Coulter: Bill Kristol must go

Last week, Bill Kristol called for Michael Steele to resign after the RNC Chairman denounced the conflict in Afghanistan as “a war of Obama’s choosing.”

Now Ann Coulter is returning the favor, defending Steele on the grounds that Afghanistan really is Obama’s war. Needless to say, this argument involves a fair amount of revisionist history (even though Coulter accuses her critics of revisionism). For example:

Yes, Bush invaded Afghanistan soon after Sept. 11. Within the first few months we had toppled the Taliban, killed or captured hundreds of al-Qaida fighters and arranged for democratic elections, resulting in an American-friendly government.

Then Bush declared success and turned his attention to Iraq, leaving minimal troops behind in Afghanistan to prevent Osama bin Laden from regrouping, swat down al-Qaida fighters and gather intelligence.

Having some vague concept of America’s national interest – unlike liberals – the Bush administration could see that a country of illiterate peasants living in caves ruled by “warlords” was not a primo target for “nation-building.”

Yet when conditions in Afghanistan began to get worse during Bush’s second term, he gradually but continually increased our commitment to the war. Bush was no more willing than Obama to accept a Taliban resurgence.

Although there’s plenty more to dispute in Coulter’s column, that is one quagmire I prefer to avoid.