by Mark Silva
It's worth taking note of the fact, months before the Marines send another Expeditionary Force into Afghanistan and the Army deploys a new Stryker brigade, that American public opinion offers some support for an increasing U.S. military commitment Afghanistan.
Yet, as the Obama administration prepares to deploy another 12,000 combat troops and 5,000 support personnel to a theater where 30,000 Americans already are serving, it's also worth noting that Americans have a sober view of how things are going in Afghanistan: 52 percent saying moderately or very badly and 44 percent saying moderately or very well.
An overwhelming number - 70 percent -- worry that the Taliban will reclaim control of the nation that it was controlling before the U.S.-led invasion in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack if U.S. forces are withdrawn, according to the findings of a recent Gallup Poll.
While nearly one third of those surveyed favor setting a timetable of two years or less for the continuing U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, 48 percent say the U.S. should keep troops there until the situation improves. And if history is any indication around Kabul, that could be a long time.
"Americans, for the most part support the underlying rationale for the U.S. presence in Afghanistan,'' Gallup reports. "Only 30 percent say it was a mistake to send troops to Afghanistan, compared with 66 percent who disagree.''
By comparison, since October 2006, a majority of Americans have consistently said the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq.
The measure of opinion about Afghanistan was taken Jan. 30-Feb. 1, in a survey of 1,027 adults with a possible 3 percentage point margin of error.
Comments
So when will conservatives revert back to their loathing of "nation building" and start slamming Obama over Afghanistan? Soon, I imagine.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | February 19, 2009 3:41 PM
When they put up a thread that dealt with Afghanistan a while ago.....you should have heard the rabid complaining how hypocritical the left was and now they want a war. Had the right not had their heads up their rectums, they would have been able to hear that the real war on terror was in Afghanistan and that they had taken their eyes off of it.
Posted by: bill r. | February 19, 2009 3:43 PM
But.....but...but...I thought we were supposed to be fighting the "terrorists" in Iraq....because that's where they live at...and that's where the WMD's and mushroom clouds are at, or something?
Posted by: We Will Be Greeted As Liberators | February 19, 2009 4:26 PM
The lefty press opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning and sought to turn sentiment against it. Mission Accomplished! There was a consensus among Dems and Republicans pre and post 9-11 that Saddam needed to be removed from power, that he was a danger to the west, that Iraq harbored and trained terrorists, that Iraq held or sought WMD's. Watch the tapes of John Edwards, John Kerry, Hillary Rodham, C, Terrible Ted Kennedy, Algore, and on and on. Dems have short memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i87cZ3Og6ts&feature=PlayList&p=1277E0CAE57F5B4F&index=26&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL
I know, disregard the tapes. It's all Bushes fault. He made the hurricanes! He forced the banks to authorized desktop approvals and NINJA loans! He propped up risky loans with the implied backing of the US Government, creating a ticking time bomb in corrupt Fatty & Freddie! Don't investigate, Dems; blame Bush! It's easy and fun! More regulation and more stimulus, please. Only government has the resources to save us!
Posted by: ObamabotsACTIVATE | February 19, 2009 7:40 PM
OUT OF IRAQ TOO!!! YOU DON'T END 'TERRORISM' WITH WAR!
Posted by: But you bankrupt our country to help big oil and then blame it on 'bad' mortgages | February 19, 2009 9:26 PM
I think we should admit defeat and send the communist Chinese in, at least for a few decades. They could then radically change the culture and ethnic make up of the region massively towards the positive, gifting a future to all the men and women of Afghanistan. Moreover, this would be a really neat way for China to atone for Tibet.
Posted by: Radical Feminist Think Tank | February 19, 2009 9:35 PM
The British failed in Afghanistan, the Russians failed in Afghanistan, and now it's the turn of the Americans. Don't think so? Wait and see.
Posted by: frank grovner | February 28, 2009 10:26 PM