Senate Republicans are stepping up their calls for President Barack Obama to decide -- and decide soon -- on the way forward in Afghanistan. In a letter dated, November 11, 2009 -- Veteran's Day -- ten Republican members of the Armed Services Committee are urging Obama to win the war there.
"It has been two months since you were given General Stanley McChrystal's assessment of our success in achieving the national security objectives in Afghanistan you outlined so boldly and correctly in March. In his report, General McChrystal described our fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban as a situation that is deteriorating, saying that if the Taliban's momentum is not reversed in the coming 12 months, defeating the insurgency may no longer be possible. ‘Time matters: we must act now to reverse the negative trends and demonstrate progress.'"
The senators argue that failure in Afghanistan would "destabilize the entire strategically vital region, including nuclear-armed Pakistan," and note that they supported Obama when he outlined his counterinsurgency plan in March and when he appointed McChrystal. "We agree with General McChrystal's assessment of the security situation as ‘deteriorating' and that our civilian and military leaders urgently need more resources, including more combat troops, to turn the tide toward success."
The letter makes the obvious but important point that there are potential consequences to Obama's drawn out decisionmaking process. "Over 68,000 Americans are already serving in harm's way in Afghanistan, and the sooner we can provide the reinforcements and resources they need, the safer and more successful they will be."
The letter concludes by requesting that Obama "fully support General McChrystal's call for additional resources and troops."
