Speaker John Boehner is on a mission with a special House delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. He’s main goal is to get a feel for conditions on the ground in those countries. It is a pretty routine trip so far. In a recent speech Boehner said this:
“During our meeting with General Petraeus, he noted that security gains have been made in Afghanistan, but that they are fragile and reversible,” Boehner said“That is why we must remain steadfast in our commitment to the counterinsurgency strategy our commanders on the ground have put in place and to ensuring its success, rather than focusing on meeting arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal,” he added. “Any drawdown of U.S. troops must be based on the conditions on the ground, not on political calculations. If the Obama Administration insists on beginning to draw down troops in July, it must explain how the pace and scope of such a move will not undermine the tenuous progress we’ve made thus far. To date, it has not done so.”
I have a weird suspicion that July could be hot, and I’m just talking about the temperature, month for the Obama administration in Afghanistan. There could be real divide about whether to start withdrawing troops then or wait a little while longer. Several polls have indicated that people are tired of Afghanistan and want to focus on domestic projects. With the Tea Party holding this similar view, the President could have an ally.
In 2004, and too an extent in 2006, Republicans used a strategy to attack Democrats who wanted a set time table for withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. It worked then because the U.S. had not been in those conflicts as long. That same magic may not exist this time. Boehner will be in a tough spot if he argues for staying longer. Like all of his battles, the greatest one will be within his own party. The Tea Party on one side and the Bush era Republicans on the other. Usually, the American public would side with the military on these types of topics, but they already did that last time when Obama granted then General McCrystal the 30,000 troops he needed. If the military says “give us more time” that might not jive so well for an American public weary of war.
So, I would say Republicans could play the argue against this timeline, but it may not work out in their best interest.
Photo Credit: Politico
