Gen Jones on Face the Nation, 4 Oct

[kotkinjs1]

The transcripts aren't out yet so I'm paraphrasing here, but:

Did anyone catch when Bob Schieffer questioned the general about the conventional wisdom regarding our assumption that if we pull out and the Taliban again take power in Afghanistan and that, by default, would mean al-Qaeda would follow and set up shop again?

And the general's reply?? He said that was 'hypothetical' and he'd rather not answer or address that.

Huh? "Hypothetical?!?" That's the fundamental assumption that our entire follow-on U.S. strategy is based on! The National Security Adviser can't even seem to back up the "conventional wisdom" that tells us that we can't separate the "threat" of the Taliban from al-Qaeda. If he can't tell us on national TV that by allowing the Taliban to regenerate and assume power in AFG will again allow the 'safe-haven' to form inviting al-Qaeda back in, then why are we taking any action? Nation-building, COIN+, or anything else?

The "defined" linkage between the threat to our vital national interests al-Qaeda poses and the nonsense in the strategic 'threat' of the Taliban is the foundation for everything we are doing right now and everything McChrystal is calling for. If Gen Jones won't publicly stay on that bandwagon or even comment on that assumption beyond saying it's only 'hypothetical,' it just reinforces why we need a strategic reassessment, not the rearranging of COIN or CT deckchairs that's currently underway.