationship is going to begin to change in July of 2011," said Gates. Clinton spoke less optimistically about progress between the U.S. and the Taliban: “They have to renounce al Qaeda, renounce violence. They have to be willing to abide by the constitution of Afghanistan and live peacefully… I’m highly skeptical that any of them would.”