Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Tick talk

Rightist raptor Tom Donnelly provides a painful chronology of President Obama’s deliberations on Afghanistan. I remain an Obama fan, but his handling of this has done more to make me question my support than anything else he has done. Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

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President Barack Obama meets with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Rightist raptor Tom Donnelly provides a painful chronology of President Obama’s deliberations on Afghanistan. I remain an Obama fan, but his handling of this has done more to make me question my support than anything else he has done.

Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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