"Steele’s Afghanistan criticism highlights Democrats' mixed message on war"

Russell Berman (The Hill):

Michael Steele’s criticism of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan may be creating a headache for the Republican National Committee, but it’s also shining a spotlight on the Democrats’ mixed message on the war.

The Democratic National Committee pounced on the RNC’s chairman’s comments at a GOP fundraiser, accusing Steele of “betting against our troops and rooting for failure in Afghanistan.”

Just hours earlier, however, a majority of the House Democratic caucus voted to require a timeline for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and to restrict funding if President Barack Obama deviates from his drawdown plan. MORE...