That, apparently, is the mindset of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates:
The United States cannot wait for problems surrounding the legitimacy of the Afghan government to be resolved before making a decision on troops, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said.
Gates, speaking to reporters on board a plane traveling to Tokyo, described the situation in Afghanistan as an evolutionary process that would not improve dramatically overnight, regardless of what course is taken following the country's flawed August election.
"I see this as a process, not something that's going to happen all of the sudden," Gates said.
"I believe that the president will have to make his decisions in the context of that evolutionary process."
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell added that Gates believed the issue of the Afghan government's legitimacy went well beyond the question of whoever would be declared winner of the election, or an eventual run-off.
It depended on whether the government in Kabul had the faith and confidence of the people, Morrell said.
International observers have called for an election run-off after a U.N.-backed fraud watchdog invalidated tens of thousands of votes for Afghan President Hamid Karzai from the August poll.
Another vote could be complicated by a strengthening Taliban insurgency that has tied up tens of thousands of foreign and Afghan troops and the approaching harsh Afghan winter that cuts off hundreds of villages every year.
Gates said he was confident U.S. and NATO forces could provide security for a run-off, should one be decided, but added bad winter weather could prevent Afghans from voting.
"I think the key consideration before us at this point is actually less (one of) security ... (it's) the weather. So getting something done before winter sets in will be very important," he said.
FADING PUBLIC SUPPORT
Gates did not say when he expected U.S. President Barack Obama to decide on whether to increase troops, a decision complicated by rising casualties and fading public support for the stalled, eight-year-old war.
It's time to poop or get off the pot Mr. President... our men (and women) are dying while you dither.
Quit dithering. Quit voting present.
Be a damned leader.
Of all the things that piss me off about this administration, this is the worst.
We've lived through economic hard times before, we'll manage again and hopefully find our way through to overthrowing the socialistic stupidity.
But these decisions concern our military's very lives, and THEY. CAN'T. WAIT. until His Majesty decides to pay attention.
He needs a good swift kick.
Posted by: Mommynator | Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 12:14 PM
He's hoping the whole mess will go away if he ignores it long enough. Besides, you people can't really expect a Nobel Laureate (for PEACE) to actually act like that eeevil war-mongler Bush! What would the Norwegians think?
Posted by: Shifty1 | Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 06:32 PM