Updated: 12/1/2009 9:14:27 PM
Phil Roe, M.D., Member of Congress (TN-1) issued the following statement regarding President Obama's speech on Afghanistan from West Point:
This evening the President delivered a speech on the way forward for the war in Afghanistan, which culminates a decision-making course that began in March with the announcement that the United States would pursue a broad counterinsurgency strategy to defeat the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Our nation's heroes have dedicated their lives to serving our country and they should receive the funding and resources they need to defend our country. As a veteran and a supporter of our troops, I ask that measures be taken to make certain those responsible for carrying out the strategy in Afghanistan have the means necessary to complete the mission we have asked them to do.
Earlier this year, General McChrystal requested 40,000 troops. While the President is calling for many more troops to be sent to Afghanistan, it is not as many as requested. In the days ahead, I will be closely following the testimony from Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and General McChrystal as to how this plan impacts our mission in Afghanistan.
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) made the following statement Tuesday night regarding President Obama's address on his strategy for Afghanistan:
I will carefully consider what the president said tonight, and I look forward to hearing from Secretary Gates and our generals as they explain to Congress over the next two weeks what our strategy will be in Afghanistan. We need a bipartisan strategy that we're prepared to see through to the end. My major concern is that the administration is more focused on an exit strategy than a success strategy. An exit strategy should come only after we've achieved success.
Third District Congressional Candidate Robin Smith issued a statement following President Obama's address.Although his path to this decision was long and meandering, I believe that President Obama has, for the most part, arrived at the correct conclusion on providing our military professionals the resources they need to achieve mission success in Afghanistan.
For several months I have advocated allowing Generals David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal the opportunity to repeat the success they achieved in Iraq by trusting in their expertise and granting their requests regarding troop levels and strategy. I believe they are in the best position to evaluate the situation on the ground and provide the best path to bring about the opportunity for peace and prosperity for the Afghan people.
While the commitment of additional troops falls short of the 41,000 General McChrystal requested several months ago, I am confident that he and the other military professionals entrusted with bringing about success in Afghanistan will implement these additional forces in ways that will give the political solutions an opportunity to work. Only with adequate support and resources and without artificial political timelines or exit strategies that encourage the enemy to dig in and wait us out, can we achieve our goals.
In his effort to balance politics and policy, President Obama has allowed this situation to fester too long before making a decision on Afghanistan. It is encouraging; however, that he has ignored the noise coming from the fringe left of his party on this issue and made the right call.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., second-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made the following statement Tuesday regarding Afghanistan.
I first went to Afghanistan in November 2007 and was there again this past August to observe their presidential election and have seen firsthand the complexity of the situation. I look forward to further discussing what President Obama has laid out on Thursday when Admiral Mullen, Secretary Gates and Secretary Clinton testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I am curious to hear what the administration expects the conditions on the ground to be in 18 months when the announced withdrawal begins," said Corker.
Corker took a five-day trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan in August 2009. Corker first visited the countries in the fall of 2007.
