Americans Fed Up With Afghan War

Prez finalized decision last night, will address nation next week

(NEWSER) - President Obama has made his choice on Afghan strategy after months of deliberations and will announce it next week, administration sources tell McClatchy . The president finalized his decision to send another 34,000 troops in meetings last night, and plans to address the nation on the choice next Tuesday, prior to congressional hearings. More»

High long-term costs a big factor in debate

(NEWSER) - When President Obama rejected advisers' recommendations on Afghan troops and insisted they be retooled with exit strategies, he had the war's long-term financial costs in mind, an insider tells the New York Times . While military strategy gets the headlines, the financial constraints also are weighing heavily. Some specfics:

• Gen. McChyrstal's preferred option of adding 40,000 troops would cost $40 billion to $54 billion per year.

Emerging strategy fuses McChrystal, Biden competing plans

(NEWSER) - A plan one official describes as "McChrystal for the city, Biden for the country," is emerging as the administration continues to hammer out its Afghan strategy. The plan would concentrate US forces in population centers, while maintaining pressure on insurgents elsewhere with drone strikes and targeted attacks from special forces. The debate is no longer about whether to send more troops, but about how many to send, officials tell the New York Times . More»

'Skeptic-in-chief' Biden challenges McChrystal's call for more troops

(NEWSER) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal's call to beef up the war effort in Afghanistan is proving a tough sell with senior administration officials. White House advisers challenged many aspects of the commander's assessment at a meeting this week, including his belief that al-Qaeda would again find sanctuary in Afghanistan if the Taliban regains control. Joe Biden played the role of "skeptic-in-chief," one official tells the Washington Post. More»

President Obama must dismiss 'graveyard of empires' remarks

(NEWSER) - Talk to people who have a superficial sense of Afghanistan, and you'll hear the same thing: It's a "graveyard of empires," and the US needs to get out. Genuine experts, people who live there, dismiss the stereotype as "rubbish" and take a more "guardedly optimistic" view. President Obama should listen to them and put Gen. Stanley McChrystal's nuanced counterinsurgency strategy into effect, David Brooks writes. More»