Iraq Hawks Are Just as Wrong on Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama’s strategy for Afghanistan must roundly reject the so-called “minimalist” approach being whispered about in DC, write John McCain and Joe Lieberman in today’s Washington Post. The minimalists want the US to focus on limited, “realistic” counterterrorism goals. But McCain and Lieberman remind Obama that during the campaign he called Afghanistan “the war we must win.” More»

GOP chair needs to make 'appropriate decision' about his future

(NEWSER) - If Michael Steele was hoping his GOP pals on the Sunday airwaves today has his back, let's hope his cable went out. John McCain called Steele's comments about the Afghan war "wildly inaccurate," while Lindsey Graham slammed them as "uninformed, unnecessary, unwise." The Maverick further suggested that Steele take a good look in the mirror and make "an appropriate decision" about whether he can still perform his job, reports the AP. Oy. More»

US wants clean election, and could support a coalition government

(AP) - The US built pressure on Hamid Karzai yesterday, with both Barack Obama and John Kerry signaling that a troop increase could hinge on a successful runoff election, and that the Obama administration would be receptive to a power-sharing deal between Karzai and his chief rival. A coalition government could provide a critical internal check on Karzai, who's widely favored to win the runoff Nov. 7. More»

No consensus has emerged in White House war room

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration’s national security heavyweights have yet to reach any kind of consensus on a strategy for Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. Obama is considering both increasing troop levels to carry out his original counterinsurgency strategy, and an alternative plan from Joe Biden that would pull troops out and focus purely on surgical strikes against terrorists, primarily in Pakistan. “There are a lot of competing views,” said one official. More»

Security expert: McCain camp on path to world war

(NEWSER) - The presidential candidates seem to agree that Afghanistan needs a troop surge, but Zbigniew Brzezinski doesn’t. Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, now a Barack Obama backer, says he's concerned that the US is “literally running the risk of unintentionally doing what the Russians did,” and being perceived as an invading force, the Huffington Post reports. More»