White House officials are increasingly worried liberal, anti-war Democrats will demand a premature end to the Afghanistan war before President Barack Obama can show signs of progress in the eight-year conflict, according to senior administration sources.
These fears, which the officials have discussed on the condition of anonymity over the past few weeks, are rising fast after U.S. casualties hit record levels in July and August.
The aides also expressed concern that Afghan election returns, still being tallied, will result in a narrow reelection for President Hamid Karzai that could result in qualms about his legitimacy — “Tehran II,” as one official put it, in reference to the disputed Iranian election.
The result: some think Afghanistan — not health care — will be the issue that defines the early years of the Obama administration.
“There’s no question that the drumbeat is going to get louder and louder on the left, and you’ll see some fall-off on the right,” said Matt Bennett of the think tank Third Way, the moderate voice of the progressive movement. “His supporters on the Hill are fighting a really serious political battle to keep the criticism under control.”
Emphasis mine.
Good luck keeping criticism under control fellas.
George Will piles on, bringing more pressure to bear on the White House.
The public has lost confidence in Obama's ability and plan in Afghanistan, according to CBS.
Less than half (48 percent) of those questioned now say they approve of President Obama's handling of the situation in Afghanistan, down from 56 percent in April. While a majority of Democrats still approve, just 31 percent of Republicans agree.
Fifty-two percent of Americans say the war in Afghanistan is going at least somewhat badly for the United States, and just 37 percent say it is going well.
Anyone else sensing déjà vu?
Quick note about Iraq.... remember when the majority was saying Iraq was a losing battle, yet Bush, stubborn, stuck to his guns, even sent a surge of troops in to turn things around?
Jump forward to CBS poll, June 2009:
With the U.S. military now having pulled its combat forces out of Iraqi cities, a CBS News/New York Times Poll conducted June 12th-16th, finds that most Americans - 62% - say things are going at least somewhat well for the United States in Iraq, twice as many as who say things are going badly.
Gallup confirms:
Still, the new low in assessments of U.S. progress in Afghanistan compares favorably to the low point for the Iraq war from January 2007, when only 28% thought things were going well for the United States in Iraq. But perceptions have shifted rather dramatically since then, and now 51% of Americans give a positive assessment of the Iraq war.
Afghan, the new Iraq in the minds of the far far left liberals.
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