The New Republic

The latest installment in a disturbing trend of U.S. citizens found to have connections to radicals in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Five young men who vanished from the Washington area last month are believed to be held in Pakistan while authorities investigate possible links to extremists there. READ MORE >>

Laura Rozen reports on a troubling report from retired general Barry McCaffrey and commissioned by Centcom commander David Petraeus: "The international civilian agency surge will essentially not happen ---although State Department officers, US AID, CIA, DEA, and the FBI will make vital contributions. Afghanistan over the next 2-3 years will be simply too dangerous for most civil agencies." READ MORE >>

In House testimony now underway, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and our ambassador to Kabul, whose relationship was strained by the leak of Eikenberry's recent cables to Washington questioning a potential troop increase, are singing from the same songbook. Early in the hearing, Eikenberry claimed that his cable was described in a selective way that made him seem opposed to any military escalation--but said that isn't his view. READ MORE >>

ABC on Now Zad, a town in Helmand: One area of town is so heavily mined, Marines refer to it as "no leg alley." Since 2005 several Marines have lost limbs there because of small bombs planted apparently not to kill, but to maim. READ MORE >>

Today, the U.S. Marines kicked off a new push against bad guys in Afghanistan's fertile and poppy-rich southern province. Per the AP: Gen. David Petraeus says the Marine Corps offensive launched Friday in southern Afghanistan is part of preparations for the arrival of 30,000 new U.S. reinforcements. READ MORE >>

Hillary Clinton's extemporaneous words have at times caused problems for the Obama administration. But you have to tip your cap to her quick and clever comeback here: Several lawmakers mentioned the months of deliberation, which resulted in what Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called a policy with "a little something for everybody." READ MORE >>

Allen and Vandehei note that Obama wound up going with the troop figure that his Defense Secretary privately suggested to him in mid-October. Which gives me an opportunistic excuse to link to my recent cover profile of the man, with whom I traveled abroad around that time. READ MORE >>

In an editorial calling for withdrawal from Afghanistan, National Review's John J. Miller raises a tricky question: READ MORE >>

Steve Coll, as usual, gets to the crux of it: READ MORE >>

Barack Obama's aides can pat themselves on the back today; they have succeeded in spinning the president's new troop surge as a simultaneous plan for leaving Afghanistan. And I can see honest logic there: By delivering a hard punch to the Taliban, you hope to create conditions that allow even flawed Afghan security forces to get on their feet, which may then allow for a quicker U.S. exit. But that's been the plan in Iraq for about six years and we've still barely drawn down from that morass. READ MORE >>