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Candidate Obama said "losing is not an option," we need troops now..

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army says morale has fallen among its forces in Afghanistan, where troops are seeing record violence in the 8-year-old war. A new battlefield survey taken several months ago found instances of depression, anxiety and other psychological problems about the same as in 2007 — but there was a significant drop in unit morale. The Army also says there is a shortage of mental health workers to help soldiers, partly because of the troop buildup started this year by President Barack Obama.

President Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday. That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official. In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership...

Far from winding down, the numbers of wounded U.S. soldiers coming home have continued to swell. The problem is especially acute among those who fought in Afghanistan, where nearly four times as many troops were injured in October as a year ago. Amputations, burns, brain injuries and shrapnel wounds proliferate in Afghanistan, due mostly to crude, increasingly potent improvised bombs targeting U.S. forces. Others are hit by snipers' bullets or mortar rounds. With Veterans Day on Wednesday, wounded veterans from the recent conflicts consider the toll of these injuries, and the rough road ahead for the injured. Of particular concern...

War On Terror: Sen. John Kerry, who was so wrong about Iraq, now says our commander in Afghanistan is "reaching too far, too fast" and that a "good enough" policy should suffice. It won't. Offering his advice on how to micromanage the war against the Taliban, Kerry said Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Obama's hand-picked general to fight what he called a "war of necessity," is wrong in saying he needs 40,000 more troops to fight and win it. Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, Kerry advocated a "good enough" policy designed not to achieve victory in al-Qaida's...

War On Terror: Sen. John Kerry, who was so wrong about Iraq, now says our commander in Afghanistan is "reaching too far, too fast" and that a "good enough" policy should suffice. It won't. Offering his advice on how to micromanage the war against the Taliban, Kerry said Gen. Stanley McChrystal, President Obama's hand-picked general to fight what he called a "war of necessity," is wrong in saying he needs 40,000 more troops to fight and win it. Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday, Kerry advocated a "good enough" policy designed not to achieve victory in al-Qaida's...

The Washington Post reports tonight that Barack Obama and top administration officials have concluded the Taliban cannot be beaten and that they are looking for ways to cede parts of Afghanistan to the Taliban without those regions becoming safe havens for al Qaeda.The article also reports that Obama may wait until after he returns from a 10 day visit to Asia that begins November 11 to decide his policy for Afghanistan.The Post article is largely about Obama's request made this week, two months after he received Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for tens of thousands more troops to fulfill Obama's counter-insuregency...

In the name of God, Mr. President, just decide. Before your dithering costs any more American lives, pull your finger out of the air and decide on a strategy for Afghanistan. You sought the presidency, for crying out loud, now exercise it. If you’re going to be commander in chief, dammit, command! That’s the simple message to Barack Obama. But it is a message which, astoundingly, he seems content to ignore. Seldom has indecision been raised to such a fine art, or been boasted of as a matter of pride. In an historic display of uncertainty masquarading as deliberateness, the...

Sen. John McCain is exhorting President Barack Obama to make a decision quickly on sending additional troops to Afghanistan, saying U.S allies are nervous and military commanders are frustrated. McCain said in a nationally broadcast interview Wednesday that the war policy in Afghanistan "as been reviewed time and again" and that it's now time to act. Interviewed on CBS's "The Early Show," the Arizona Republican said the drawn-out decision-making process on Afghanistan "is not helpful to our effort" in the wartorn nation.

In Deadliest Month, 53 U.S. Troops Die in Afghanistan ALISSA J. RUBIN October 27, 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight Americans died in combat in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, bringing October’s total to 53 and making it the deadliest month for Americans in the eight-year war. September and October were both deadlier months overall for NATO troops. The troops, along with an Afghan civilian accompanying them, were killed in several attacks involving “multiple, complex” improvised bombs, according to a statement from the NATO-led coalition. A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, said that Taliban in Zabul Province were responsible. He said they...

As President Obama contemplates U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, the military operation in the country is facing increasing violence. Eight U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday. October has been the most violent month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began eight years ago. Today’s violence follows the deaths of 14 U.S. troops killed yesterday in a helicopter collision believed to have been caused by enemy fire. A total of 55 U.S. troops have been killed this month. Overall, 2009 has witnessed the highest number of U.S. and NATO troop deaths in Afghanistan since the war began.

Eight American servicemen were killed in a series of explosions today, making October the deadliest month for US troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion. An Afghan civilian working with the military was also killed. Officials said that several soldiers were injured in “multiple, complex” bomb attacks in southern Afghanistan, just a day after 14 Americans were killed in two separate helicopter crashes in the south and west of the country. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said that the troops were hit by a series of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), or homemade bombs.

Last night, former Vice president Cheney had some harsh comments about President Obama’s decision making process about strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying "the White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in danger." At this afternoon’s briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs fired back. “It's a curious comment,” Gibbs said, arguing that “the vice president was for seven years not focused on Afghanistan. Even more curious given the fact that an increase in troops sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president's, for more than eight months, a resource request filled by President...