Deadlines

The critics immediately pounced on Obama's proclamation that a draw-down of troops will being in 2011. My contention is, these critics are all wrong. It seems to me time lines serve a useful purpose - it gives urgency to the purpose and it focuses the mission. During the pre-production phase of the projects I worked on, we always list these broad, expansive features. However, when the deadline draws near, we decide what features are essential to the product, and we cut the non-essential items. Although comparing war to business isn't a perfect analogy, it does show the qualities and usefulness of deadlines. Another point is, do we really think these terrorists and insurgents are going to stop fighting just because there's a deadline, and they can "wait it out?" It seems preposterous to me that the enemy will wait it out while our troops are pounding them with bombs and bullets. Plus, the Taliban wants the government to be destabilized - if they basically wait it out for 18 months, doesn't that give stability to the government, allowing them to grow stronger? That would be the last thing the insurgents wanted.