More evidence for the idea that policymakers see "winning" in Afghanistan and an end in and of itself:
The new head of the British Army, General Sir David Richards, also warned last night that Nato had yet to find the right formula for success in Afghanistan. General Richards also warned that defeat for the international coalition would have an “intoxicating impact” on extremists around the world. Failure for an alliance as powerful as the Nato presence in Afghanistan would convice terrorists that “anything might be possible”.
Bruce Riedel, the leader of Obama's Afghanistan policy review, recently said something similar. Michael Cohen was skeptical that this notion--with its echoes of George Bush and Iraq--has wide currency. I think it may.