Obama: Troops In Afghanistan Need Help

New York Times:

Senator Barack Obama is proposing that the United States deploy about 10,000 more troops to battle resurgent forces in Afghanistan, a plan intended to shift the American military focus from the Iraq war to the marked rise in violence from the Taliban.

"As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan," Mr. Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, wrote in an Op-Ed article published on Monday in The New York Times. "We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there."

Mr. Obama, who is among those who maintain that Afghanistan has been neglected because of the administration's Iraq policy, has not previously offered such a specific plan for how to strengthen troop levels in Afghanistan. His proposal comes as he prepares to visit American commanders to assess progress in Iraq and needs in Afghanistan.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[edwarvir]

VOTER we are listening to the Senator because we trust him. MSM isn't
listening because they want him to be wrong, like how does that help our soilders???
Somebody anybody give them some HELP !! PLEASE

[rwe2late]

A counter-productive operation is not made less counter-productive by continuing it.

BOTH the Afghan and Iraq occupations are counter-productive, unnecessarily creating new enemies, and channeling more wealth and added power to robber barons, death merchants, and a far too bloated military establishment. Our liberties are being stripped away.

As I had feared, Obama does not wish to end the policy of military expansion (aka the fake war on "terror"), but only wants to continue it with supposedly greater "finesse".

[peacekitten]

the biggest help the troops in afghanistan need is to come home.

this one is the war that will never end. this is the one whose foundations are even dirtier than iraq's, if that's even possible.

this is the one in which OBL will never die, never be caught, never be stopped.

this one will only be over when every living thing there is dead, including souls.

[dwmulenex]

Obama had a clearer view of the trade offs between Iraq and Afghanistan months ago, and now his ideas are very close to becoming the policies of the outgoing Bush nightmare. Getting forces out of Iraq is the right thing to do, especially now that the Iraqi government is prepared to hold the door open for us to leave. Rushing into Afghanistan without a better plan than the one we have pursued the last seven years will yield little improvement. Obama needs to say more about our national security goals in supporting Karzai, which is pfreetty different than going after Al Qaeda central and Bin Laden. Is it about democracy in Afghnaistan, or about human and women's rights? About combatting narcotics trafficking in a country that lives in large part on the opium harvest? About an ally on the war on terror? We'd better be as careful getting in more deeply. Petraeus II, the Surge from Kabul, isn't going to be a box office hit. As in Iraq, the nission is political, not military, and our next president needs to take back the control of the armed forces George W. Bush gave to commanders in the field. We need a true commander in chief, and PDQ.

[keepemhonest]

McCain said, "the central war on terror is in Iraq." McCain, again, was/is wrong.

Al Qaeda from AFGHANISTAN attacked the USA on 9/11 - not Iraq. Obama and the rest of the democratic party is right on. USA needs to focus on beating Al Qaeda from Afghanistan.

Republicans, McCain/Bush have it so wrong for wanting our troops in Iraq for 100 years. They have a huge judgment PROBLEM!

[uvymopkq]

Obama will keep us in Afghanistan for a 100 years.......We are doomed!!!!! Help Help

[kissmygrits]

That makes about as much sense as your login name...

[Gogetter]

Obama has been saying this since the primaries; about how the Iraq war is distracting the US from the real frontline in the war on terror, Afghanistan. Now the Bush administration and McCain are playing catch-up. So, who's naive about national security?

[harriscrl3]

He has been saying this for so long. this is the war that we must win. 9 US soliders died. My brother just returned from a tour in Afghanistan I'm so thankful that he returned safely. My condolences to the families of those killed and injured.

Carol

[mamacat]

About 1/3 of the country identifies with the Taliban (as opposed to al Qaeda). Increasing American troop strength will not change the opinions of those who like our enemy more than they like us.

It might be productive to find a way to engage the Taliban diplomatically, to try to live in peace with them, while we stay focused on al Qaeda.

Taliban supporters in Afghanistan number at least 10 million. Die hard al Qaeda in Afghanistan, a few thousand or tens of thousands. The Taliban accepted military and economic aid from al Qaeda, and then didn't want to hand them over to Bush, so Bush declared war on them. The Taliban did not attack us, so it might be good to keep things in perspective. They are, from our point of view, a very primitive fundamenta­list-based sect, but in their part of the world, that is acceptable. They feel obligated to fight us simply because we are in their country, but that doesn't mean that fighting them is accomplishing anything except regime change.

The Taliban are not al Qaeda.

[demfriend]

We need to re visit the Dont ask Dont tell law as there are so many who are mentally and physically well with no jail time on their records who would love to serve their country. Also all of those who have been kicked out of the military after years of training and costs because they are gay is another way to bring them back and let them serve. The very people who are carrying guns and are acting as troops representing us who have not any qualifications of anyway they would pass a screening to be a policeman/woman are walking the land in Iraq without any way for anyone around them to know they might be a criminal who might do anything a criminal might do in the war zone. We now have the criminals walking side by side with our troops while Blackwater does their thing and KLB is killing our guys in showers, washing humvees and working in the shops by electrocution.

[PJay1]

How right he is....

Attack on US base in Afghanistan kills 9 Americans

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

[vikingv]

Traditionally as Democrats we are proponents of focusing on our real enemies in Afghanistan. Al Queda and the Taliban have always been the legitimate targets of our war with the 9/11 attackers.

I propose that we build a consensus for an Afghanistan Surge or we will be in a full fledge insurrection again. This active engagement would solidify the Democrats realistic ability to defend and use military force where it is morally and righteously warranted. The American people and our military deserve the knowledge that our enemies that attacked us are dealt with effectively for our own safety concerns.

[VOTER]

We are listening Senator but sadly the MSM ARE NOT!

[PJay1]

Maybe 9 Americans killed in Afghanistan in one attack will make them take note:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080714/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan

[AdamND]

watch has the MSM ties to spin this as a flip flop and now he is a war hawk.

[totalliberal]

How odd. Fight a war against those who actually supported our 9/11 attackers. Next thing you know we'll be kicking the Saudi Arabians asses as well.