Michelle Miller's Notebook: Afghanistan

By: Michelle Miller
Topics: Katie Couric's Notebook

Katie Couric is off today.

As the President braces for a renewed health care battle here at home, a war overseas is grabbing headlines once again.

It's been nearly eight years since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in response to 9-11. Troops went in seeking Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda operatives responsible for the attacks. What they found was a virtually lawless nation where poverty and a lack of infrastructure have made progress a challenge.

Now, as years pass but the violence doesn't, support for the war may be slipping.

In a new CBS News poll, 52 percent of those surveyed said the war is going badly, and fewer than half approve of President Obama's handling of Afghanistan.

August was the bloodiest month there yet, with 51 Americans killed.

The administration may now have to wage two campaigns to win hearts and minds - in Afghanistan where an emboldened Taliban is gaining strength - and in the United States, where time may be eroding resolve.

I'm Michelle Miller, CBS News.

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by lumway September 3, 2009 8:14 AM EDT: I find it hypocritical that the name Hillary Clinton has not been mentioned in regard to the security problems at the US Embassy in Kabul. If this had been the previous administration, you would have been all over President Bush for his personal lapse in responsibility. Don't feel bad, ABC has the same policy.; Reply to this comment


by kenhamlett September 2, 2009 1:42 PM EDT: john_umana has a point.
We divided our resources by engaging Iraq when we already knew they were not the enemy. This was a great strategy for war profiteers and a chance to change the oil monopoly of that country. For the rest of us it was not a wise move.
The key is to realize what we need to do now. In Afghanistan a new approach is needed. In reality it is new adaptations of old tactics. Our technology minded troops are not really trained for a low tech situation. Even those nice big Hummers, like the ones we see at the grocery store, are out of place in Afhganistan. They spend more time pushing them up the hills than they do riding in them.
It is now time to build a complete strategy for identifying and locating Taliban forces and capturing them the old fashioned way. That is easier said than done but this is a matter of new planning and old fashioned ideas like actually marching. We can make headway in Afghanistan although they cross borders so easily the job may just shift to the next country over. Not quick, not easy but doable.
I think Obama and our forces can do the job.; Reply to this comment


by john_umana September 2, 2009 1:09 PM EDT: We are in Afghanistan since October 2001 because al-Quada attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001. For 8 years, we let the terrorists who attacked us to escape while Messrs. Bush/Cheney squandered our military resources in Iraq, turning over the critical task of hunting down al-Quada to Afghani mercenaries. Now we have a new Administration and new military commander. Understandably, Americans are skeptical of throwing another 50,000 or more men at this war. The way it sounds, we are engaged in nation building all over again or conducting some kind of DEA operation against poppies. The officials in Afghanistan we have been supporting rigged the election last month. They are corrupt, and we should not be supporting them at all. Nation building may be important for the international community jointly to pursue (at least NATO), but they are not combat missions for our troops. It is unfair to stick our troops in this situation. I'm not ready to call for a pullout, because I want to give the new teams a chance. But I and many Americans are wary and deeply unhappy about the way that the war in Afghanistan was handled for the last 8 years.; Reply to this comment