Barack Obama is expected to send 34,000 more US troops to Afghanistan when he unveils his long-awaited strategy for the Afghan conflict next Tuesday, US media reports said today.
The Politico website said the US president would make a prime time address to the American people to announce his plans for what he has described as “a war of necessity”.
Just as significant as the number of troops, however, will be pointers to a US exit strategy – something that will be closely watched by the British government, which is under public pressure to withdraw 9,000 UK troops from Afghanistan.
The McClatchy news service reported that the White House plan contained “off-ramps” – points, starting as early as next June, at which Obama could decide to continue to increase troop numbers, halt deployments and adopt a more limited strategy or “begin looking very quickly at exiting”, depending on political and military progress.
I think it will be important to make clear the goals we’re trying to achieve, the strategy we’re choosing to achieve it and an end point. This war has gone on for a long time and I’m certainly ready to exit the graveyard of empires. This decision will not be popular, especially among Democrats. In fact Democrats are going to challenge Obama on how to pay for the war. Rep. Dave Obey and Senator Carl Levin are proposing a “war tax.”
The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has a stark message for President Obama about Afghanistan — sending more troops would be a mistake that could “wipe out every initiative we have to rebuild our own economy.”
“There ain’t going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan,” House Appropriations Chairman David Obey told ABC News in an exclusive interview. “If they ask for an increased troop commitment in Afghanistan, I am going to ask them to pay for it.”
Obey, a Democrat from Wisconsin, made it clear that he is absolutely opposed to sending any more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and says if Obama decides to do that, he’ll demand a new tax — what he calls a “war surtax” — to pay for it.
Exactly. If health care is too expensive then war is too expensive as well. Unlike health care reform, war in Afghanistan will not reduce the 10-year deficit and it won’t be paid for with premiums. I expect the fiscal scolds to find the cost of war is no object unlike the cost of health care for Americans. There always seems to be money for more bombs.