Republicans take credit for president's Afghanistan strategy

[bigtree]

GOP Claims Foothold in Afghanistan Debate

{snip}

As the Obama administration closes its first year, Republicans have staked out a combative position on the issue that gives the president the most trouble with his restive liberal base. Beginning in March, Republicans and foreign policy hawks whose influence had waned at the end of George W. Bush’s presidency began to argue that the opposition party’s role in Afghanistan policy would be to argue for a sustained commitment. In the summer and fall, as Republicans saw more political openings against the president, they balanced criticism of his approach with avowed support for a troop increase. As Gen. McChrystal departs Washington, Republicans and conservative military analysts are confident that they’ve played a role in the president’s decision and set themselves up for the debate to come.

“Things are going pretty well right now because the Obama administration realized that the American people want McCrystal to make these decisions,” Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told TWI. Referring to the role Republicans have played in challenging the Obama administration not to back down from a troop surge, Inhofe added that “a lot of that’s our doing.”

Quietly, other Republicans share Inhofe’s opinion. “I think the criticism had the effect of keeping pressure on, and keeping people focused on Afghanistan,” said one GOP aide in the Senate. “Now we’re focused on the success of the strategy. Politically, as far as we’re concerned, the past is the past.”

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, Republican voters are, as they have been, the strongest supporters of the war in Afghanistan. Seventy-one percent of them say that fighting the war is the “right thing.” However, only 36 percent say they support President Obama’s handling of the war. That’s more support than the president gets from Republicans on other issues–only 21 percent support his foreign policy in general.


http://washingtonindependent.com/70364/gop-claim-foothold-in-afghanistan-debate

[spanone]

1. fuggem...let them take credit for death and mayhem...they deserve it

[OHdem10]

2. Sad but true. The Republicans have convinced the Democrats

on the Hill that we are a Center Right Nation.

Further proof. HCIR is a more right ideological reform.

[KansDem]

3. The Repubs would take credit for pushing the rock out of the way...

...that allowed Jesus to leave his tomb and ascend to Heaven.

They would if they thought they could get away with it...

[bigtree]

5. It's where he'll find his legislative margin in Congress

. . . when he comes to the Hill looking for money to pay for his misadventure.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. As well they should. The reason for the escalation is to avoid criticism from the right & middle.

"Cut and Run" is a powerful weapon to use against a Democratic president. So, instead of risking bad PR Obama has chosen to risk lives. Though nicely larded with a pretty speech.

[theoldman]

6. Gates, Petraeus and McCristal are all Republicans.

The plan for Afghanistan is very similar to the surge in Iraq. What people forget is that the surge occurred because Bush and his staff screwed everything up and had to be rescued. If things look better in the summer of 2011, I could care less about who takes credit. The important thing is to give credit to the people who actually did the job. Lets hope that it is Obama and the people who sat in the room when the big decision was made.

[bigtree]

7. I remember

Is there a central leader like Sadr who's willing to call a 'ceasefire' in Afghanistan? Doesn't look like it. That strategic development by the Iraqi insurgency was the catalyst for reducing the violent attacks on American troops there . . . that and the rollback of the offensive strikes and raids and the troops' retreat to the Green Zone. None of that in Afghanistan. It's all 'bring 'em on' right now.

[gratuitous]

8. Well, Inhofe and the others elected Obama

So I guess Obama should do whatever they say he should do.