THE PLANK NOVEMBER 11, 2009
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The NYT reports that Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, and Mike Mullen are supporting a big troop increase for Afghanistan. This actually isn't terribly newsy: We've had a pretty good idea while that those three have been leaning towards a McChrystal-ian position. The Times describes Obama as undecided. But the tenor of recent leaks on this subject clearly suggests that the president himself is closing in on this position. If he does, it will be a rejection of Joe Biden's call for a more limited troop presence--an interesting development, given that people once assumed Biden might have great influence over this young president's foreign policy.
1 comments
Even if Obama ultimately decides to send 30,000 or more new troops to Afghanistan, it still shows that Biden has strongly influenced his thinking. My guess is that Obama would have made his decision faster if Biden did not make such a big issue about his dissatisfaction with Karzai and the Afghan mission.
- wildboy
November 11, 2009 at 11:02am