Afghanistan, jobs, healthcare reform top busy week for Obama
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Official Washington returns today from its holiday break, and for President Obama that means the beginning of a tough week during which the issues of Afghanistan, jobs and a healthcare overhaul pick up in tempo.
Obama is scheduled to address the nation Tuesday at 5 p.m. PST to announce his Afghanistan policy. He is expected to tell the country that he is sending about 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, where the United States is in its ninth year of war.
But the number of troops is just part of the issue. Obama chose the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. as the background for his announcement as he tries to sell the troop surge to a skeptical American public. Recent polls show that more Americans favor a troop increase than oppose it, but neither position crosses the 50%-majority line.
Politically, selling the surge will also be complex. Liberal Democrats in Congress are wary, and fiscal conservatives in both parties are leery of the added cost, about $1 million per soldier. There have been calls for a war tax to help fund the effort.
The GOP generally backs the military’s call for more troops than Obama is willing to commit, so the president will likely find himself buffeted from the left, which opposes any surge, and the right.
Obama will also have to persuade foreign leaders to send more troops, be especially hard to do if he decides to discuss exit strategies in his West Point speech. The task of wooing will begin in earnest with the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who will meet with Obama today in Washington. Australia has about 1,500 troops in Afghanistan, and the United States wants more.
The United States is also seeking more troops from NATO, which already has about 40,000 in Afghanistan. NATO, despite internal opposition, will likely commit 3,000 to 10,000 troops and trainers.
Aside from the number of troops, Obama has also promised to lay out a vision for the Afghanistan mission. Is it mainly counter-insurgency, preventing a return of Al Qaeda terrorists now based in Pakistan? Or will the United States be willing to accept a resurgent Taliban over the current government of President Hamid Karzai, which is plagued by reports of widespread corruption and fraud?
The Senate returns today with healthcare reform the top topic on its agenda. Polls show that Americans remain split on the issue, with about half backing an overhaul and half opposing the current plans in the Senate. Deliberations resume this afternoon, but it is unclear if debate on Obama’s signature issue will start today or Tuesday. Obama has called for a final bill on his desk by the end of the year, a deadline that seems impossible to meet.
Later in the week, the White House will try to turn the spotlight on job creation, cited by most Americans as the No. 1 concern, along with economic issues in general. A jobs summit on Thursday, which has attracted more than 100 business leaders and economists, will be flashy, but it is unclear what policy recommendations will emerge.
If this week sounds tough, next week is no better. Obama travels to Europe for the climate change summit and then will pick up his Nobel Peace Prize.
Obama informs world leaders of his Afghanistan strategy
-- Michael Muskal
