If you thought President Trump’s decision to pull all U.S. ground forces from Syria came as a shock to many in the Beltway, reports that the president has ordered the Pentagon to begin a planned drawdown of 7,000 American soldiers from Afghanistan was a gut check to the bipartisan foreign policy establishment. There is a lot of noise in Washington right now, and Trump is undoubtedly under significant pressure from status quo politicians and commentators to change his mind.

But Trump ought to cover his ears, ignore the loud protests, and stick with his plan.