From CBS News:
Tonight the following was released from the White House:
Editor’s note, 9:57 p.m. EDT: The White House has issued the following response to this story, attributed to White House National Security Advisor James Jones:
“Reports that President Obama has made a decision about Afghanistan are absolutely false. He has not received final options for his consideration, he has not reviewed those options with his national security team, and he has not made any decisions about resources. Any reports to the contrary are completely untrue and come from uninformed sources.”
And back to CBS News:
Tonight, after months of conferences with top advisors, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for Afghanistan. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that the president will send a lot more troops and plans to keep a large force there, long term.
The president still has more meetings scheduled on Afghanistan, but informed sources tell CBS News he intends to give Gen. Stanley McChrystal most, if not all, the additional troops he is asking for.
It sounds like someone stumbled out of the gate, we just aren’t sure who.
Should President Obama send additional troops into Afghanistan?
Congress did not declare war on Afghanistan, so why are we there at all? If we are there in order to, “get Osama” then we could be doing that with a Specops team, or the CIA, in cooperation with Pakistan and local Afghan officials.
Without a declaration of war, Americans must never be sent to conduct war operations in foreign countries. We can’t afford it and it is un-Constitutional.
President Obama needs to have the courage to tell the military-industrial complex, “No!”
Reports are that he is sending 30,000 additional troops. Gen. McChrystal had requested 40,000 troops – although it would take awhile to build up the infrastructure in Afghanistan to house and support all those troops.
That would depend. What is the goal in Afghanistan? What is the strategy?
If McChrystal, as commander on the ground, says that he needs more troops to fulfill national goals in Afghanistan, then yes.
If Obama is changing the strategy, no.
Either way, play to win or leave.
I am all for the play to win or leave game plan.
Of course, I don’t see any reason for going if you aren’t going to play to win.
I hope he send in what McCrystal needs. Not having enough troops endangers those who are there. Afghanistan is challenging enough.
I’m not sure I would want to be a member of a Special Ops force sent into that terrain with a cunning enemy in front of you and the ground behind you controlled by the powerful friends of that enemy. They outnumber you, and you are on their home ground. Pray that bad weather doesn’t delay your air cover and your escape choppers.
I think McChrystal is right. We have to try to stabilize the Afghan regime and then attempt to neutralize the Taliban, depending on the Paks to do the same on their side of the border. If we fail to do our part in Afghanistan, one wonders how long the Paks would keep on losing troops and suffering from that terrorist bombing campaign in their cities before they came to a accord with the local Taliban. Bingo. We could be right back to where we were pre-9/11 with regard to Afghanistan and al-Qaeda. Among those who had figured this out even before McChrystal submitted his assessment was Hillary Clinton. Smart woman.
Yes Hillary Clinton is a smart woman, IMHO. Pak is doubly dangerous because of its nuclear capabilities. An unstable government makes those nukes even more dangerous.
I don’t think backing out is even an option. And I don’t kid myself to think that staying in is going to be a cake walk. Send the man the troops he needs for the benefit of everyone.
My, but it is getting mighty tense out there. The Taliban just hit the Pakistani intelligence agency regional office in Peshawar with a car bomb. Sounds like a part of the building collapsed. Thus far at least eight dead and 30 hurt. This follows up several previous strikes against military and police installations in Pakistan. When the enemy has the hutzpah and the wherewithal to strike the protectors themselves in their own lair, you have a problem. President Obama is struggling with a real Gordian Knot here.