Long flight for a short stay

What does it mean that President Obama visited Afghanistan in the middle of the night and was gone before sunrise? It means the Secret Service and others responsible for the president's safety don't trust the security in Afghanistan, even in Kabul and on an American air base. That doesn't say much for American achievements in this costly and bloody war, nor does it say much for the government of Hamid Karzai.

But give Obama credit for going to see things for himself and, apparently, to bluntly warn Karzai about the rampant corruption and ineffectiveness of his government. That message has been delivered before by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and others, but either it hasn't sunk in or Karzai is not powerful enough to defeat the corruption and graft his government is famous for.

With a nominally successful election in Iraq and an agreement with Russia on nuclear arms, Afghanistan is Obama's biggest international worry. Unless the military approach gains success soon, Obama will be forced to rethink the entire strategy there.