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No international conference on Afghanistan would be complete without the leak of a memo to undermine it. The damage was done to today's conference in London by the publication of diplomatic cables from the US ambassador in Kabul. The star guest of today's conference, President Hamid Karzai, the man on whom too much of Washington's strategy rests, is, in Karl Eikenberry's words, an inadequate strategic partner who continues to shun responsibility for any sovereign burden. The cables were written in November and pre-date President Barack Obama's announcement of a surge. Since then, their author professed his unequivocal support for the mission before Congress. But that is not what his cables say. In arguing that more troops would only increase Afghan dependence and may delay the day when...