McCain: "Unnecessary risk" in Obama's Afghanistan plan

Just hours before President Obama is expected to announce a reduction of 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan by September 2012, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called the plan an "unnecessary risk." (watch at left)

In an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley, McCain added that it is "unfortunate" the president would go against "well-known recommendations" of military leaders.

CBS News reports the president will announce the U.S. will pull 10,000 troops out of Afghanistan by the end of this year and that all 33,000 surge troops will be out by September 2012.

"I think it's an unnecessary risk number one and I do believe it's unfortunate that it's well-known that the recommendations of outgoing Secretary Defense Gates and General [David] Petraeus and other military leaders were three to five thousand withdrawal and then a large withdrawal after the next fighting season in the spring and summer of 2012," McCain said.

During debate on troop levels in Afghanistan Tuesday, McCain had a heated exchange with Sen. Joe Manchin. D-W.Va., on the Senate floor.

McCain called Manchin's comments Tuesday "uniformed about history and strategy."

In an interview Wednesday, the freshman Democratic senator told Pelley he has the "utmost respect" for McCain and "the sacrifices he's made to our country."

"He's absolutely correct- I don't have the experience he's had," Manchin said. "But what I do have, like a lot of West Virginians, is a little bit of common sense and enough is enough."

"We have a war on terror," he said. "That's what we should go back to."

Manchin told Pelley, "bringing one person home is welcome."

Watch more of the interviews with McCain and Manchin below:

Manchin: Change the mission in Afghanistan
Obama to bring 30,000 troops home by Sept. 2012
After U.S. drawdown, what's next for Afghanistan?
CBSNews.com Special Report: Afghanistan

[rank_n_file]

Let's take a cold hard look at the US war mentality. The US fought the Iraq War, a war that should never have been waged by the US - a war predicated on false, fraudulent info and intent. And now the right-wing war hawks that got the US into the "Iraq Mistake" are now clamoring for the US to abandon the Afghanistan War - the "legitimate" war - the war that absolutely must be waged and won - the war that was utterly neglected by the US because of its preoccupation with the "Iraq Mistake" - the war that is taking place in what the whole World knows and acknowledges is the spawning grounds for Taliban and Al Queda terrorists.

THAT war, the Afghanistan War, is the war that stunted right-wing moron ideologues now want the US to abandon!?!?! That would mean two enormously costly wars fought and lost by the US in the past 10 years -- two wars which the US will have abandoned leaving those countries in utter chaos -- two wars which the US fought and abandoned leaving those countries utterly decimated and in much, much worse condition than they were in before the wars -- two wars which the US claimed to be fighting "for the benefit of those countries" -- two wars the US said would leave those countries better of than before the war - two wars which have left those countries utterly decimated and in total chaos.

Can there be any doubt whatsoever why the right-wing political dolts in the US should NOT be trusted to run our government? The right-wing political ideologues in the US have tanked the economy and trashed this country's reputation in the World by fighting AND LOSING two wars which they now complain were horrible mistakes. What a horrid right-wing global disaster these Republican and Tea Party fools have left us with.

[documemts]

Ahh, but think of the upside to your observations. The USA is well along its' way to economic, social, and political collapse. This was always the goal of the Republicans. By bringing America to its knees they will be much more able to peddle their truncated political ideologies only now they will have the voters prostrate before them hungry, impoverished and beholden to right wing corporate dreams of a new gilded age of robber barons with a political climate that will legitimize marshal law in service to "justice and social order".

[RobAla]

President Obama is not pulling troops out because the Afghan government is stable and able to control threats of terrorism; nor is he following the advice of his military command. This is all about the 2012 election, and President Obama hopes this will lead to staying in the Whitehouse.

The killing of Bin Laden did not end terrorism against the people of the United States. Whether President Obama is re-elected or not; if terrorists gain control of Afghanistan again, it will jeopardize the safety of every American. If this happens, President Obama will be looked on in history as an irresponsible President who placed the safety of Americans below a political career. Time will tell.

If our troops, who are in harms way, suffer greater casualties because they don't have sufficient numbers to take of each other - this political move will prove to be a deadly one. Time will tell.

Time will tell whether President Obama is bringing about a "responsible end" or an irresponsible end. As far as Senator Manchin's statement about the possibility of the Afghan people not wanting their nation rebuilt; we did not go to war in Afghanistan because of the Afghan people wanting a rebuilt nation. We went to war because evil terrorists controlled the country of Afghanistan, and they trained and launched an attack against the people of the United States in that country. We went there to protect the people of the United States from radical extremists who killed 3,000 Americans on American soil. Manchin needs to remember why we went there.

No American enjoys seeing American service personnel killed and hurt. However, if we leave before we can be assured the Afghans can control their own country and protect Americans against more attacks, then all the troop who have been killed will have died for nothing. We will have turned this into another Viet Nam.

I hope President Obama is right. I hope the Afghan people are strong enough to handle the situation over there. I hope his desire to remain in the Whitehouse does not overshadow his desire to protect American lives. I hope this does not prove to be an irresponsible move, based on political gamesmanship rather than true leadership. Time will tell.

[MarineVet64]

Patriot who supports our Commander in Chief during a war,
or.....
Anti American GOP economic terrorist who supports Halliburton and Blackwater continuing to bleed the taxpayers in a losing battle.
Tough choice, if you live in Alabama.

[nearl451]

Can someone explain to John that this is just a reduction to pre-surge level? It's nearly nothing.

[sjc_1]

John Boy, you are so senile you should just keep quiet, you are embarrassing yourself yet again.

[PVperson2]

Poor Old senile John, never seen a war he doesn't love.

[tellingthestory]

If Obama cannot take care of his own people the American people then why the hell should he be trying to take care of Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan etc....and except us the tax payer to foot the bill for his ignoring us the American people who are suffering greatly from his complete failure as a president. A recession is when your friend loses their job a depression is when you lose yours a recovery is when Obama loses his. Bring all the troops home do it now and fix the economy.

[MarineVet64]

anti American rants against our Commander in Chief during a time of war used to get you some jail time for treason.

[bradkt1]

I want all of our troops home ASAP...BUT you can't bring them all home from Afghanistan right now. The last thing that President Obama needs is to have Afghanistan fall apart and the Taliban triumphant just before the 2012 election so the Republicans could use that against him.

Bring them all home in stages and get them all out by 2013.

The political left learned nothing from the Viet Nam War. After the U.S. withdrawal, there was a bloodbath in Cambodia when the Kmer Rhouge took over. On the other hand, John McCain and those on the political right have learned nothing from the Viet Nam War either. They want us to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely with no end in sight.

We have propped up a corrupt government in Afghanistan than cannot stand on its own two feet for five minutes and cannot nation-build our way to victory. Victory is NOT just around the corner. Even with the "surge" we only control 29 out of more than 200 provinces. That is nowhere near a military victory. The Taliban are supported by Pakistan and are given safe haven in Pakistan, just like the Viet Cong got in Cambodia. The Taliban will simply outlast us and we cannot kill them all.

We never went to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban in the first place!

Most of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan is dead and the rest have been pretty much chased out. We can deal with the rest with special forces raids and predator strikes. We do NOT need to garrison tens of thousands of troops there.

I know that it is tempting to pull our troops out more quickly, but I don't believe that there are lot a lot of good choices here. Pulling out 30,000 troops by the end of this year is a good start...

...but it is only a start. This is not going to end happily ever after or even well in Afghanistan...BUT...

...IT HAS TO END!

[themooniac]

Enough is enough ...if the Afghan govt does not want to fight for it's own life and security... well then, they deserve to lose, just as South Vietnam did. Why does McCain not remember?? Time to get out.

[andrewjsacks]

The unnecessary risk is in electing any Republicans.

[tellingthestory]

The worst risk in the world is re-electing the worst president in History OBAMA the Liberal GOD of destruction lies and hypocrisy. No one have ever done more harm to America than Obama and the Liberal democrats. Since they took congress in 2007 they the demos have managed to destroy the economy, lose 9.787 million jobs take a 8 trillion national debt and raise it 14.4 trillion and spend like there is no tomorrow and as long as they are in power there will not be a tomorrow for America. Obama will see to that.

[kc629]

Just bring them home safe. asap.