"Pessimism on Afghanistan is not shared by senior members of the JCS ..."

"... we hear from Pentagon contacts that the mood over Afghanistan is darkening. One Special Forces officer told us: “We are not holding the ground we have cleared.” Such successes that are being made come from drone attacks on insurgent forces in Pakistan. However, there is rising concern about the political cost among Pakistani public opinion. This pessimism is not universally shared in the Pentagon. Senior members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff intend to resist what they regard as Obama’s ill-considered plans to start withdrawing from July 2011. These differences of view will result in increased tensions with Tom Donilon, the new National Security Adviser. There is a background of poor relations between Donilon and the US military. ..."