Press
Afghanistan Tests Democrats, Too
10.23.2009
Over at RealClearPolitics, PPI’s Will Marshall and Jim Arkedis have a new column on the challenge Democrats face on Afghanistan:
President Obama faces tough decisions on Afghanistan, but his party is on the hot seat too. Afghanistan is the first test since Vietnam of Democrats’ collective ability to manage a major armed conflict. Just how to do that is the subject of an intense internal debate. However it is resolved, the party must avoid a convulsive split that would cast doubt on its ability to defend the country.
Having declared Afghanistan a “war of necessity,” Obama last March said his policy is to prevent al Qaeda from attacking the United States and to keep the Taliban from returning to power. According to his handpicked commander, General Stanley McChrystal, achieving those goals will require an Iraq-style counterinsurgency campaign and up to 40,000 additional U.S. troops.
McChrystal’s request and Afghanistan’s rigged Presidential election triggered another White House review, leading many to wonder if Obama is having second thoughts. The President’s military advisers have endorsed McChrystal; Vice President Joe Biden and other White House officials are said to advocate a counterterrorism strategy with a smaller military footprint.
Read the full column at RealClearPolitics.
