Afghan Ambassador Likes Barack Plan, Too?

A few hours into his journey to the two key lands occupied by American troops, Barack Obama is feeling the love. Indeed, it seems as if leaders in both Iraq and Afghanistan are looking for some change they can believe in.

As I reported for The Media Consortium, on the eve of Obama's senatorial fact-finding mission to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Afghan ambassador to the U.S. issued a plea for more U.S. troops in his country. Ambassador Said Jawad's request, delivered with a sense of urgency in a Washington, D.C., forum, vindicated Obama's long-held contention that the U.S. invasion of Iraq served only to divert attention and resources from the true front lines in the fight against terrorism, which the Democratic presidential candidate locates in Afghanistan. Last week, Obama published an op-ed in the New York Times advocating the redeployment of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.

The current capacity of U.S. forces is inadequate, Jawad asserted, noting the recent attack by the Taliban on a U.S. Army outpost that left nine Americans dead. As for our European allies, Jawad said, "The NATO forces are not fighting as hard as they should."

The concern of most Afghans, Jawad said, was not that the U.S. was on their land, but whether the U.S. would stay long enough for the nation to build institutions capable of serving and protecting the people. Implicit in his statement was the belief of many Afghans that the U.S. will abandon their nation once again at our earliest convenience, just as we did after the Afghans effectively fought -- and won -- the final battle of the Cold War.

Jawad and his wife, Shamim, are of the same generation of Obama and his wife, Michelle, and strike me as a couple possessing certain affinities with the Obamas. They're cross-cultural, keenly intelligent, lean and attractive. In an Obama administration, the public diplomacy as regards Afghanistan promises something photogenic.

Although John McCain has, of late, jumped onto the Afghaniband-wagon, my HuffPo colleague Jon Stolz unearthed some 2003 video of McCain speaking rather dismissively of Afghanistan, essentially saying it would fine for the U.S. to "muddle through" there.

Today's big news was the apparent endorsement of Iraq President Nouri al-Maliki for Obama's 16-month draw-down plan. Somebody must have just reminded the Iraqi leader that Obama isn't yet president; just hours after they were reported, Maliki's spokesperson began back-pedaling his comments.

All this before Obama has met with either Maliki or Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

Comments

[peter777]

I do not understand why the press gives John McCain a free pass on foreign policy and says he is highly experienced and knowledgeable. Yet, he has said some of the dumbest things and held very stupid positions. He must have difficulty connecting knowledge to sensible policies. Anybody surprised? The press needs to start vetting John McCain's past statements and present views just to the extent they have Obama's. That would reveal how impoverished his judgment is. Seems to me the administration and our allies think Obama has some great ideas. Give him credit for having great influence already and Obama is not president- yet.

[jupitor]

I think this shows us what an Obama Presidency would be like. it's fair to say this sitting President is useing Obama's Idea's and programs to try to finish his presidency on a high note. I just hope people of the country realize these are Senator Obama idea's an not this presidents. At the same time this president is talking about reduction of troops useing Obama's idea's, he's kicking John Mccain in the teeth as Mccain has said for the last year that we shouldn't bring our troops home from Iraq! Senator obama seems to have the vision and foresight of the steps that were needed long ago with no war, and now to get them out of war and this mess this administration and people like John Mccain has made. I' am for one glad to see and hear that one of our leaders knows where we are headed, and how to get there with out hundred of more killed in the after math. Finaly some one with a clear, intellegent pathway to success!

[ceu]

Notice the important clause in the back-pedaling statement?
More of the statement, which came from the U.S. military"s Central Command press office...

Since when does CentCom's press office issue clarifications on the statements of the head of a foreign government??

[mybelovedcountry]

Weak on foreign policy anybody....well i guess eventually it boils down to judgment

[OVERSITE]

obama did more for diplomacy in a day than

Bush has done in 8 yrs

[Chillinout]

It says a lot about a man who is six months away from ascending to the presidency of the US and is already running our foreign policy.

[Krikkit]

We remember, don't we, the recent accounts some commanders on the ground gave of being deployed without enough equipment or men? Some of them even reported using captured equipment because they didn't have enough. It even prompted some hearings on Capital Hill because our military isn't supposed to be using non-standard equipment...