Though President Obama hasn’t reached a decision on the size of the troop surge he will send to Afghanistan, he “gets closer and closer every day.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One it is “probably likely” Obama will host a ninth meeting of his war council after he returns from abroad next Friday.
He said there have been discussions about “benchmarks” for success in Afghanistan but said there would be no announcement before the conclusion of Obama’s Asia trip.
“We have been there for eight years. And we’re not going to be there forever,” Gibbs said. “It’s important to fully examine not just how we’re going to get folks in but how we’re going to get folks out.”
A few hours earlier Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned of firings if people leak information about the review.
Gibbs said the meetings so far have been productive.
“What the President wants to ensure is that we take into account and understand – so that the American people can understand – our time commitment, and ensure that we have the strongest partner in the Afghan government,” Gibbs said.
“The embassy there is working on agreements with the Afghan government,” he added. “I think it’s sufficient to say that whether on the civilian side of our effort, whether on the military side of our effort, or the governance side of the Afghans’, the President will want – has asked for, and will want – benchmarks to evaluate our progress. That’s part of his desire to get a sense of where we are rather than committing to an open-ended conflict.”
