Cracks are beginning to form in President Obama’s formerly solid support among Republicans for the war in Afghanistan. Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said last week that Congress is coming to a critical juncture.
Republicans, who in the past have been strong on defense, now find themselves looking at the huge expenditure of keeping forces fighting in Afghanistan. Only 25% of Tea Party supporters said the U.S. should maintain current troop levels, and another 27% said the U.S. should pull out completely.
Congressman Joe Donnelly gives his assessment of where we are in Afghanistan.
“General Patraeus is going to be giving us his full review,” said Donnelly. “We are in a position where we are winding this thing down over the next three years. By 2014, we hope to be in a position where almost all of our troops are home. This is going to be something where there is stability left behind in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is never going to be the United States, that’s not the goal at all. What we want to do is make sure that this country, where the attacks on 9-11 were hatched, where they were put together that we’re never in that position again.”
Donnelly was asked if he thinks we ever will cross over into Pakistan where the Taliban and Al-Qaida forces are hiding.
“I think that we continue with drone efforts in the northwest frontier provinces of Pakistan where those vipers are, where those who cause so much heartache and so much devastation and who have no regard for human life, where they spend their time. We continue with drone efforts there, pinpointing these people and going after them.”
The war in Afghanistan is sure to be a topic President Obama touches on during his State of the Union message tonight.
