Some in Congress worry that setting a timetable sends the wrong message
Even before President Obama delivered his speech this month on the way forward in
Most prominently at issue was the
Clinton began by noting that she was pleased to be testifying before the committee on which she had served as a senator. "I appreciate your statement," said McCain, who seemed not particularly interested in extending niceties to his former colleague. "But I'd like a lot more specifics."
Chief among them were details on the withdrawal. Will U.S. forces return home "based on conditions on the ground or an arbitrary date?" McCain wanted to know. "Which is it?" he pressed. "It's got to be one or the other."
Gates, who was initially skeptical of sending more U.S. troops to a country he feared would be quick to view them as an occupying power, took issue with the notion that setting a pullout date would encourage insurgents to lie low and simply wait out U.S. forces. Even if they did, all the better, he said, adding that it would provide breathing room for U.S. troops to get quite a bit of work done.
Gates did concede, however, that
But there is no doubt that U.S. forces will be doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. The Pentagon was pleased with the 30,000 troop figure, which could go as high as 35,000 after U.S. military support staff is factored in. The
There remain questions, too, about how to measure the progress of the troops once they arrive. There was little discussion of these so-called benchmarks in the president's speech or in the early testimony on
Corruption is rampant within the Afghan government, and U.S. officials have made a number of requests of President
Still, U.S. officials were clear that they will now place more emphasis on local governance. "I've believed ever since I got this job that we've been too focused on the central government in
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Obama Playing Nice With China
Joshua Kucera
When President Obama visited China, he had a good case to make to his hosts that he was trying to see things their way. He'd recently declined a meeting with the Dalai Lama in Washington and said that he wanted a strategic partnership with China. What did he get for his troubles?
On Foreign Policy Front Consider Obama Lucky So Far
Ian Bremmer
Barack Obama has had an exceptionally lucky first year. All newly elected U.S. presidents arrive in office hoping to avoid the unforeseen foreign-policy crises that upend their domestic agendas. President Obama has avoided the foreign-policy blowups that push an administration off balance. His luck isn't likely to last. Here's why ...
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