Yesterday, Tuesday 5/22/12, one year after his appointment, US ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker, announced he was stepping down, ostensibly for "health reasons." The announcement followed Monday's NATO summit in Chicago, where the alliance agreed to relinquish  responsibility for Afghan security to that country's military forces by the middle of 2013, in preparation for the coalition's withdrawal of all of its 132,000 combat troops by the end of 2014. Notwithstanding his own pre-emptive departure, and ongoing "reconciliation" negotiations with (i.e., capitulation to) the Taliban, just last month, Ambassador Crocker emphatically reiterated the need for US troops to remain in the Afghan morass.     To get out before the Afghans have a full grip on security, which is a couple of years out, would be to invite the Taliban and Al Qaeda back in and set the stage for another 9/11 and that, I think, is an unacceptable risk. Moreover, while Ambassador Crocker is...(Read Full Post)