Word: mcchrystal
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...already cost America $150 billion and has no clear end in sight is the reason Obama faces a tough sales job when he finally rolls out his Afghan strategy next week after nearly three months of debate. Following the President's anticipated speech to the nation, General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, will testify before Congress along with other Obama national-security heavyweights. They'll have to convince skeptical Americans - as well as NATO allies at a Dec. 7 meeting - that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a solid partner in the war effort. That's a daunting...
...been almost three months since General McChrystal reported to Obama that U.S. efforts in Afghanistan would fail if 40,000 additional troops were not deployed there. McChrystal’s experience as the commander of the military’s clandestine service has given him expert insight into how insurgencies operate—this background adds additional legitimacy to his request, which the President must take very seriously...
President Obama is reported to be near a decision on troop reinforcements. Yet reports indicate that the plan could be considered “McChrystal light,” wordplay on the popular drink, because the amount of troops that may ultimately reach Afghanistan will most likely fall short of the general’s request. Troops will most likely begin arriving in Afghanistan in January, leaving the troops on the ground with several months of unassisted operations. Any operation will result in failure if not provided with adequate manpower, and nowhere is this more apparent than in military operations...
...advice on Afghanistan—I’ll be cautious on this—is to listen to your commanders, listen to [General Commander Stanley A.] McChrystal, set a course and follow through with it. I don’t object to the President taking time to reflect on Afghanistan. My concern is that it becomes politicized, that there is discussion that the President may somehow compromise between various plans. We’re involved in a war. Lives are on the line. It’s not about compromise...
...Washington, is to train and equip Afghans to do the job themselves. Obama reportedly rejected all four options offered by his national-security staff on Nov. 11 - ranging from a relatively light increase of some 10,000 troops, mostly for training purposes, to the 40,000 reinforcements requested by McChrystal to wage a counterinsurgency fight - because they failed to make clear how and when responsibility for the war would be transferred to Afghan forces. By doing so, Obama may have pointed to the elephant in the room. On present indications, the Afghan forces are unlikely anytime in the near future...