Matthew Yglesias says it’s not enough for Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan to work; it has to be worth it:
We should take a hard look at what our decisions in Afghanistan truly cost. But the way we’re currently funding the war hides trade-offs. A cryptic process masks what we’re spending. Congress votes on war appropriations separately from the rest of the budget, and centrist senators don’t demand offsets as the price of avoiding a filibuster. Consequently, expenditures escape political scrutiny and even rudimentary efforts at cost-benefit analysis.