NOAH ADAMS, host:
President Obama went to Camp David today for some downtime mixed with serious work. According to his spokesman, Mr. Obama will review a confidential new report on the course of the war in Afghanistan.
Our senior news analyst, Daniel Schorr, notes that the president does so within a shifting landscape.
DANIEL SCHORR: Time To Get Out of Afghanistan read the headline over the Washington Post column by George Will - not your everyday dove. It's an early voice in what soon may be many, as American public opinion turns against the war in Afghanistan.
For President Obama, it's getting to be quagmire time. Like President Johnson in Vietnam, he is faced with having to prosecute his predecessor's war. Having only just last spring adopted a comprehensive new strategy, the president has called upon General Stanley McChrystal for another reassessment of what it will take to turn the tide against an increasingly sophisticated insurgency. The report has not been made public. The issue of what further American troops are required beyond the additional 21,000 authorized in March is apparently being kicked down the road for a few months.
The president tiptoes around the edge of a fateful decision. Serious, deteriorating, say his commanders, as the toll of roadside killings and suicide bombings mounts. As President Nixon signaled American gradual withdrawal from Vietnam by saying he was Vietnamizing the war, so President Obama would undoubtedly like to Afghanistanize this war. But the weakness of the Karzai government and the instability of his forces do not afford him that opportunity.
The president has tried his best to establish forward momentum. During the campaign, he promised to refocus efforts at finishing the war. Last March came his comprehensive new strategy based on a partnership with the Afghan people. Success is achievable, McChrystal says. But the price tag remains hidden. Undoubtedly, it would involve a surge of new forces, a tactic that worked in Iraq. Whether it would work in Afghanistan is not clear. But over President Obama's decision looms the fear of the quagmire, of being sucked into a war he may not win but cannot afford to lose, amid the growing criticism of those who, like George Will, say it's time to get out.
This is Daniel Schorr.
Copyright © 2009 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.