As we well know, the Iraq war contributed substantially to former President George W. Bush’s popularity free fall. Could similar circumstances in Afghanistan contribute to a similar drop for President Obama? brought my attention that quotes the following from a :
WASHINGTON – The prospect that U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal may ask for as many as 45,000 additional American troops in Afghanistan is fueling growing tension within President Barack Obama’s administration over the U.S. commitment to the war there.
On Monday, McChrystal sent his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan to the Pentagon, the U.S. Central Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and NATO. Although the assessment didn’t include any request for more troops, senior military officials said they expect McChrystal later in September to seek between 21,000 and 45,000 more troops. There currently are 62,000 American troops in Afghanistan.
However, administration officials said that amid rising violence and casualties, polls that show a majority of Americans now think the war in Afghanistan isn’t worth fighting. With tough battles ahead on health care, the budget and other issues, Vice President Joe Biden and other officials are increasingly anxious about how the American public would respond to sending additional troops.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to talk to the media, said Biden has argued that without sustained support from the American people, the U.S. can’t make the long-term commitment that would be needed to stabilize Afghanistan and dismantle al Qaida. Biden’s office declined to comment.
“I think they (the Obama administration) thought this would be more popular and easier,” a senior Pentagon official said. “We are not getting a Bush-like commitment to this war.”
If the mission in Afghanistan continues to fall apart, could an damage President Obama’s popularity? After all, the President’s approval rating almost every day.
Last 5 posts by Aaron Marks
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No one should be surprised that the Afghanistan war has lost popularity. Most arguments against the Iraq war are increasingly applicable to Afghanistan the longer that conflict wares on. Whether our continued presence in Afghanistan is just or not, the President is in part responsible for the change in American public opinion against this war. Obama the candidate to the very end of the presidential campaign refused to admit that the surge in Iraq was a resounding success. Now, as president, he seeks to implement a similar policy in the far more politically and socially complicated Afghanistan.
If the President of the United States really thinks that the Iraq war was a failure, and that the surge failed to change that, then he should by no means expect the American people to clamor for a deeper commitment in Afghanistan. If the time to get out of Iraq was following the capture of Saddam Hussein, then logically it follows that we are passed due for a withdrawal from Afghanistan.
One could argue that George W. Bush cultivated his own political fall with the socially conservative tone of the 2004 campaign, culminating in the loss of Congress in 2006 due to scandals and other issues. President Obama may well achieve in four years what his predecessor did in six to eight. That’s change we can believe in!
James,
Your arguments are much more comprehensive and eloquent than mine
thanks for commenting!