I spoke to someone with military ties today who disdained the NYT's report this morning about a forming White House Afghanistan plan that would amount to "McChrystal for the cities, Biden for the countryside." This person argued the story is misleading because McChrystal is already headed in this direction. Check out, for instance, this recent press release from the NATO forces in Afghanistan announcing a U.S. "repositioning" from the remote Nuristan province:
In line with General Stanley McChrystal's counterinsurgency guidance to pursue a population-centric strategy, ISAF commanders decided last month to reposition forces from remote areas with smaller population densities to population centers within the region. Commanders developed plans for the repositioning; however, as in every conflict, plans' timelines may shift to accommodate conditions on the ground and developing security priorities.
Emphasis mine. My source's point was that this part of the strategy has largely been settled; the question is how many troops will wind up implementing it.
