TPMDC
18 Lawmakers Speak Up At White House Afghanistan Meeting
President Barack Obama
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An administration official tells TPMDC President Obama heard from 18 members at the meeting today on Afghanistan in the State Dining Room.
"He made it clear that he wants to get their input - and will continue to get their input going forward," the official said.
Obama told the 30 or so Congressional leaders present his decision-making process will be "rigorous and deliberate" but would also have a "sense of urgency." He told them it was important to put in place a strategy that helps Congress make decisions about where to devote military resources.
"The president was clear that he will make the decision that he thinks will best prevent future attacks on the American homeland and our allies. He also made it clear that his decision won't make everybody in the room or the nation happy, but underscored his commitment to work on a collaborative basis with the understanding that everyone wants what is best for the country," the official said.
Also discussed were an overview of the progress in the region and challenges ahead and the recent Afghan elections, with Obama telling lawmakers there's been progress in targeting al Qaeda by working with the Pakistani government.
The official said Obama stressed the debate must be honest and asked critics to "dispense with the straw man argument that this is about either doubling down or leaving Afghanistan."
As Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) left, he warned of the same thing.
The meeting was civil and lawmakers who chatted with reporters as they left said they are okay to give Obama more time to make his decision.
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atticus1104
October 6, 2009 6:47 PM
The war drums are beating for a troop increase in Afghanistan.
Keep in mind the only time conservatives want Obama to succeed, is when he channels his inner Republican. That means if Obama wants bi-partisanship, he better fight escalate the hostilities in Afghanistan. Check out the video below.
http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=3070
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Walter Mitty
October 6, 2009 6:51 PM
This was a smart play by the Administration because if any of the GOP critics are speaking out in the media the Administration can come back and say "Well why didn't they bring up their concerns when they were face to face with the President?" or similarly "President Obama told those at the meeting that he would take their calls personally if they had any concerns that were not addressed to their satisfaction at the meeting - Why didn't this person simply pick up the phone and call the President?"
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oskieoskie
October 6, 2009 6:55 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
Why? Because Repugs are more interested in knee-capping the president than giving him candid advice.
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Walter Mitty
October 6, 2009 7:23 PM in reply to oskieoskie
Exactly. It would prove that point.
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calchala
October 6, 2009 7:11 PM
McCain and Obama got into a bit of a fight. From politico.com/politico44: OBAMA - MCCAIN TENSION: A glimmer of the tension seen in the 2008 election battle emerged inside the State Dining Room at the White House today.
Sen. John McCain drew a sharp response from President Obama during the Afghanistan meeting this afternoon when the Arizona Republican told his former opponent that he shouldn't be making a decision on a strategy for the war in such a "leisurely fashion," a source familiar with the meeting said.
A visibly irked Obama sharply replied that he is not making this decision in a "leisirely fashion," and moved on to the next member of Congress, the source said.
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Walter Mitty
October 6, 2009 7:26 PM in reply to calchala
I don't know why President Obama even bothers to humor Sen. McCain by including him in these discussions. His opinion is utterly useless.
I'd hope it was more sharply that indicated above - McCain's challenge that Obama is taking his time on making a decision is a direct challenge to his Presidency.
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oskieoskie
October 6, 2009 7:52 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
John McCain is a jerk, pure and simple. I agree: why was this sleaze even in the room?
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kenga
October 7, 2009 9:03 AM in reply to oskieoskie
I can think of two pretty good reasons.
(Caveat: they're good reasons if one of your priorities is acting in the framework of some kind of bipartisanship, or something that at least looks like bipartisanship. I myself am of two minds(us Geminis are permitted) - intransigence should beget force-feeding, and consensus is most effective.)
1. He's among the elder "statesmen" of the Republican party at this point and including him takes advantage of whatever knowledge he has of the topic and how his constituency feels about it.
2. That bi-partisanship thing - nearly half the country voted for McCain, and having him at the table ostensibly puts his supporters there too.
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Shrubbit
October 6, 2009 7:26 PM in reply to calchala
Glad to hear that Obama is standing up to that idiot. The fact that Neocon McShame is for an escalation makes me dead set against it.
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FebM
October 6, 2009 8:25 PM in reply to calchala
Obama 's deliberative, thoughtful and analytical. McCain's style is panic, impulsive and bullish which to the GOP constitutes "raw power". never mind lives are on the line at home and abroad.
Another reason to be grateful, Obama is the POTUS.
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Arsenalroo
October 7, 2009 4:38 AM
I don't think even the opposition, behind closed doors, would deny the gravity of Afghanistan. I believe that McCain, behind closed doors, wouldn't politicize this issue at this very very serious juncture. I just don't. There's grandstanding and push back regarding domestic policy and then there's this: A very serious issue.
The problem is the wasted years including withdrawing after the CCCP pullout. Afghanistan is a disaster and there are no "good" choices.
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kenga
October 7, 2009 9:09 AM in reply to Arsenalroo
The problem is the wasted years including withdrawing after the CCCP pullout. Afghanistan is a disaster and there are no "good" choices.
Needed to be emphasized.
Once the Bush administration started looking at Iraq the less-bad choices diminished considerably. I still think that there was a window of opportunity, into 2004, to assist some changes in rebuilding civil society there and step back.
That may not have been necessary, had we not simply abandoned the country after the Soviet Union gave up, and subsequently collapesed.
The cost of a single MX missile, or a month's funding of Star Wars could have funded dozens of schools that needn't rely on Wahhabist donations and ideology.
What efforts have we - as a culture and as a government, made to assess the results of our past actions and inactions?
Not nearly enough I fear - at this point we don't even have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
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