New Afghan Plan may be Like old Plan

New Afghan Plan may be Like old Plan
November 25, 2009
Christian Science Monitor|by Gordon Lubold

WASHINGTON -- The Afghanistan war plan President Obama will announce next week won't stray far from the strategy he laid out eight months ago, say experts.

After nine meetings with his war council – and reports of vigorous disagreement within the administration – Mr. Obama seems likely to stick to the strategy he announced in March, perhaps incorporating elements from other proposals.

His top general in Afghanistan favors a "counterinsurgency" approach that would entail a massive increase in the number of US troops there. Others such as Vice President Biden reportedly prefer a "counter-terrorism" policy that would emphasize targeted strikes on terrorist hideouts.

"There will be something in there for everyone," says one official who is close to the deliberations. "Nobody got everything, but everybody got something."

Obama indicated Tuesday that he was not shying away from the fight in Afghanistan. "It is in our strategic interest, in our national security interest, to make sure that Al Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," Obama said at the White House. "We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/new-afghan-plan-may-be-like-old-plan.html?wh=wh

:grr:

cobbling together a plan based on special interest will only make things worse.