While I am not in favor of having a general public make decisions about how we should prosecute an active war, it is good news that poll numbers are moving in the right direction. As President Obama mulls the military's request for a big troop build-up in Afghanistan, Americans have swung in favor of such a move, according to a new IBD/TIPP Poll. The survey of 927 adults found that a plurality of 48% favors sending more troops and resources to Afghanistan. That's a sharp reversal from September, when Americans opposed the idea, 55%-35%. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forc es in Afghanistan, has reportedly asked for another 40,000 troops to help control rising violence. I think it is likely we will see around a 20k increase in combat strength for Afghanistan as Obama will decide he can't afford to aggravate his base by fully supporting his General. I wish I believed the decision would be based on the actual security situation, but that just doesn't seem to be the case. His entire staff seems to have their fingers up testing the winds and looking for the easiest way to deliver on a campaign promise, not to win a war. We'll see how this plays out.
Read the complete post at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Blackfive/~3/XkY5v73V318/public-backs-troop-surge.html
Posted
Oct 14 2009, 01:04 AM
by
BLACKFIVE