Rep. David Obey (D-WI) blasted President Obama’s plan to send tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union today, saying such efforts were useless without credible partners in the Pakistani and Afghan governments.
“The problem is that you can have the best policy in the world, but if you don’t have the tools to implement it, it isn’t worth a bean bag,” Obey said. “And I don’t think we have the tools in the Pakistani government. I don’t think we have the tools in the Afghan government, and until we do, I think much of what we do is a fool’s errand.”
Obey tried to shift blame from President Obama to his predecessor, saying that Obama “has inherited an absolute mess” and that “no matter what he does, it’s a no-winner.”
Obey has drawn attention over the last week for a proposal to levy a war surtax on wealthy American families to create a sense of “shared sacrifice” and help pay for an expensive troop increase.
“If this war is important enough to engage in long term, it’s important enough to pay for,” Obey said Sunday, adding that “I’m very dubious about this whole effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
Late Update: Here’s the video.
