Senator John McCain is among many to have expressed the obvious with regard to Obama’s pending Afghanistan surge: A rapid deployment of 30 thousand troops with a concrete withdraw date shortly thereafter sends a mixed message to the world.

To the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces the Obama plan sends a singular message: Now is a good time for a vacation. What fool would engage the surge troops when he has the option of riding out the surge? Now may be the perfect time for that winter vacation in sunny Dubai. Terrorists may be many things, but they are not stupid.

Based on their stated goals and years spent planning the attack on 9/11 it’s apparent that the Islamist terrorists do not share America’s “fast food” mindset in their quest to overthrow the West.

It also appears that most of Europe might just ride out the surge before committing any significant number of troops to the campaign. Only three NATO allies have pledged support and it is hardly the level the White House had expected. Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged to send an additional 500 troops; Poland will send 600; and though Franco Frattini of Italy pledged to send more troops, he has not stated how many. That’s a far cry from Obama’s goal of 7,000 more troops from other NATO members.

Many foreign leaders are waiting for the pending January conference on Afghanistan in London before committing to anything.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle added a twist of irony to his non-commitment, by stating: