Meanwhile in Afghanistan--A Diplomatic Triumph

++Ashraf Ghani has been sworn in as President of Afghanistan in the first democratic transfer of power in that country's history. 

++After a contentious election, which saw a huge turnout,the United Nations was called on to audit the vote. Ghani beat out Abdullah Abdullah, who had been perceived as the American favorite. In months of shuttle diplomacy by John Kerry and personal phone calls by President Obama, the two men reached a power-sharing agreement.

++President Obama has been widely criticized by conservatives for not getting a Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq. That criticism was echoed recently by Leon Panetta in his words against Obama's ISIS strategy.

++Yesterday,there was signed a Bilateral Security Agreement that allows the United States to train, equip, advise Afghan military and police beyond this year.

++Most remaining foreign troops will leave by the end of the year. But,yes,there is a Status of Forces Agreement (BSA), which allows the US to keep some bases and 9,000 troops. The agreement provides the legal protection for US military personnel from being tried for crimes in Afghanistan.

++Times have certainly changed when a diplomatic triumph on a major American war has been so soft-pedalled. There is no guarantee the power-sharing arrangement will hold or that the Taliban's offensive all not succeed. But it curious that the response in the  media is so subdued.