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Two noteworthy responses to my column last week ("To die for an exit strategy," Nov. 17) deserve my reply. In Commentary magazine online, Max Boot, one of the most respected foreign-policy voices on the right, explicitly dissented from the central premise of my column. In the Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol and Fred Kagan, though politely not mentioning my column, dedicated their lead editorial to a point-by-point rebuttal to my arguments.

In both instances, they sympathized with my sentiments but disagreed with my reasoning. Both articles also assumed that the arguments I raised will be an increasingly common view on the right (which is currently providing most of the public support for fighting the Afghan war). I agree with that latter point, so it is worth reviewing whether...