Updated

The war in Afghanistan is unpopular and dicey even on its good days. The cost in blood and treasure is enormous, and it remains maddeningly unclear whether success is possible.

Yet one thing is absolutely certain: President Obama's decision to pull out 10,000 troops this year and 23,000 more by next summer is a political maneuver, not a military one.

By rejecting his commanders' advice that he go slower on the drawdown until after next fall's "fighting season," Obama reveals his cold determination to campaign in the fall on the withdrawal. He couldn't do that if he listened to the commanders.

He is who he is.

Michael Goodwin is a Fox News contributor and New York Post columnist. To continue reading his column on other topics, including Obama's campaign fundraising, click here