Obama's Long Road to Afghan Strategy

Briefed military last night, will reveal number and other details tomorrow

(NEWSER) - After weeks of deliberation, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan and ordered the military to carry it out. The exact size of the troop escalation has not been announced, but sources put the number in the neighborhood of 30,000 more troops. The president started informing military leaders last night and will explain his plan in detail in a national speech tomorrow from the US Military Academy at West Point. 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»

With NATO troops, total close to McChrystal request

(NEWSER) - The Washington Post has—or thinks it has—the much anticipated number of troops President Obama will deploy to Afghanistan, and it's 34,000. That, combined with 5,000 he's said to be seeking from NATO allies, brings the total within shooting distance of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for 40,000 troops. Obama will outline his plan, which also includes an exit strategy, in tonight's primetime address. More»

30K troop boost may go down easier with exit talk

(NEWSER) - When President Obama announces his planned boost in US troops in Afghanistan tomorrow, he'll also reveal his exit outline, according to administration sources. "He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down," an insider told the New York Times. The president will discuss the plans at West Point as he reveals an expected 30,000 increase in US fighters in the nation. More»

Competing works on Vietnam War top policymakers' reading lists

(NEWSER) - A pair of books on the Vietnam War—one on why America should never have gotten involved, and one on how it could have won—are providing the framework for the Washington debate over Afghanistan strategy, insiders say. Lessons in Disaster, which describes how the White House was pushed into an "unwinnable" war by the military, is being read in the West Wing, while A Better War, which describes a military that has figured out how to counter an insurgency just as it is forced to end the fight by politicians, is on Pentagon reading lists. More»