What are your thoughts on Obama's Afghanistan plan?

I've been so busy recently that I've not had the time to digest this. I'm interested in hearing the thoughts of other forum members about the direction of the war in Afghanistan.

I mean the surge and drawdown plans he announced in his speech yesterday.

Well, I am disappointed to say the least. I knew that Obama seemed to want to take on Afghanistan as his war before he was elected, but I just don't see how he thinks it is still a good idea now. It is one of those safe political moves because he can say that the war was already in place before he took power, and that his opposition (the Republican Party) started the war in the first place. The potential political repercussions are so minor that Obama really has nothing to worry about. It just seems like such a calculated move at this time in the administration in order to preserve itself.

He's committing 30000 American Troops and 5000 NATO troops so we can withdraw in 18 months? Sounds like a calculated retreat and a disguised surrender. He sets a deadline to defeat an enemy im afghanistan? If the enemy isnt deafeated then i guess we gave it our best right? I think it was a sloppy and ambivalent speech bereft of any emotion. The first year is estimated at $30 Billion...a $30 Billion retreat in the face of an estimated 100 Al Qaeda terrorists. But hey, at least he got the nobel peace prize. I cant believe that this war has taken longer than WW2