While there are many Americans who are disappointed that President Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, including the author, it turns out his arguments for that escalation have won him public support, according to a CNN poll.
Obama said America’s safety and security are at stake, and 64 percent in the poll agree. Also, 63 percent agree that being involved in Afghanistan is morally justified.
This is a very different reaction than when George W. Bush escalated the war in Iraq via a “surge” in 2007, with that war always being seen as not justified morally and based on false premises.
The war in Afghanistan was poorly handled because of the war in Iraq, and therefore, it seems that Americans are willing to give President Obama more time to make the war a worthwhile intervention.
But with a deadline of starting to withdraw in July 2011, the support for the war might not continue long term. For now, though, Obama has gained time and broad support, but again with skepticism and sadness by many, including the author. We can only hope for the best, but expect the worst might come–a long, drawn out war with heavy casualties for many years!
Ron, I too have difficulty coming to terms with President Obama’s decision. The arguments in his speech did not convince me. I think the difference for many of us who continue to support him is that he is clearly an intelligent, highly principled individual, who went through a strenusous process which the New York Times today described as “intense, methodical, rigorous, earnest and at times deeply frustrating for nearly all involved.” It was “a virtual seminar in Afghanistan and Pakistan, led by a president described by one participant as something ‘between a college professor and a gentle cross-examiner.’†That a person and a process I feel I can trust. This was never the case with George W. Bush.