Leak

Leak

The one thing President Obama did not need following the resignation of General McChrystal was another scandal in Afganistan. And yet, with the unearthing of thousands of wartime documents from 2004 onwards that paint a bleak picture of the war and tell of a double-dealing Pakistani government, it seems that the tide will turn rapidly against the already unpopular war, both at home and with the "shocked" Afghan leaders.
Although the Pakistani Intelligence officials have already refuted the yet-unconfirmed documents that detail alleged exchanges with the Taliban where the Pakistanis conspired against American forces, including attempts to assassinate Afghan officials. The American government has been careful when dealing with the Pakistani officials in the past, and there is a serious risk of diplomatic problems if these documents turn out to be legitimate. If the Pakistani government is as close to the Taliban as the documents imply, the American government could find itself in a dangerous position.
The Obama Administration has stayed firm on its decision for an end date in Afghanistan. Today, especially in the face of these new materials that show a war that, if to end with America's goals completed, is far from over, the Obama Administration faces criticism of the 2011 end date from both sides. At the same time, Americans are growing more distasteful of the war that seems endless and increasingly useless.
Popularity should not define a president's decisions, especially in terms of foreign policy. Still, when the midterms are so close, it's likely that the pubic's opinion will influence the President's- and Congress'- choices.
The Obama Administration has already begun to feel the public pressure to extract the American forces from Afghanistan, and, if not to completely leave, also extreme pressure to reexamine the counter-insurgency strategy President Obama reaffirmed his belief in by nominating General Petreus for the vacancy left by General McChrystal. The doubt in the current path is not just from the outside- Administration insiders are beginning to question the policy.
Now, President Obama has two options. He can either move the exit date up and remove forces from Afghanistan as quickly as possible, or he can impart, somehow, knowledge to the American people that refutes or overrides these documents, proving the Afghan war successful and moving in a positive- and eventually terminable- direction.