Graham Fine With Obama's Afghan Deliberations, But Demands More Troops

Barack Obama was granted a bit of breathing room and cover to continue deliberations on strategy for Afghanistan after a prominent Republican war hawk on Sunday said he was comfortable with how much time the president was taking.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Meet the Press on Sunday that he was comfortable with the pace of Obama's deliberations on whether to add additional troops into the eight-year long war.

"I think if he will continue to talk to his foreign policy team and the generals and come up with a military civilian strategy that is robust and gets to the heart of the problem he will be just fine and earn the award he was given," the Senator said, referring to the Nobel Peace Prize the president received on Friday.

While Graham was willing to grant Obama the space he needed to chart strategy, he was far less accommodating about what strategy Obama should choose. The Senator stressed that anything short of the 40,000 troops being asked for by U.S. military command in Afghanistan would lead to failure and insisted that history would judge Obama "not when we left [Afghanistan], but by what we left behind."

"At the end of the day he'll be judged by the decision he makes," said Graham. "If he does a half measure putting just a few troops in, that won't turn around the momentum of the battle, that will be weakness. If he used the counter-terrorism strategy that will lead to failure. If he will plus up American combat power and get more NATO troops involved and go after the Taliban and push the Karzai government that will be strength."

Still, the president and his team likely are pleased to have a Republican voice expressing comfort with the pace of Obama's deliberations. Graham's closest ally and best friend in the Senate, John McCain, has routinely rapped Obama for handling the situation, even warning the president about his "leisurely" pace. And on Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, suggested the president was playing with fire (and American lives) by not simply signing on to the recommendations from his military personnel.

"I think the smart thing to do here is to listen to Gen. Petraeus and Gen. McChrystal. This is not just about nation building, it's about protecting the United States of America," McConnell told CBS' Face the Nation. "I think it's very dangerous. I think we have to take this very, very seriously."

Comments

[MinisterMelinda]

Excuse me....but why is Lindsey Graham's opinion so valuable?
Is he on some type of military committee or is he an expert in military tactics and strategy?
Why do we have a story here about someone who can't even affect the situation in any way except vote YES to send more of our sons and daughters to fight and possibly die in a war?

[ilse]

Graham and other republicans are little smug men. They don't get to tell president Obama what to do. The president of the United States is the one in charge and it his decision. He will do what he believes and instead of the republicans constantly dictating what the president should do, they should just step aside and shut up. They won't lift a finger with a healthcare plan but when it comes to war, the republican war mongers are there to tell our president what he should do. What did Graham say? President Obama needs to earn his Nobel Peace Prize. How is adding 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan going to earn him the Nobel "PEACE" Prize? President Obama doesn't have to earn it because he's already won it.

[ray01]

Why We Are in Afhanistan (a compilation from various posts)

1. Build & Secure Oil/Natural gas pipeline from Caspian Sea to Turkmenist­an-Afghani­stan-Pakis­tan
From there by sea to China & India

Bids are currently being sought for companies to build the above pipeline.

http://www.afghanistanpetroleum.com/index.php

http://www.openleft.com/diary/14020/us-war-on-a...
http://www.ringnebula.com/Oil/Pipeline.htm
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2006/2006-04...

Why is there not a word of this in the MSM?

2.

http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/afgh...

Opium Production
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

[sassafra]

graham: "take all the time you need to consider your military options mr. president, just as long as you make sure to not get "uppity" like that white girl who got out of line last week or we'll have to put you in your place too"
i've got news for you sen. graham, unlike sarah palin, the white girl and black fella know their job descriptions.

[socialtalker]

considering the 2000 year history of how powerful countries have collapsed in afganistan, its boggles the mind that nation would choose to go in without some clear purpose and timeline exactly what needs to be accomplished.

[MakeAWish]

If Lindsey Graham and the rest of the war mongrels think we need to send more troops into Afghanistan, then they should all put on uniforms and go fight along side our soldiers on the battle front.

[MakeAWish]

That is "War Monger" not Mongrel.

[MinisterMelinda]

both define them....mongrel and monger. good post by the way.

[gconners]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Afghanistan: "This is not just about nation building, it's about protecting the United States of America..."I think it's very dangerous. I think we have to take this very, very seriously." So, where were YOU Sen. McConnell when George Bush mostly abandoned Afghanistan to attack Iraq??? Where were YOU then???

[jqcitizen]

When hundreds of thousands of former GI's, like me, are declared 'Unpatriotic' when we say "Bring the troops home", from a war that was supposed to last a few months (Now more years than WWII). it is time to demand the members of The House of Representatives to cut off the 10 Billion dollar drain from a Treasury that has been empty for years.

No more borrowed money from foreign governments that seem to know these wars are foolish.
How many countries have troops committed to the 'Patriotic' ventures in Afghanistan (NATO?) or Iraq?

[Clayton139]

Cost of the War is 4 to 6 Billion a month for what ? ? ?
NOTHING !

We cannot even take care of our own and spend that Money on Health Care for Americans !

[ray01]

Now listen up & listen up real good, ya hare me? Der ain't nutting finer than a politician from South Carolina! We dusn't got no race problems here as long as dat kind know der place.
Now Lindsay Graham, is a fine stateman from the destinguished state of SC
& he knows whut he is talking about! And der Prsident bettah listen! And fuddermore dere ain't any truth to de allegations that Sen Linday, I mean Lindsay Graham is having a 'coming out day.'
And you left leaning trash talking liberals bettah hush yo mouth, ya hare me!

[Whinger]

All more troops will do is present the enemy with more easy targets!

Less troops and more technology will reduce casualties and pay dividends against terrorists!

[jasper48]

Why doesn't he just try to institute a draft,
in South Carolina, and see how popular he would be.
If he can't muster enough troops from the country of S.C.,
maybe he can call President Perry over in Texas and
see if he can get some help there.
It's really so great to have allies like S.C. and Texas,
and true friends to the U.S., like Presidents Graham and Perry.

I don't know how it is that these legislators are that stupid.
Where the hell do they think these people are going to come from

[lvdragonlady]

When did Graham become an expect on fighting a war?
He is just pushing more of the old bush plan, nothing more nothing less.
Let someone who knows what they are doing decide what is needed and what isn't.

[Grunty1]

"Thinking about it is ok, as long as the resulting decision is this."

Gotcha.

[den1953]

Afghans have been at war for how long Senator they know how to fight sign the young men up and let them fight for there own self interests. They have no problem in the Taliban to recruit them for suicide bombers!