A Groundswell for Significant Afghanistan Withdrawal

[tekisui]

Source: Alternet

As President Obama prepares to announce his intentions for how many troops to withdraw from Afghanistan this year, public opinion polls show the ground is moving under him. Over the past few days, several new surveys show a significant spike in the number of people who want to see big numbers of troops brought home. The war isn’t making us safer and it’s not worth the costs, and following Bin Laden’s death it’s become impossible for the American people to make sense of keeping troops fighting and dying in Afghanistan.

Two separate polls taken on June 3-7 by different firms show a significant shift in public opinion:

* A CBS News poll shows a 16-percent increase in the number of people who think troops levels should be decreased (64 percent, vs. 48 percent last month in the same poll).

* A survey by CNN shows a 9-percent jump compared to last month in the number of people who say the U.S. should withdraw all of its troops.

* The CBS poll also showed that a whopping 73 percent of Americans believe the U.S. should withdraw a “substantial” number of troops from Afghanistan this summer.

(snip)

The CNN and CBS surveys also put into stark relief just how badly Washington, D.C. politics lag behind U.S. public opinion. None of the numbers bandied about over the past few weeks by public officials come close to being “significant” withdrawals. Senator John McCain says only 3,000 troops should be withdrawn, a paltry number that’s even smaller than the 5,000 troops suggested by an unnamed military official several weeks ago. Senator Carl Levin says 15,000 would be a better number, but that number wouldn’t even reverse President Obama’s first escalation of 17,000 troops, much less the 30,000 he sent in early 2010. Keep in mind, these numbers are in comparison to military force of well over 100,000, not including private security companies. The highest number among these anemic proposals, Levin’s 15,000, would leave more than 85 percent of U.S. troops in Afghanistan by the end of this year. That’s a fig leaf, not a significant troop withdrawal.

more: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2011/06/11/a-groundswell-for-significant-afghanistan-withdrawal/

[panader0]

1. This is the most important issue at this time

and will continue to be the most important until the wars are over. The distractions of childish behavior by congress people is
taking the attention away from real life and death. Who will be the last US soldier to die in this mistake? How many innocents have died and will die until we leave?
K&R

[jenmito]

2. Good thing Obama agrees. n/t

[tekisui]

4. We don't know that yet. Wait for his speech.

[AtomicKitten]

3. I hope this is the beginning of the end of our involvement in the ME.

Both Gates and Patreus are digging in their heels.