Lawmakers React To Top Commander’s Call For More U.S. Troops In Afghanistan

Gen. Stanley McChrystal
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News that the Gen. Stanley McChrystal — the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan — thinks we need more troops there to avoid “mission failure” has spurred a number of statements from lawmakers. Some applaud the call for more troops. Others gently criticize it. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the statements:

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH): “General McChrystal’s assessment makes clear that we need additional troops to implement an effective counterinsurgency strategy to secure Afghanistan against a radical, terrorist threat…I am deeply troubled, however, by reports that the White House is delaying action on the General’s request for more troops and questioning its strategy after the President endorsed ‘an integrated civilian-military counterinsurgency strategy’ six months ago. If these reports are accurate, and General McChrystal believes that without timely reinforcements our efforts in that country may end in failure, then the Obama Administration must act quickly to give him the resources he needs to achieve our goals.”

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI): “While I agree that the resource question should not now be our focus, I also agree with General McChrystal that additional resources will be required. My recommendation is that in filling those resource requirements, we should emphasize expanding the size and capability of the Afghan army and national police; providing the intelligence, surveillance and other support that Afghan forces require; providing many more trainers and increasing even further the cooperation between Afghan and U.S. troops; and a crash program to better equip Afghan forces, including the transfer of a significant amount of equipment that is now in Iraq to Afghanistan rather than back to the United States.”

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI): “Our goal must be to do what is in the best interests of our national security and, as the president said, sending more troops doesn’t automatically make Americans more safe. I welcome General McChrystal’s report but his task is to solely focus on Afghanistan while we need to consider how sending more troops would affect the entire region and our efforts to fight al Qaeda globally.”

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA): “We have reached a turning point in Afghanistan as to whether we are going to formally adopt nation-building as a policy.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “[A]ny failure to act decisively in response to General McChrystal’s request could serve to undermine the other good decisions the President has made. General McChrystal has made clear that more forces are necessary. But even that won’t be enough. Even with the best strategy and the finest implementation, our efforts in Afghanistan will not succeed without the support of the American people. This is why, in my view, the President must soon explain to the American people his reasons either for accepting the McChrystal Plan or, if he chooses an alternative, explain why he believes the alternative is better.”

Late Update: Here’s a couple more from MSNBC a moment ago.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT): “I would be very, very cautious about bringing more troops in there.”

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX): “On this I agree with Sen. Sanders. I think we need to assure that we have an exit strategy.”

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