According to the Melbourne Age's Washington correspondent,  Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that they should lower their expectations about what a troop increase in Afghanistan might do, and that such an increase was not wanted at this time.   This is tantamount to an effective declaration of loss in Afghanistan.

Has this been completely smothered by the bailout?  Is there any coverage of it in America?   I've seen no comment on the cable stations and neither McCain nor Obama  seem to have reacted to it.