Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase

Obama's order was fraught with risk

(NEWSER) - It was a daring gambit: Invade another nation's airspace, raid a compound, bag the world's most notorious terrorist, and get your troops out alive—all on the 50% to 80% chance Osama bin Laden was even there to begin with. Once President Obama ordered the raid on the Pakistan compound, all he could do was sit helplessly and literally watch as US soldiers a half a world away tried to carry out his orders. It was a vein-popping 40 minutes as the national security team monitored the mission from the Situation Room. "So when word came that a helicopter had been grounded," Michael Scherer writes in Time, "a sign that the plan was already off course, the tension increased." More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama's advisers are divided over the Pentagon's expected request for more troops to be deployed to Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. Joe Biden is leading the just-say-no camp, arguing that the mission in Pakistan is more important. The opposition includes envoy Richard Holbrooke, who says US troops are vital to the task of protecting Afghan civilians. It's a "healthy debate," said one administration official. More»

Dakota Meyer will be recognized at ceremony today

(NEWSER) - At just 21 years old, Dakota Meyer charged into a firefight in Afghanistan—five times—to save 36 lives from an ambush, and today he will become the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. But before the ceremony honoring his actions on September 8, 2009, Meyer wanted something else: the chance to have a beer with the president. They did just that on a patio outside the Oval Office yesterday, reports CBS News . More»

Military pushes for slow withdrawal as Obama weighs next move

(NEWSER) - The military has called on President Obama to keep the Afghanistan troop surge in place until the fall of next year, ensuring that many of the 33,000 extra troops remain in the country for the next two fighting seasons, when the weather is warm. The military wants to avoid a 2012 scenario in which it loses large numbers of troops just as militants are becoming most active, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move would come with a political perk for Obama: Many troops would be coming home just before the 2012 election. More»

But Gates, Petraeus point to risks

(NEWSER) - With Osama bin Laden dead and war costs increasing, the Obama administration is weighing a sharper drawdown of troops from Afghanistan than it had planned, the New York Times reports. But the issue is still very much up in the air, and outgoing defense secretary Robert Gates advocates slower steps. “I would try to maximize my combat capability as long as this process goes on—I think that’s a no-brainer,” he said. “I’d opt to keep the shooters and take the support out first.” More»