The situation has had not only defense implications, but political ones for President Obama. In an article published today, The Times’s Helene Cooper examines whether fellow Democrats have the stomach to keep supporting Mr. Obama’s stepped up war in Aghanistan, and finds that he may need to lean more heavily on Republicans to back his plans for adding more troops.
Public sentiment has also shifted. Ms. Cooper notes that “A CBS News poll released on Tuesday reports that 41 percent of those polled wanted troop levels in Afghanistan decreased, compared with 33 percent in April. Far fewer people — 25 percent — wanted troop levels increased, compared with 39 percent in April. And Mr. Obama’s approval rating for his handling of Afghanistan has dropped eight points since April, to 48 percent.”
