The Afghanistan Deal

There’s good news and bad news about the deal the Obama administration struck with Afghanistan. The good news: The United States can retain a military presence after the end-of-next-year deadline for leaving the country arbitrarily set by President Obama.

The case for doing so has been powerfully underscored by the security meltdown that has ensued in Iraq after Mr. Obama equally arbitrarily pulled all U.S. forces out of that nation two years ago.

The bad news is that the rules of engagement for the troops that remain are so restrictive that they may have a hard time just surviving in an Afghanistan sure to be increasingly dominated by the Taliban and other jihadists, including a resurgent al Qaeda.

We’ll soon know if Mr. Obama has lost Afghanistan, as well as Iraq.