America was in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. For about 19 of those years, American presidents never talked much to the American people, treating an operation protecting 38 million Afghans and America’s interests like the mad wife hidden away in Jane Eyre—a responsibility best left unseen. Instead, presidents would parachute in, announce their fiats with a sprinkling of the motto of the day, and then be whisked from the podium as soon as possible.
