U.S. Deeply Split On Troop Increase For Afghan War

U.S. Marines provide security for fellow Marines during a patrol through the Nawa district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Oct. 14, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Artur Shvartsberg

From The Washington Post:

As President Obama and his war cabinet deliberate a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, Americans are evenly and deeply divided over whether he should send 40,000 more troops there, and public approval of the president's handling of the situation has tumbled, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has recommended the substantial increase in troop strength, and 47 percent of those polled favor the buildup, while 49 percent oppose it. Most on both sides hold their views "strongly." The survey also found that a large majority of Americans say the administration lacks a clear plan for dealing with the problems in Afghanistan.

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My Comment: After almost 8 years of war in Afghanistan, American sentiment on the war in Afghanistan is starting to degrade. I expect this to continue when fighting resumes at the end of winter in 2010, and the body bags start to come back home with a frequency that will match what had happened in Iraq during the height of that conflict.

The White House consultations that are going on now (and probably will continue for the next month or two) are going to be critical on what will be the ultimate direction of American involvement in Afghanistan. My own impression is that President Obama does not have any appetite to significantly increase the U.S. troop presence in the country. He must have been shown what would be the casualty projections and costs .... and I am sure that when it hit him it must have made him physically sick. But as distasteful as a full time commitment to Afghanistan may be, the alternative direction is just as unappealing and .... it could be worse.

But all is not lost. If President Obama can provide the necessary leadership on this difficult conflict, these poll numbers will mean nothing. The American public will always support a war if the cause is right and noble, and if it is articulated as such from the Commander In Chief.

But .... if President Obama cannot provide the leadership that this conflict requires .... these poll numbers will then mean everything for him and for his administration, and in the end we will lose this war.