WELL, THIS IS WEIRD - AT 10:40 P.M. ET:  Fox News is reporting a strange twist in President Obama's Afghan adventures:

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official.

In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Obama is still close to announcing his revamped war strategy — most likely shortly after he returns from a trip to Asia that ends on Nov. 19.

But the president raised questions at a war council meeting Wednesday that could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and what the timeline would be for their presence in the war zone, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama's thinking.

COMMENT:  It's impossible to judge a story like this because we can't verify the details.  If true, it reflects a looseness in the decision-making structure that is more than alarming.  These elements, like the effectiveness of the Afghan regime, are not new.  They are not headlines.  They should have been cranked into our strategy, what there is of it, months ago.

Put yourself in the position of an American soldier in the field.  What would you be thinking right now?  Put yourself in the position of the regime in Tehran.  How tough do you think the American enemy is?

November 11, 2009