President Barack Obama adopted the more combative tone of a war president associated with his predecessor as he made his strongest case yet for escalating the war in Afghanistan.
“Our new strategy has a clear mission and defined goals: To disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies,” Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix. “This will not be quick, nor easy, but we must never forget: This is not a war of choice, this is a war of necessity.”
Obama will need Republican support to keep the war in Afghanistan funded and progressing. His military advisers have been signaling plans to ask for more combat troops for Afghanistan — a move some Democrats in Congress are expected to oppose.
Addressing the veterans, Obama praised Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former prisoner of war whom veterans overwhelmingly supported for president. Obama also struck themes straight out of the playbook of former President George W. Bush.
“Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again,” Obama said. “If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people.”
Also in keeping with the practice of the Bush administration’s latter years, Obama made no mention of Osama bin Laden, who remains at large.
Afghanistan will hold pivotal presidential elections Thursday. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is leading in the polls against two challengers, but he could face a runoff. The White House has steered clear of commenting on the elections to avoid appearing meddlesome.
While the Obama administration has cooled on Karzai, the Afghan president’s re-election is the safest outcome for the U.S. investment there and would mean the least disruption to Obama’s efforts to contain al Qaeda and the resurgent Taliban.
“Increasingly, Afghanistan has become Obama’s war,” said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak. “It’s an issue the left is not just uncomfortable with but is actively opposing.”
For Obama, proving his strategy for Afghanistan is working is shaping up to be a tough sell. A recent CNN/Opinion Research poll found support for the war at an all-time low.
Fifty-four percent said earlier this month that they oppose the war, an increase of six percentage points since May. Just 41 percent said they favor the war in Afghanistan, a drop of nine percentage points since May.
Tellingly, two-thirds of Republicans said they support the war, while three-quarters of Democrats said they were opposed.
Saying “this is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue,” Obama vowed to fight waste in defense contracting and cancel useless and expensive programs to save money that can be used to support troops in other ways.
“If Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with a bunch of pork, I will veto it,” Obama said. “We will do right by our troops and taxpayers, and we will build the 21st-century military that we need.”
