Word: trooped
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...meanwhile, is mindful of the growing burden that results from the Taliban's resurgence and the reluctance of NATO allies to boost their own troop levels in Afghanistan. That's why Gates is calling for a revision of what he called "overly ambitious" nation-building goals, stressing that he sees the prime U.S. objective in Afghanistan as preventing the country from being used as a base for terrorists. The question facing Washington, of course, is whether Karzai is indispensable to the achievement of that goal...
...most obvious commitment Obama wants to liquidate, of course, is the war in Iraq. But how can the U.S. draw down its troop levels without letting Iraq spiral out of control? The answer, at least in part, is to end another conflict: America's proxy war with Iran. Since Iran is the other big foreign power with influence in Baghdad, the U.S. needs its help to prevent Iraq from sliding back into anarchy as we withdraw. A better relationship with Iran might also make it easier to achieve calm--if not peace--between Israel and its two nonstate foes Hizballah...
...very lucky and very good, Obama may be able to get U.S. foreign policy out of the red by late in his first term. If the economy starts growing again, if the U.S. troop presence in Iraq drops without a return to anarchy, if there's a real thaw with Iran and if the outlines of a political settlement take shape in Afghanistan, then Obama will have an opportunity to define his agenda rather than having America's weakness define it for him. If he has the chance, my guess is he'll revive a vision that has intrigued progressive...
...President will go to Europe in April to attend the next G-20 meeting on the global economic crisis. The steady pitch of crises and atrocities will demand his attention. There are crucial decisions to be made about the pace of withdrawal from Iraq and how many U.S. troops to add in Afghanistan. (Asked about the persistent reports from the Pentagon that up to 30,000 more troops are scheduled for Afghanistan, a senior Obama aide said, "No - repeat, no - decision has been made about troop levels in Afghanistan, and anyone at the Pentagon who says otherwise should be fired...
...oversee the workings of the Executive Branch, even when his own party has been in power. (He was one of the more openly skeptical Republican voices on Capitol Hill regarding the Bush Administration's plans for post-war Iraq, and was an early and influential voice in planning a troop drawdown.) Lugar raised his concerns while assuring Clinton of his enthusiastic support for her confirmation - though he publicly warned his old friend from the Senate of a potential pitfall on her path. "The only certain way to eliminate this risk going forward is for the Clinton Foundation to forswear...