Deep Divisions

" Reports out today that president Obama's ambassador to Afghanistan is pushing back hard against the president's plan to send more troops. Underlining some deep divisions over the war within his own administration. General Carl I can -- a former commander of US forces in Afghanistan is now the ambassador to that country. He is expressing strong reservations about a possible troop buildup and raising deep concerns. About the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. At the same time President Obama is telling his national security team to come up with some alternative choices after rejecting the four options already put forward to him. Let's talk about a would Aaron Miller he served at the State Department as a policy adviser to six secretaries of state. It's interesting to me -- that that mr. Obama received this advice from members of his own administration. And yet has rejected -- he wants some more fine tuning some more tweaking we don't know exactly what's in there but what does that say to you about the process here."

" It says to me that before America tries to project its military or political power this time around it needs to think very carefully in and very deliberately about what its goals are. And what are the best means to achieve them you know the old expression John if you don't know where you're going any road will take you there. And that's the real problem it seems to me particularly after Iraq you know we occupied Japan for seven years between 1945 in 1952. You know how many Americans were killed in hostile actions on the part of the Japanese on the Japanese mainland during that seven year period none. So the real question is to think about the projection of American military force. And what the cost you're going to be an I would argue to you that if you got a guy a secondary retired lieutenant general. Who's the ambassador to cobble notes Karzai. Who knows the problems of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency. And he's telling you to basically say look. Take your time be patient. You gotta listen to the guy you really do. What about the critics though who say that the president is dithering. He announced back in March I believe it was that that this was his new Afghanistan policy he said in the additional forces and now he seems to be rethinking all. Well his problem is that during the campaign. And subsequently. He basically establish the fact that Afghanistan was kind of the good war in Iraq was they have war. And use the term more necessities so he's out there publicly. In committing the United States to war of national interest based on our national interest in Afghanistan. Now the question becomes. How to achieve. The objectives. How to ensure that you got an exit strategy. In a way that little will also garner domestic public opinion because we're gardens of the options that are chosen. The big option a medium option on the minimum option. We're gonna be in Afghanistan for a very long time and thinking through how best to conduct ourselves there. Is better pay me now or pay me later. So the deliberation it seems to me is important. Necessary. And wise well obviously we don't want to duplicate what the Russians. Did they invaded Afghanistan and I mean it it was it was a different reason for going in there. But they invaded stayed for awhile and basically got their tails kicked and left the country in worse shape. -- it was when they got there we don't want to be seen as having done that same kind of thing so I'm William Boyle we don't. We don't we avoided in part by trying to identify exactly what it is we -- which team here. Is this counterinsurgency. We trying to defeat the Afghan tell about well should we -- ticket is not is not well question answer. Well if that's the objective that you need to do two or three other things which may not be -- number one you have to control the borders. Number -- you need a tremendous number of American forces on the ground over prolonged period of time not just in the population centers but in the countryside and number three. This perhaps is the most important issue Unita a credible legitimate and authoritative central government. And this to me I think we are in an investment trap we're not gonna transformed mr. Karzai and we're not gonna make him into a a Democrat with a big deal or a small piece he's not gonna fundamentally change -- behavior we're gonna stop the drug trade. Mike my my take on this is very very simple and it may be wrong. -- organizing principle the nation's foreign policies to protect your home and you can't protect your homeland you don't need a foreign policy. 9/11 was the second bloodiest day in American history. Exceeded only by one of the days in the battle of Antietam in September of 1862. Our objective Afghanistan. Is to prevent Afghanistan. From becoming staging area to launch. Attacks against the continental United States it's not to build a new nation. It's not too. Have a transformative effect on another hopeless situation in Pakistan. It is to protect the United States and I would I would argue we need to think through very carefully and clearly. What kind of resource as we need to do that we do not want an investment trap of twenty or thirty year period. With a 100000 American forces on the ground I don't believe that is required. Two to achieve that objective -- Miller thank you. You're welcome them."