Obama "Not Ruling... Out" More Troops For Afghanistan: Jim Jones

The president's National Security Adviser, Jim Jones, said on Sunday that the White House would be open to the idea of sending more combat troops to Afghanistan beyond the 17,000 already sent.

During an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Obama's top intelligence adviser was asked about a reported request for more troops made by the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal.

The administration, Jones said, was "not ruling it out at all," though he stressed that troop levels was just one component of a three-prong strategy.

"What is not lacking in Afghanistan is a comprehensive strategy," Jones said. "We have published the strategy that not only was agreed to here by everyone in the nation's capitol, but also by a lot of our international allies. Essentially, there are three prongs to the strategy. There's a security prong. That is about troops. But economic recovery and cohesion with the security strategy is important. And better governance and rule of law from Kabul all the way down to the local townships is extremely important. So my point in saying what I said was that it is not simply about troops."

It was something of a reversal for Jones, who had suggested in July that no more troops would be needed in Afghanistan should the strategy be carried out correctly. "If that is not done right," he said, "there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."

Earlier this week, it was reported that following an assessment of the situation in Afghanistan, Gen. McChrystal would recommend that U.S. forces expand in that country beyond their current numbers. In addition, Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) both wrote President Obama in late July, urging him to double the size of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, in an effort to tamp down the Taliban insurgency.

While calls for further military engagement in Afghanistan grow, the willingness within the president's own political party to stomach a troop increase seems to have decreased remarkably. According to a CNN poll released this week, "Nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war in Afghanistan. Three-quarters of Democrats oppose the war."

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Comments

[mcmchugh99]

01:41 AM on 08/10/2009

I'm on the Left, but a Generation X-er rather than a hippie or a Woodstocker, so I recognize that war is sometimes a necessary evil. I regard the Taliban and Al Qaeda as fascists who would like to oppress their own people with a totalitarian regime (like Iran), and also use Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen as bases to attack us.

That said, the only way of winning at all will be a strategy of social and economic development that reaches down to the grassroots level, training the local people to provide their own security as much as possible. Large scale conventional war of a top-down approach will almost certainly fail, as it did in Vietnam.

As for the Republicans, they are naturally just looking for an issue--any issue--to attack Obama, and would be happy to see him bogged down in a quagmire with lots of American casualties and no exit. They would love to do an LBJ on him, and he must know that. So whatever he does will also have to be timely, with evidence of some kind of "progress by the next election in 2012. That's the nature of American politics--no avoiding it.

[Macdaddy10]

11:14 AM on 08/13/2009

Then why is he playing into their hands?
I guess he is no different than the Republicans. Two of a kind so to speak.

[noweknow]

01:26 AM on 08/10/2009

We will end in defeat just as the Russkies and the Brits. Afghanistan will be President Obama's "Vietnam". Why do we keep doing the same and expect a different result?

[scaramouche]

12:33 AM on 08/10/2009

Lieberman wants to double the number of troopsto Afghanistan. Fine, let's start with our brave senators. Give them helmits and a gun and let them shoot some taliban instead of shooting their draft dodging mouths. And while they are gone to be heroes, lets fill up their seats with average americans who know history, and who know a lost cause when they see it. Unless, and no one will admit it, but just maybe the reason we are there has nothing to do with Afghanistan after all? Could this unfortunate little pawn of a so-called country be the innocent victim of Geopolitics 101- anybody recall Machiavelli ?

[WeMustSpeakOut]

09:57 AM on 08/10/2009

Indeed. And our big(mouth) bad brave senators would last about 3 seconds on a real battlefield. The only place the have bawls is when it comes to lying to us as they take and take and take.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

12:11 AM on 08/10/2009

There was never a declaration of war voted on and passed by Congress. Congress can not pass the authority to Declair war to the Executive Branch without a Constitutional ammendment.

The war is unconstitutional.

[pmipIP]

12:48 AM on 08/10/2009

RIght....but with so many tentacles embedded into the war(I.e. xe)...impossible to bring anyone home

[Sean 6399]

08:11 AM on 08/10/2009

Only because the Congress is full of slime.

[WeMustSpeakOut]

09:58 AM on 08/10/2009

As are many actions of our government.

[diak0n0s]

11:53 PM on 08/09/2009

I'm finding it very hard to believe that we are escalating the war in Afghanistan, rather than withdrawing.

Apparently we haven't learned anything from the Russian disaster in the 80's.

This could be worse than Viet Nam.

Where is the uproar from the American people?

[Marcospinelli]

12:11 AM on 08/10/2009

Where would you like to see an uproar?

[duxguts]

12:45 AM on 08/10/2009

Can't leave just yet. Too much money to be made and pipelines to build.

[WeMustSpeakOut]

09:45 AM on 08/10/2009

True dat. Not to mention the CIA still tremendously enjoys the spoils of the opium trade.

[Bobzmcishl]

11:18 PM on 08/09/2009

This is not good news. Their is no reason we should be in Afghanistan for anything close to ten years. Obama should be able to accomplish his Afghanistan objectives in three years or less. We got in and out of WWII in less than four years.

[AndyWright68]

10:14 PM on 08/09/2009

Even though Obama continues Bush's policies and goes back on his word the Obama wors.hippers are going to continue to defend him. America, the land of the sheep.

[ancientmarinader]

10:40 PM on 08/09/2009

Obama campaigned on focusing on afghanistan.

Between the st.upid conservatives and the s.tupid hippies you wonder if either group even lives on planet earth.

[Mystic01]

10:13 PM on 08/09/2009

Anybody with military experience and a basic knowledge of history knew this war was unwinnable from jump street. Victory is impossible there.

[AndyWright68]

10:16 PM on 08/09/2009

But war$ are nece$$ary.

[pmipIP]

12:50 AM on 08/10/2009

Someone check on DC's bank account...

[kindmind]

10:01 PM on 08/09/2009

According to a friends working for the military they are definitely prepping for Fall deployment.

[mauibob]

09:51 PM on 08/09/2009

Wheres the demand for a congressional approval of this war? Oh, thats right, Bush isn't in office now. hypocracy lives.

[Avanti2]

11:17 PM on 08/09/2009

Congress has already approved They recently approved $103 Billion, all Obama had requested plus some for pet Congressional Projects.

[Marcospinelli]

12:06 AM on 08/10/2009

Forget about Bush. What do YOU think about what Obama's doing in Afghanistan?

[mauibob]

12:42 AM on 08/10/2009

I had far more concern with Iraq than I do with Afghanistan. We should not be escalating a war there. A presence to keep looking for and keep underground Bin Laden, but a wholesale war. NOT!

[Matrsnot]

09:47 PM on 08/09/2009

Where is the outrage over the esclation of the war? Oh, wait a minute. Bush isn't there to blame anymore and our current crook in chief is to beloved to be ostracized.

[pmipIP]

12:52 AM on 08/10/2009

Only 7 months there punky brewster...wait a few ok? Progress is being made...let it go...you lost...

[steel71]

09:13 PM on 08/09/2009

Well Comrades, you wanted change and you got it. Decrease troop levels in Iraq: increase troop levels in A-Stan... LOL SUCKERS......

[ancientmarinader]

10:38 PM on 08/09/2009

That's what he said he would do.

[pmipIP]

12:57 AM on 08/10/2009

It's war.inc now dude...or war.corp, or war.ltd....either way that's all it is...

[mpak]

09:09 PM on 08/09/2009

yet, the white house says the war on terror is over...

[IDIOTA]

09:06 PM on 08/09/2009

I need a doctor. I am stricken with Military Industrial Congressional Complex.

[lobear00]

09:03 PM on 08/09/2009

Democrats in the congress, How about cutting off all funds for both wars, bring all US Troops out of both countries, leave Halliburton, Blackwater and the rest of their ilk, over there without funding from the american taxpayer and end the whole damn thing.

Mr. Obama it is now time to stop playing the "War Monger" take off the bush face mask and once again become yourself. Mr. Obama, you have forgotten very quickly who it was that put you in office, suggest you power up your memory banks and start representing the people . Democrats remember you hold the power of the purse strings, and so far you have done a lousy job of your responsibilities.

[WeMustSpeakOut]

12:54 AM on 08/10/2009

Thank you lobearoo. This was predictable. Our Prez continues to follow the Bushie's playbook. The Oligarchs rule above all. There is no human cost too high for the profit mongers.