The majority of Americans want the war in Afghanistan ended. President Obama promised a "significant" withdrawal this July. But what he announced on Wednesday amounted to withdrawing about 1 percent of U.S. personnel in July (10,000 withdrawn over six months from a total of 200,000 troops and contractors). A White House spokesperson told a conference call of reporters on Wednesday that public opinion plays no role in such decisions.
Can public opinion play any role in Congressional decisions? Obama cannot keep so many troops in Afghanistan so long if Congress refuses to pay for it. In recent weeks, the House has twice passed measures barring the use of funds for U.S. warmaking in Libya. Now before both houses is the 2012 "Defense Appropriations" bill which would dump over $100 billion into wars including Afghanistan.
Enough is enough, and Obama's "drawdown" is not enough!
