While the troubled economy has preoccupied voters and dominated candidates' speeches, America's two wars have retreated into the background of the presidential campaign. Iraq and Afghanistan get some play on the stump if Sarah Palin wants to highlight running mate John McCain's military bona fides or Barack Obama suggests, as he did in his infomercial last week, where else the U.S. could have spent the billions consumed by the war.
But the Afghan war has veered dangerously off track, and the U.S. presence in Iraq is mired in Baghdad's approval of an agreement on Americans' withdrawal from the country. Without a settlement at year's end, the U.S. would have to try and renew the U.N. mandate that permits U.S. troops in Iraq, which would bring its own nettlesome problems.
The Afghan situation, however, has deteriorated to such a degree that the Bush administration felt compelled to brief advisers for both Senators McCain and Obama on their concerns. Taliban insurgents and al-Qaida supporters have turned the tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border into such a treacherous haven that some action may have to be taken before the next president takes office. The situation is so dire that the Afghan government has reached out to some Taliban groups to discuss a possible cease-fire. U.S. involvement in those talks could vary depending on who wins the U.S. election Tuesday.
