BOND:  OBAMA BUYER’S REMORSE ON AFGHANISTAN?

Senator Calls on McChrystal to Testify – Congress Needs to Hear from Commander on the Ground

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today called on General Stanley McChrystal to testify before Congress following news reports that the Administration has delayed the Commander’s request for additional troops. 

“After asking for General McChrystal’s Afghanistan assessment, it now appears President Obama has buyer’s remorse,” said Bond.  “Congress needs to hear directly from General McChrystal to ensure political motivations here in Washington don’t override the needs of our commanders on the ground.”

This latest news that the Administration is delaying General McChrystal’s troop request compounds concerns raised by the President’s recent comments.  Bond, who has been one of the strongest supporters of the Administration’s new strategy in Afghanistan, was disturbed by the President’s suggestion this past Sunday that he is reconsidering the American commitment to the conflict in Afghanistan.

Bond reminded the Administration that in March, the President announced a new, comprehensive approach to the war in Afghanistan – a fully resourced counter-insurgency campaign.  The troops in the field have been waiting over 6 months for the President to follow through on his promise.  As General McChrystal’s recently leaked assessment points out, time is of the essence, and we can’t afford for the President to continue to stall on this vital national security issue.

The Senator urged the President not to abandon General McChrystal’s strategy for success for a failing counter-terrorism-only strategy.  Bond pointed out that for years, the United States and international forces have tried the under-resourced CT-only approach with no success.

Bond noted that earlier this year, when the President spoke to our veterans at the VFW Convention, he said that “Those who attacked America on 9-11 are plotting to do so again.  If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defense of our people.”

The Senator stressed that he couldn’t agree more with the President’s comments to our veterans and urged the President to sustain this critical commitment to achieving victory in Afghanistan.