Obama's Decision On Afghanistan Draws Support From Neocons

Dec. 06, 09 (Hamsayeh.Net) - US President Barack Obama’s controversial decision to sent 30,000 more troops for war in Afghanistan was criticizes by both parties in the US. Republicans and Democrats attacked Obama for his mishandling of the crisis.

 

Both parties’ lawmakers blamed the President for continuation of an un-winnable war and increasing burden on the economy at home. The decision however brought cheers and supports from a small but influential group of Neocons whose members include Bill Kristol and Robert Kagan that played their roles during Bush’s invasion of Iraq back in those years.

 

Kristol praised Obama’s decision for maintaining US’ superman status around the world. On Wednesday he wrote in the Washington Post, ’By mid-2010, Obama will have more than doubled the number of American troops in Afghanistan since he became president; he will have empowered his general, Stanley McChrystal, to fight the war pretty much as he thinks necessary to in order to win; and he will have retroactively, as it were, acknowledged that he and his party were wrong about the Iraq surge in 2007 – after all, the rationale for this surge is identical to Bush’s, and the hope is for a similar success. He will also have embraced the use of military force as a key instrument of national power.’

 

Also on Wednesday, the other Neocon hawk Robert Kagan wrote in the Washington Post, ‘It seems to me that Obama deserves even more credit for courage than Bush did, for he has risked much more. By the time Bush decided to support the surge in Iraq in early 2007, his presidency was over and discredited, brought down in large part by his own disastrous decision not to send the right number of troops in 2003, 2004, 2005, or 2006.’

 

In another part of the world British officials questioned US President’s decision for putting a date on the start of troops withdrawals. British Conservative Party leader, David Cameron called Obama’s decision as ‘artificial timetables’.

 

Bob Ainsworth the British Defense Secretary also rejected the idea of setting a timetable in Afghanistan. He said that even if some parts of Afghanistan were handed over to the government in Kabul, it doesn’t mean British soldiers could come home. ‘I think there’ll still be a job to be done for some time in other parts of the country . . . You’ve got to provide as many troops as you can to meet the needs of the mission.’ Ainsworth said.

 

 

 MSN - -  - Wikipedia - Hamsayeh.Net