This statement is in reaction to President Obama’s speech on increasing the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan:
This was President Obama’s most poignant and forceful speech to date. He made a strong intellectual case for expanding the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, stating clearly what the augmented force will do. He also made a compelling emotional appeal for stepping up the fight based on the attacks of September 11th. By personally addressing the cadets of West Point and acknowledging the sacrifice they are willing to make on our behalf, President Obama demonstrated that he is aware of the profound human cost of this ongoing military engagement.
I was impressed with the fact that he laid out a timetable for withdrawal, rather than basing it on conditions under which a drawdown would occur. The latter hedges the issue, while a timetable makes a commitment to accomplish the mission without delay.
But he didn’t say how we will pay for it, and because of that I will have to reserve judgment until we see what specific requests he will make of Congress and what the true cost will be to the American people.
How does he propose to balance the expanded presence in Afghanistan against the desperate needs of our economy? Will an ongoing and expanded military presence in this region continue to be paid for as an off-budget, emergency expenditure, or will we identify how we will pay for it?
This is reminiscent of when President Lyndon Johnson said that we could pursue an expanded role in Viet Nam while maintaining a strong domestic economy. In the end the war in Viet Nam stifled the objectives of the Great Society. In pursuing both, we were not able to do either very well.
I have serious concerns about how we will proceed with a continued, and expanded, military presence in Afghanistan, while we move ahead with an effective domestic agenda that meets the needs of our nation during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Tonight, President Obama made a good start in addressing those concerns, but he has more work to do.
Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN)
Washington DC
Leave a Reply