Lloyd Doggett Can’t Trust Obama On Afghanistan Escalation
After President Obama presented his plan to escalate the war in Afghanistan by sending more than 30,000 additional American soldiers to prop up the military occupation there, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to deliver a sad, heartfelt speech about the development. It was clear that Dogggett wanted to find a way to support Obama’s plan, but his conscience would not allow him to do so. “I agree with so much of what President Obama said last night, but not so much what he would do,” Doggett began.
With just one minute to speak, Congressman Doggett nonetheless made a clear and comprehensive case against escalation of the fighting in Afghanistan. On a practical level, the idea of increasing troop levels, and then reducing them back to previous levels within just a year and a half, represented an unrealistic strategy, given the failure of the last eight years of war.
Doggett proposed a de-escalation plan, leading to withdrawal, instead.
“The better exit strategy is to have fewer troops. With some allies already preparing to depart as we expand, most of the blood spilt will remain American. We should honor the sacrifice of those courageously serving by putting fewer of them in harm’s way. It shouldn’t take 100,000 Americans to defeat 100 al Qaeda. All this effort props up a corrupt Karzai government that just stole over a million votes. Afghanistan can consume as many lives and as many dollars as we’re willing to expend there, and leave our families no safer.”
Representative Doggett wants to remain loyal to Barack Obama, but cannot do so while remaining true to his principles. So, Doggett has chosen his principles over his political loyalties. It’s likely that many Democratic voters in Doggett’s district, faced with the same dilemma, are making the same decision. That dynamic creates a serious challenge to Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012.
