NBC News corproation had the “inside scoop” on America’s withdrawal of combat brigades. They may not have exactly helped cement the idea that the war is over but they did help the Pentagon sell the idea that the U.S. had achieved victory in Iraq.

Spencer Ackerman is confused about the anti-war movement.

Pakistan’s national security policy of supporting terrorist groups and militias as proxies against India, known as “strategic depth,” is accelerating out of control, and they are either deliberately or inadvertently engineering a globalized religious war, a Clash of Civilizations. If pressure on congress is not increased, if the US remains on the slow, ambiguous timetable it is on now, it will be caught right in the middle of this clash.

Vice President Joe Biden visited Iraq over the July 4th holiday weekend, but his efforts to spur movement on the stalemated talks to form a new government in Iraq produced no results. Iraqis went to the polls on March 7 of this year and yet no government has been formed, nearly four months later. Thankfully, despite this abject failure at nation building, withdrawal of US troops remains on schedule.

The real endgame Karzai is working toward is that of a nominal, Pashtun-nationalist government in Kabul overlaying a Taliban-dominated countryside. Together they function not only as a crime family capable of exploiting Afghanistan’s resources but also as a highly effective proxy for Pakistan’s interminable battle against Indian influence.

Senate Republicans criticized President Obama’s decision to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011, claiming it sends the wrong message to our allies. But is this really accurate?

We have to take every single opportunity presented to us to end the war in Afghanistan. We have one of those opportunities right now. Call Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to co-sponsor HR 5015, the McGovern bill to require an exit strategy.

So, we elected a president who promised a withdrawal from Iraq that he, or the generals who tell him what to do, is now further delaying. And, of course, the timetable he’s now delaying was already a far cry from what he had promised as a candidate.

Today’s Democratic Senate Primary race in North Carolina is the perfect example of how political candidates this year are suffering for supporting the war in Afghanistan. In 2010, if you’re not in the mainstream on Afghanistan, you’re toast.

Answer: Zero. The military shouldn’t even be involved in Afghanistan. If we want to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan, we need sustainable, civilian-only solutions.