September 23, 2009 7:38 AM

McCain Challenges Obama on Afghan Troop Increase

By
Daniel Carty
Topics
Afghanistan
(CBS)
Sen. John McCain said President Barack Obama should not hesitate to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan amid reports the president is to escalate force levels in the increasingly violent country.

"Well, first of all, many of us knew there would be increased casualties, unfortunately, as we moved into areas that are controlled by the Taliban. Second of all, the strategy is there. Admiral Mullen, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff said that strategy was the one developed in March. The president was very strong in March as to what needed to be done," McCain said on CBS' "The Early Show" Wednesday.

Administration officials indicated this week that Mr. Obama may look to expand counterterrorism operations in Pakistan instead of pursuing the major troop increase in Afghanistan he supported in the spring.

Afghanistan has become an increasingly deadly place for U.S. troops over recent months. But McCain, who lost the presidency to Mr. Obama last fall, said abandoning the troop increase will just lead to weaker security.

"It's clear we need additional troops. And the longer we wait and delay, the more Americans will be put at risk unnecessarily."

You can watch the interview below after a report on Mr. Obama's U.N. speech:





Add a Comment See all 12 Comments
by vern118 September 24, 2009 1:18 AM EDT
John McCain was a young naval officer who got shot down and behaved toughly as a POW in Hanoi. He was not infantry. He never fought on the ground in a rifle company. He never commanded ground troops and has no special expertise in such matters. He has sat through a lot of Senate hearings. He is just another guy with an opinion. People listen to him because they admire his conduct as a prisoner. That's it. He wants to "win," in a conflict in which there will be no winning in any traditional sense. The Taliban can and will keep it up forever, and the longer they keep it up, the more who will rally to their cause. We can't and won' keep it up forever. It all boils down to which president is willing to be accused of "surrendering" and how many of our troops he/she will send off to be killed until he/she faces the inevitable outcome.
Reply to this comment
by NewYork-Joey September 23, 2009 5:00 PM EDT
by slownewsday_5 September 23, 2009 12:06 PM EDT
And there is no question that we're not paying attention to lessons from Russia's attempts at Afganistan. Regardless of what weapons we might have inserted into that conflict, the terrain itself is the biggest problem, imho.
________________

Why would we pay attention to a dismal losing campaign by the poor drunken rusting Soviet military ?

We are the U.S.A., we are NOT Russia (USSR)

The differences between time periods is stark....the Russian Havoc and Hind helecopter loses were mostly due to stingers WE supplied the Mohadeem....we now use un-manned drones, helicopters, figthers, and fully body armored troops, with advanced weaponry....which can NOT be compared with the Soviets of that time period.

as you would say....IM(not so humble)O.....LOL
Reply to this comment
by actornaught September 23, 2009 12:16 PM EDT
While their is a possibility a troop increase would mean more safety, it has to be after (an unknown) number. Approaching that number, added troops are just added targets, ala "the surge", a strategy that John was against before he was for it.

So let's experiment, increase those troops, see when they stop getting blown up by all those insurgents that w helped train in Iraq...
Reply to this comment
by NewYork-Joey September 23, 2009 11:10 AM EDT
by slownewsday_5 September 23, 2009 10:54 AM EDT
Courage in the past, sure. Of course, he allowed himself to get shot down, instead of disengaging the target as ordered.
______________

hey slownews...."allowed himself to get shot down" ? I won't even go there....no bomber pilot allows himself to be shot down.

nevermind, I also tend to agree with yourself and Endurorob, that fighting native non-AlQuaeda Taliban is a bad strategy....although Generals like McCrystal disagree.....If destroying Al Qaeda operatives is the goal, covert operations and small clandestine units would be the best method.....I have always questioned sending large numbers of soldiers into the Hindu-Kush mountain range, when very few units can operate there (IE: Marines, 10th Mountain Div, etc.)
Reply to this comment
by slownewsday_5 September 23, 2009 12:05 PM EDT
"by NewYork-Joey
hey slownews...."allowed himself to get shot down" ? I won't even go there....no bomber pilot allows himself to be shot down."


Yes, he did. He knew a SAM was coming at him, and refused to disengage his bombing target, against orders.

That's according to official accounts.

.
by slownewsday_5 September 23, 2009 12:06 PM EDT
And there is no question that we're not paying attention to lessons from Russia's attempts at Afganistan. Regardless of what weapons we might have inserted into that conflict, the terrain itself is the biggest problem, imho.
by rightbehind September 23, 2009 10:07 AM EDT
I agree with John McCain. President Obama should send more troops. We need to bring back the draft and clean this mess up.
Reply to this comment
by jefleshman September 23, 2009 9:13 AM EDT
I have stated in other blogs. The Pres of the US or POTUS should not make decisions until all his Military Commanders advise him of the situation and what do they think they need in order to succeed in the task given to them. They are the experts and know better than anyone else. The politics in Conflict is well documented. Now he has it from the Commander in Afghanistan. Let us see if he listens or does his own thing. Again give the POTUS time to think over his decision. It is a hard one either way and will not please everyone no matter what the decision is. Keep that in mind. However I put my trust in GOD and our military experts in their recommendations. They are privy to more insite then the rest of us.

Just my thoughts. Thank you for reading.
Reply to this comment
by GuyfromUSA September 23, 2009 8:40 AM EDT
You people are idiots. McCain knows what the hell is really going on. Obama is a clown. He can't decide to go left or right. There is no choice but to add troops unless he's pulling them all out. That will not happen. kevjustice - and for you.. McCain would be the first not to fight with the last drop of someone elses bllod. That's typical liberal reteric. You sound like a fool.
Reply to this comment
by slownewsday_5 September 23, 2009 9:53 AM EDT
"McCain would be the first not to fight with the last drop of someone elses bllod."

Then he should advocate a complete pullout.

We don't need ground forces in there - we need covert ops to go in there, Pakistan, or Yemen and find OBL. We have no other reason to be there.
by robinspp September 23, 2009 8:37 AM EDT
McCain is a war monger. He should volunteers, instead sending the young people to fight for an unnecessary war in Afghanistan.
Reply to this comment
by OnwardToTheFray September 23, 2009 11:37 AM EDT
As a young person he did fight in a war.

Did you? Have you ever stood at attention for your flag, shouldered a weapon, and fought for anything you believed in?

I sincerely doubt it.
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