July 14, 2008: Obama Wants More Troops for Afghanistan
“As president, I would pursue a new strategy and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan,” Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, wrote in an Op-Ed article.
“We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there,” he wrote.
Obama, who is among those who maintain that Afghanistan has been neglected because of the administration’s Iraq policy, has not previously offered such a specific plan for how to strengthen troop levels in Afghanistan. His proposal comes as he prepares to visit U.S. commanders to assess progress in Iraq and needs in Afghanistan.
I’m not saying I’m happy, I’m just saying nobody should be shocked.
