Congressional Insiders Split On Afghan Troop Withdrawal
Democratic and Republican Members of Congress are sharply divided on whether the U.S. should pull troops out of Afghanistan faster after the Navy Seals mission that killed Osama bin Laden, according to this week's National Journal Congressional Insiders Poll. Democrats overwhelmingly supported a quicker withdrawal while Republicans were even more strongly opposed.
| In light of the successful military action that killed Osama bin Laden should the U.S. accelerate the timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan? | ||
Democrats |
Republicans (31 votes) |
|
| Yes | 74% | 7% |
| No | 23% | 90% |
| Not relevant (volunteered) | 3% | 0% |
| Too soon to tell (volunteered) | 0% | 3% |
Democratic Congressional Insiders felt that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan--eliminating the al-Qaida terrorist threat and bringing those responsible for the 9-11 attacks to justice--had now been largely accomplished. "If there was ever a time to leave, it is now," said one Democratic Member. "Getting bin Laden was the reason we went in."
And Democrats noted that the successful strike against bin Laden also proved that the most effective way to protect Americans was with anti-terrorist tactics, not a broader and more costly anti-insurgency campaign. "Bin Laden's death reminds us that when tackling threats to U.S. security by actors who are increasingly agile, mobile and amorphous, a heavy military, air and navy footprint is not only ineffective in dealing with guerilla-like warfare but also financially unsustainable," said one Democratic Congressional Insider. "The Pakistani mission demonstrated, actionable intelligence, not a standing army proved successful in leveling America's enemies," echoed another. "Our military is worn out. Does anybody in Washington care?"
Only a handful of Democratic Members disagreed and wanted President Obama to stick to his current troop withdrawal timetable. "We are on track to begin our draw down later this year and complete it by the end of 2014 when Afghanistan will have in place a combined, trained and equipped army and police security of approximately 350,000," said a Democratic Congressional Insider.
Nine out of ten Republican Members of Congress who responded to the survey said that after delivering a potentially crippling blow to al-Qaida, now was not the time to be drawing down troops faster. "It would be a mistake to jeopardize the progress we've made and cede Afghanistan back to al-Qaida and the Taliban," said one GOP Congressional Insider. "Getting Osama offers an opening both on and off the battlefield," said another. "We should seize it and push forward. Quitting after you deal your enemy a setback is the equivalent taking your foot off his throat once you have him on the ground."
Some GOP Congressional Insiders suggested that they would be watching the war's progress and take their lead from the military on troop withdrawals. "The mission and movements must be determined by the commanders on the ground," said one Republican Member. "We should continue to stick to current timeline, carefully monitoring whether certain benchmarks are met," said another. A third added that it was "too soon to tell how much operational impact killing bin Laden will have on al-Qaida in Afghanistan."
But a few Republicans sounded weary of the almost decade-long conflict. "We went in to Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaida and bring their leaders to justice; that has now been largely accomplished," said one GOP Congressional Insider. "Occupying Afghanistan on a long term basis never was nor should be our objective."
The National Journal Congressional Insiders Poll is a regular survey of Democratic and Republican members of Congress.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus