President Obama’s post-Osama bin Laden job approval bounce has largely dissipated for most issue areas, but it still persists in the realm of foreign policy (49-46 overall in the latest NBC/WSJ poll, compared to 50-44 on foreign policy). Obama will need that goodwill this week as he both announces troop withdrawal levels from Afghanistan and navigates the months-old conflict in Libya. In addition to theadded goodwill of the bin Laden operation, Obama is also cushioned by the fact that on both Afghanistan and Libya, Republican opinion is divided.
Around the Bigs
The Los Angeles Times, Obama expected to announce major Afghan drawdown: “Pentagon and White House officials say about 10,000 troops will probably come home this year, a bigger number than Gen. David Petraeus wanted.”
