That’s what Obama’s been looking at. Hobson’s Choice, defined:
1 : an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative
2 : the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives
If I’d been facing that, I’d have taken several months to decide too.
It will be interesting to see whether more Republicans vote to fund this than Democrats. Will the party which believes in war and military might as the answer to every foreign problem offer more votes for this policy than the party which believes that war and force should be the last resort?
Why is the war in Afghanistan a “Hobson’s Choice”?
In the absence of clear political objectives, there is no justification for our presence.
Train the Afghan army and police to secure their country so we don’t have to isn’t a clear political objective?
That’s the only reason I can see to stay there because otherwise I’d want us to get out now. Those people have been fighting among themselves for a thousand years and, after we do leave, they will fight among themselves for a thousand more. Just so none of our men and women have to die in such battles, I don’t care if they do fight each other.