Our Complacent Commander in Chief

When I served in Afghanistan, we had to walk single file through Taliban-controlled territory laden with mines, hoping to stay on the thin, invisible path that the point man had cleared with the squad’s lone metal detector. None of us had any illusions about the danger we were in; we knew we had to remain vigilant. “Complacency kills” was a common mantra. America is in one of the most vulnerable phases of the war in Afghanistan—with a resurgent Taliban, few combat forces on the ground, and mostly Afghan allies for protection. And we have a complacent commander in chief.

I served under Barack Obama and George W. Bush, and I trusted that both would uphold their end of the bargain with the military: We go into harm’s way, and they