Sen. Graham Says More Troops Needed in Afghanistan, Urges U.S. Not to 'Rumsfeld' War

The United States must not "Rumsfeld" the war in Afghanistan, a prominent Republican said Sunday as he called for more troops and resources to be sent to the war-torn country.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said NATO should commit more troops to the theater and more funding to increase the size of the Afghan army, but that the United States should be prepared to send in more troops regardless of the actions of its allies.

"I'm one Republican that would support more troops in Afghanistan. ... I'll be shocked if more troops are not requested by our commanders," he said on CBS' "Face the Nation," at a time when the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is preparing to present his assessment of the war. Some expect Gen. Stanley McChrystal to request more U.S. troops, even though the White House has already committed an extra 21,000.

Graham warned Sunday that the Obama administration and current Congress should not follow the lead of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom Graham criticized for underestimating the challenge in Iraq and not committing enough resources.

"Let's not Rumsfeld Afghanistan. Let's don't do this thing on the cheap. Let's have enough combat power and engagement across the board to make sure we're successful. And quite frankly, we all have got a lot of ground to make up,"said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "You cannot have political reconciliation, economic progress, the rule of law, when the judges and the economy is under siege by the enemy. ... When I'm saying 'Don't Rumsfeld Afghanistan,' don't resist the idea that we're going to need more, because we are."

But Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wasn't prepared to back any call for more U.S. troops. He said any commitment at this point could take pressure off other allies the United States is looking to for help.

"We've got to put a lot of pressure on NATO allies that have so far not come through to do that. It is critically important," Levin said. "I don't think we should commit at this point to more troops for two reasons. Number one, it takes NATO allies off the hook from keeping their commitments and number two, it takes some of the pressure off of the Afghans themselves to help move that army much more quickly."

National Security Adviser Jim Jones told "FOX News Sunday" he would not rule out a request for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan but acknowledged that he has advised against such a request.

"In the context of the overall strategy, this is not ... simply about the number of troops," he said. "Essentially, there are three prongs to the strategy. There's a security prong. That is about troops. But economic recovery and cohesion with a security strategy is important, and better governance and rule of law from Kabul, all the way down to the local townships, is extremely important. ... it is not simply about troops."