11/20/09

In a surprise visit to Kabul this week, Secretary of State Clinton attended Hamid Karzai’s Presidential inauguration.  During the visit, she urged the Afghan government to both reform itself and to stamp out corruption.  In particular, she stressed that Karzai had a limited window to “make a new compact with the people of Afghanistan.”  Clinton’s message underscored a basic point that progressives have been making for months – that without a political and diplomatic strategy that urges Afghans to step up, no plan for Afghanistan can succeed.  

Top bipartisan political and military figures have supported the Administration’s insistence on getting the strategy right first, before putting more troops in harm’s way.  As the President himself said in an interview this week, “It is important for us to focus our efforts…I think that some public discussion - you have the sense just throw more in then somehow that's going to solve the problem, that does not solve the problem…”  While the President has labored to get the strategy right, conservative ideologues have resisted every opportunity to weigh in constructively.  Instead, they have called for an influx of thousands of troops, but apparently do not see the need for a strategy to guide military action – repeating some of the worst errors of the previous Administration.

At Karzai inauguration, Clinton presses Afghan leader to address corruption and governance problems.  As Secretary Clinton visited Afghanistan for the President Karzai's inauguration, she issued a stern warning about corruption and governance issues in Afghanistan. The Secretary had a strong message for Mr. Karzai. According to the New York Times, "In the meeting this week, a senior official said, she bluntly warned Mr. Karzai to crack down on corruption or risk losing American aid."  The Times described how Clinton has grown to be ideally suited to deliver such a message: “In a visit to Kabul, during which she held a 90-minute, one-on-one session with Mr. Karzai on Wednesday, and in an intense telephone call a few weeks ago in the aftermath of Afghanistan’s election, Secretary of State Clinton has built an unlikely rapport with the Afghan leader, according to administration officials.”

The Secretary is also building a valuable relationship with Mr. Karzai, where she can speak in a frank and friendly manner with him, while also engaging with the rest of the Afghan government.  The Washington Post described this new approach as one that “will entail more engagement with members of Karzai's cabinet and provincial governors, officials said, because they have concluded that the Afghan president lacks the political clout in his highly decentralized nation to purge corrupt local warlords and power brokers." [NY Times, 11/20/09. Washington Post, 11/20/09]

A strategy that encompasses governance, corruption, and politics is the foundation for a troop decision, not an afterthought.  The administration is debating strategy, rather than just focusing on troop numbers.  As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen recently said, "This isn't all just about the military. This isn't all just about the number of troops because we can't do it alone... we have to have a development plan. We have to have a governance plan that goes hand-in-glove as we go forward."

Progressive leaders agree with Admiral Mullen, emphasizing that a strategy is more important than a number.  Nancy Pelosi said this morning on NPR that “The whole thing is let’s not just talk about troops, let’s talk about what is the strategy, and what are the resources that are needed in that regard?”  John Kerry wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Obama promises not to send more troops to Afghanistan until he has absolute clarity on what the strategy will be. He is right to take the time he needs to define the mission.”  As the President stated in an interview with NBC during his Asia trip, “I’m confident that at the end of this process, I'm going to be able to present to the American people in very clear terms what exactly is at stake, what we intend to do, how we're going to succeed, how much it's going to cost, how long it's going to take.” [Admiral Michel Mullen, via AP, 11/20/09. NPR, 11/20/09. President Obama, via AP, 11/20/09]

While the Obama administration refines its strategy, Palin, Romney, and Grassley buck the wisdom of Rohrabacher, Petraeus, and Powell. While the Obama administration has spent the past months deliberating over the best strategy for Afghanistan, conservatives have used that time to score political points.  As part of her push to promote her new book, former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin told Barbara Walters “It frustrates me and frightens me -- and many Americans -- that President Obama is dithering around with the decision in Afghanistan.”  A few days earlier Mitt Romney complained: “Do you realize that he carried out more than 30 campaign visits in this last season for various democrats while he can’t make up his mind on Afghanistan or have enough time to meet with generals, he’s out there campaigning…”  Sen. Chuck Grassley (R – IA) believes that sending more troops without a strategy counts as “support:”: “The people that are already over there, if they don't have support ... we are necessarily losing lives because there isn't adequate support."

These conservatives ignore a bi-partisan recognition that nothing is more important than getting the strategy right. 

Earlier this week, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R – CA) pushed back on his extreme colleagues, saying “I personally am not upset that it has taken President Obama this long to determine his response to General McChrystal's request for an additional 35,000 U.S. combat troops to be sent to Afghanistan…This is a monumental decision.”  Over the last few days, the country’s top military figures have backed Rohrabacker’s view, rebutting the vitriol from extreme conservatives.

Last Friday, CENTCOM Commander Gen. David Petraeus praised the president’s approach, saying that once a decision is made, the military will press forward “with enormous benefit from having had these discussions that have again enabled all different participants to provide their thoughts to answer a host of questions, all of which were appropriate, before the president announces a decision.”  

Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Colin Powell stressed this point in a recent interview, saying: “Mr. President…You take your time and you figure it out. You're the commander-in-chief and this is what you were elected for.”  [Sarah Palin, 11/18/09. Mitt Romney, via CNN, 11/15/09. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R – IA), 11/14/09. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, (R – CA), 11/18/09. Gen. David Petraeus, via the Army Times, 11/14/09. Colin Powell, via ABC News, 11/11/09]

What We’re Reading

Reports indicate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meeting with reelected Afghan President Hamid Karzai was less acrimonious than expected, with both leaders finding areas for future cooperation. Deliberations back in the United States over the future of policy in Afghanistan won’t come to a conclusion until after Thanksgiving, say Obama administration officials.

Nationalistic politics are resurging in Pakistan.

Iraqi’s government sentences a Sunni Awakening Council member to death on kidnapping and murder charges.

Representatives from Iran’s opposition movement support President Obama’s diplomatic engagement with Iran on the nuclear issue and possible sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards.  

Military commanders are reviewing plans already in place for homeland defense that are intended to counter another 9/11-style attack.

The Pentagon has launched two reviews on whether military procedures hinder the identification of service members who pose a threat to their fellow troops.

The Chinese government offered the children of Namibian government officials scholarships to study at universities in China.

Honduras’ acting president, Roberto Micheletti, says he’ll step down to allow deposed President Manuel Zelaya to finish his original term.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Brazil may sour blossoming US-Brazilian relations.

The European Union has picked its president, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy. Catherine Ashton of Britain is elected to be the EU’s new foreign minister.  

Labor disputes turn violent in India, as workers struggle under worsening economic conditions.

Commentary of the Day

The Wall Street Journal urges Columbian President Alvaro Uribe to defy his supporters and not amend the constitution to run for a third term.

Former Bush Administration Justice officials Jack Goldsmith and Jim Comey support Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try 9/11 conspirators in a civilian court.

The New York Times urges Iraq’s Parliament to approve an election law as soon as possible to avoid straining a fragile democratic system and possibly altering withdrawal plans for US troops.