Obama Sure Knows How To Weave A Narrative!

We have to assemble a coherent narrative . . . that everyone buys into.
Senior Administration Official, on Afghanistan

Of course a narrative that everyone can buy into is unlikely to be consistent--but consistency does not appear to be an issue to the Obama administration:

The Obama administration and its NATO allies will declare late this week that the war in Afghanistan has made sufficient progress to begin turning security control over to its government by spring, months before the administration's July deadline to start withdrawing U.S. troops, according to U.S. and European officials.

Even as it announces the "transition" process, which will not immediately include troop withdrawals, NATO will also state its intention to keep combat troops in Afghanistan until 2014, a date originally set by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.


The seemingly contradictory messages, in communiques and agreements to be released at NATO's upcoming summit in Lisbon, are intended to reassure U.S. and European audiences that the process of ending the war has begun.

At the same time, the coalition wants to signal to the Taliban - along with Afghans and regional partners who fear a coalition withdrawal, and Republicans in Congress who oppose it - that they are not leaving anytime soon.

Considering the fact that the narrative takes precedence over the facts, one has to wonder how this applies to Obama's Middle East policy and his narrative over there. Mahmoud Abbas, whom Obama has agreed to push as a moderate peace partner for Israel, has in fact been out of power for close to 2 years, incites hatred of Israel and Abbas never received a mandate to negotiate with Israel to begin with:

The 18-member PLO Executive Committee, which met in Ramallah last week [mid-August] to approve the Palestinians' participation in the direct talks with Israel, is dominated by unelected veteran officials.

Only nine PLO officials attended the meeting. The PLO constitution requires a minimum of 12 members for a quorum. This means that, contrary to reports in the Palestinian and international media, Abbas and Fayyad do not have the support of the PLO committee to negotiate directly with Israel.

With regards to the Central Council of Fatah, it remains unclear whether its 21 members ever endorsed the US invitation to hold direct talks with Israel.

Considering the games the Obama administration is playing in Afghanistan, this comes as no surprise.

But if the Obama administration is willing to play fast and loose with the facts overseas, what does that say about its domestic policy?

Can you say ObamaCare?

Hat tip: Herschel Smith

Technorati Tag: Obama and Abbas and Afghanistan.