Glimmers of Sanity on Afghanistan

Brian Doherty | October 8, 2009

Buried in a long Washington Post piece on Obama administration Afghanistan War stategizing, both in March when a huge counterinsurgency seemed like a lark worth pursuing and now, a bit of possible good news:

Senior military leaders, including Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Petraeus, who now heads the U.S. Central Command, have indicated their support for McChrystal's request in discussions with administration officials. Biden has taken the opposite view, renewing arguments he made earlier this year for a narrower counterterrorism mission instead of a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign. Others, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, have not staked out a firm position.

With the costs now clearer, some officials at the National Security Council and the State Department who voiced support for counterinsurgency in March have started to consider other options. There is increasing interest in Biden's stance, as well as in a modified counterinsurgency effort that would involve sending more military trainers but not more combat forces.

Most recently at Reason on the Afghanistan war, see Terry Michael with the "libertarian Democrat" perspective on why Obama needs to get out of Afghanistan, now.