What Afghan war?

SWOOP:

The speed with which the Wikileaks episode entered and then disappeared from the public discourse illustrates how little the Afghan war resonates with American voters – despite rising casualties. The foreign policy elite quickly adopted the Administration's contention, first, that the documents contained little that was new and, second, that certain revelations might endanger US and Afghan lives. US officials moved quickly to deny that the leaks raised any doubts about US confidence in Pakistan or the Karzai government. The early suggestion voiced by Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, that the leaks might lead to a wide souring of public opinion against the war proved wide of the mark. The immigration issue in Arizona soon drowned out the Wikileaks story.
For the moment, the war lags far behind the economy as a political priority. Behind the scenes, however, a potentially far-reaching debate is underway about defense spending. Over the past weeks, top Pentagon officials, including Secretary Gates, have met with CEOs from the defense industry to discuss potential savings in the Pentagon’s weapon procurement program. At the same time, an independent panel has reported that this budget is badly under-resourced. It points to the rising capabilities of the Chinese military as a rationale to keep US defense spending high. As we have reported consistently, US policy toward China is plagued by unresolved tensions between economic and geostrategic factors. No immediate resolution is in sight. However, based on the fierce Chinese reaction to remarks on July 22nd by Secretary of State Clinton at the ASEAN regional conference proposing international dispute mediation in the South China Sea, we see the China “threat” playing an increasing role in US defense planning. Pentagon officials have spoken to us about unreported “incidents” involving US and Chinese naval vessels in international waters off the Chinese coast. We still believe that the US need for Chinese cooperation over a wide range of economic and foreign policy issues will balance military tensions, but the issue will require careful watching in the coming months.