Word: war
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...Read "Spotlight: Paying for the Afghan War...
...size of the Afghan security forces to about 400,000 men. But the time and money needed to generate and maintain an army and police force whose combined size would be close to that of the 550,000-strong U.S. Army is a daunting task in impoverished and war-torn Afghanistan. So don't look for Obama to announce any big hike in the size of the Afghan army. Instead, he'll leave discussion on its size to Congress, where hearings on the war are slated in the coming days...
...Will the U.S. Pay for the War? Many of Obama's Democratic allies in Congress are already saying that any reinforcements should be paid for with a war surtax. That, of course, is a fiscal fig leaf for antiwar sentiment within the party that helped win Obama its presidential nomination. The tax proposal may make political sense during a recession, but the estimated cost of the additional troops - perhaps $40 billion annually - is just over 1% of this year's federal budget. Don't expect Obama to play bean counter tonight, which will upset Democrats more than the GOP. (Read...
...mention but can't avoid. The speech will underscore Obama's ownership of the Afghan mission, says Anthony Cordesman, a military scholar with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. By 9 p.m. E.T., Cordesman says, Obama will "have to take personal responsibility for the outcome of the war ... betting his historical reputation and second term on the outcome...
...Cadets, to the men and women of our armed services and to my fellow Americans: I want to speak to you tonight about our effort in Afghanistan - the nature of our commitment there, the scope of our interests and the strategy that my Administration will pursue to bring this war to a successful conclusion. It is an honor for me to do so here - at West Point - where so many men and women have prepared to stand up for our security and to represent what is finest about our country...