megimoo
10-11-2009, 10:00 PM
Democrats Pressure Obama to Deny Troop Increase for Afghanistan
"Levin,Conyers,Waxman,Lahey and the rest of the far lefty Congress !"
WASHINGTON - The U.S. mission in Afghanistan is in "serious jeopardy" and needs more troops to turn the tide against an increasingly potent Taliban insurgency, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday, putting her at odds with an influential Democratic colleague on military matters
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's views are more closely aligned with those of key Republicans than members of her own party. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, urged a more methodical approach that begins with crafting a new, comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan.
"I'm saying at this time, don't send more combat troops," said Levin, D-Mich., who wants the emphasis to be on strengthening Afghanistan's own security forces so they can bear a greater share of the security burden.
But Feinstein, D-Calif., whose post gives her access to sensitive information about the war's progress, said delaying the reinforcements also puts the forces already in Afghanistan at greater risk. She pointed to an Oct. 3 battle in northeastern Afghanistan in which eight U.S. soldiers were killed during an enemy attack on their remote outpost.
"We didn't have the ability to defend them, and now the base is closing, and effectively we're retreating away from it," she said.
The diverging opinions came as President Barack Obama and his war council wrestle with how many more troops might be needed in the 8-year-old Afghanistan conflict. Key to the deliberations are whether to focus the fighting more narrowly on al-Qaida or more broadly on Taliban insurgents.
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_afghanistan/2009/10/11/270983.html
"Levin,Conyers,Waxman,Lahey and the rest of the far lefty Congress !"
WASHINGTON - The U.S. mission in Afghanistan is in "serious jeopardy" and needs more troops to turn the tide against an increasingly potent Taliban insurgency, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday, putting her at odds with an influential Democratic colleague on military matters
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's views are more closely aligned with those of key Republicans than members of her own party. Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, urged a more methodical approach that begins with crafting a new, comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan.
"I'm saying at this time, don't send more combat troops," said Levin, D-Mich., who wants the emphasis to be on strengthening Afghanistan's own security forces so they can bear a greater share of the security burden.
But Feinstein, D-Calif., whose post gives her access to sensitive information about the war's progress, said delaying the reinforcements also puts the forces already in Afghanistan at greater risk. She pointed to an Oct. 3 battle in northeastern Afghanistan in which eight U.S. soldiers were killed during an enemy attack on their remote outpost.
"We didn't have the ability to defend them, and now the base is closing, and effectively we're retreating away from it," she said.
The diverging opinions came as President Barack Obama and his war council wrestle with how many more troops might be needed in the 8-year-old Afghanistan conflict. Key to the deliberations are whether to focus the fighting more narrowly on al-Qaida or more broadly on Taliban insurgents.
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/obama_afghanistan/2009/10/11/270983.html