New proposals from Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) to increase U.S. troop commitments and development assistance to Afghanistan are long overdue and yet contradicted by his policy prescriptions for U.S. forces in Iraq. Our battle-weary soldiers in Iraq cannot leave without a plan for a significant redeployment, and they cannot redeploy from there to Afghanistan or elsewhere in significant numbers without placing even further strains on our already overstretched ground forces.

Sen. McCain seems unaware or...