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Obama Rethinks Afghan War

As President mulls change of tack, military wishes he'd mull a bit faster

By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 21, 2009 11:57 AM CDT

(Newser) – With Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment in hand, President Obama is conducting a "very, very serious review of all options" in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports. The president, once confident in the plan to boost counterinsurgency efforts, now faces a game changed by last month's botched Afghan elections and eroding popular and congressional support for the war. McChrystal concluded that "mission failure" is likely unless more troops are committed.

Instead of expanding counterinsurgency and nation-building along the lines McChrystal urges, the president is now mulling a radical shift toward simply targeting leaders of terrorist groups who try to return to Afghanistan. Obama has yet to indicate which direction he'll take, to the frustration of military leaders who see the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan as increasingly urgent—and the president's deliberative pace as too slow.



President Obama stands with Paul and Janet Monti as he posthumously awards their son, Army Sgt. 1st. Class Jared C. Monti, the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.
President Obama stands with Paul and Janet Monti as he posthumously awards their son, Army Sgt. 1st. Class Jared C. Monti, the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Afghanistan National army soldiers return after a patrol on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2009.
Afghanistan National army soldiers return after a patrol on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
A shadow of an Afghanistan National army soldier falls on a barricade on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2009.
A shadow of an Afghanistan National army soldier falls on a barricade on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 21, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
BlahBlahBlah
Sep 22, 2009 12:18 PM CDT
I bring up torture because the idiots who used it made things for our troops worse. Where was their tolerance when they had guys on tables water boarding them? Where was the intelligence when they told the qualified interrogators to leave so that they could go forward with "enhanced interrogations"?
BlahBlahBlah
Sep 22, 2009 12:10 PM CDT
Your sarcasm is so cute. I am not a liberal, I just happen to think that torture is wrong. Don't you? I can only guess what your response would or will be.
Unaffiliated
Sep 22, 2009 6:08 AM CDT
I commend him for taking the current situation into account and not holding himself handcuffed to campaign rhetoric. That was one of the things that got us in trouble in Vietnam. That was one of the things that I HATED about Bush's administration. No matter what the situation was in Iraq, we always heard, "The situation is improving. We've got things under control. Things are getting better." I appreciate the honest look at a difficult situation. Just because a surge worked in Iraq doesn't mean it will work in Afghanistan.

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