President Obama has ordered approximately 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan. In September General McCrystal requested 40,000 more in order to get the job done. President Obama will surely have difficulty with his liberal base over sending more troops.
The New York Times states:
Mr. Obama conveyed his decision to military leaders late Sunday afternoon during a meeting in the Oval Office and then spent Monday phoning foreign counterparts, including the leaders of Britain, France and Russia.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, declined to say how many additional troops would be deployed, but senior administration officials previously have said that about 30,000 will go in coming months, bringing the total American force to about 100,000.
President Obama will ask NATO nations to help fill in the additional 6,000 needed troops. While he has suffered criticism from the left, the President has also been criticized from the right for deliberating for what some see \as too long. He was accused of ‘dithering’ by some Republicans. President Obama will address the nation tonight from the United States Military Academy at West Point at 8:00 PM.
What should happen here? Should a time line be announced? Should Obama have sent troops immediately without the many meetings with his military advisors? Does it endanger the existing troops in Afghanistan if there are not enough boots on the ground? Should generals always get what they ask for? How many troops are still in Iraq?
Washington Post
A beautiful song written by Matt Hodge, graduate student at Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, KY. Campbellsville University is in the shadows of Fort Campbell, which is a major deployment base for those headed to Afghanistan. Fort Campell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division, as well as combat hospital and dental units.