Dem Candidates Starting To Oppose Afghan Surge

By Reid Wilson

Ohio Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D) has become the third Dem candidate to openly oppose Pres. Obama's plan to add more than 30K troops to the U.S. force in Afghanistan.

In a post at Huffington Post, Brunner blames ex-Pres. Bush for getting the U.S. into the war, but says it's time to remove troops from the country.

"At the risk of being called a naysayer, a name I'm not often called that because of the "can do" attitude I normally adopt, I believe the costs are too great -- in human lives and economic resources -- to continue along the current path. It is clear to me that America must set a timetable for bringing our troops home from Afghanistan as soon as possible," Brunner writes.

"I doubt that General Stanley McChrystal is the leader whose advice we should follow without significant validation of his recommendations. Gen. McChrystal recommended the deployment of additional troops in a 'surge' modeled after the one in Iraq," she writes. "Also, General McChrystal's previous association with the abuse of detainees and with the incident surrounding Pat Tillman give me pause as I evaluate his recommendations."

Brunner is running what looks like an increasingly long-shot bid for the Dem nom against LG Lee Fisher. Fisher has raised much more money, and he has support from much of the OH Dem establishment. Quiet efforts to ease Brunner out of the race have so far been unsuccessful.

But a stronger candidate has already come out against Obama's Afghanistan plan. MA AG Martha Coakley (D) said in a statement 11/29 that she, too, opposes the surge.

"Based on what I know now about the President's planned troop increase, I do not believe that we should send additional troops into Afghanistan. I believe we should begin the process of bringing our troops home," Coakley said in her own statement. "Without a credible Afghan partner, we cannot achieve a goal of securing this country with increased troop levels and then implementing a sound exit strategy that leaves it in the hands of a stable Afghan government."

Coakley leads the race to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) by a wide margin. Dems head to the polls 12/8 for a primary pitting Coakley against Rep. Mike Capuano and two wealthy candidates.

In PA, the issue has become a central disagreement between Sen. Arlen Specter (D) and Rep. Joe Sestak (D). Specter opposes a troop surge, while Sestak favors a "measured" troop increase. But Sestak said Obama must have a "comprehensive exit strategy" before he commits more troops.

With contested Dem primaries in IL and KY, how many more candidates will try to differentiate themselves from their opponents, and solidify their bona fides with the Dem base, by opposing a strategy Obama has yet to even lay out? We've got calls out to key candidates in both states to get their reaction.

UPDATE: A spokesman for IL Treas. Alexi Giannoulias (D) says his candidate will wait until Obama officially lays out his plan tomorrow night. Giannoulias rival/ex-Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman (D) said in a statement emailed to Hotline OnCall he is a skeptic of the plan to raise troop levels, but did not take a final position on whether he would support or oppose the move.

"I am skeptical that our mission in Afghanistan should be to spend years rebuilding the country with our armed forces at potentially great cost of American life," Hoffman said. " I am skeptical that our mission in Afghanistan should be to spend years rebuilding the country with our armed forces at potentially great cost of American life."

SECOND UPDATE: KY LG Daniel Mongiardo (D) will also take a wait-and-see approach, but he says he looks more favorably on a surge:

"I am waiting to hear what the President has to say tomorrow night. I am inclined to support a troop surge in Afghanistan. I believe we have to defeat the Al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attacks on 9/11 who are still present in the region and remain a threat to our national security. I am looking for President Obama to clearly define our mission in Afghanistan and how we attain those objectives. Between Ft. Campbell, Ft Knox, our National Guard and Army Reserve, many Kentucky families have loved ones serving in Afghanistan. We must make sure our fighting men and women have the resources necessary to complete their mission as safely and quickly as possible," he said in a statement emailed to Hotline OnCall.

A spokesman for AG Jack Conway (D) has yet to respond to a request for comment.