I could be wrong but I suspect that Obama is taking this action for political reasons. Support for the war in Afghanistan has faltered as it has drawn the attention of the media after the surge effectively reduced the conflict in the war in Iraq; and because the war in Afghanistan has been mishandled in the transition from Bush’s presidency to Obama’s presidency. Personally, I think a timeline for leaving Afghanistan before the country is stable and can self govern will only result in a power vacuum and will (likely) ensure that anti-western fanatics take control of the country and could (potentially) destabilize the region; including nuclear powers like Pakistan.
Right now what is needed is leadership in order to do what is right even though it is unpopular ... Unfortunately, that is not the strong suit of Obama.
