If there is one area of focus that John McCain should be given undeniable praise on, it would be his push for the surge strategy in Iraq. It was upon adopting his proposed military strategy that we were, finally, able to begin taking control of the situation on the ground.
Today, McCain called for a similar strategy to be undertaken in Afghanistan. In doing so, he took the opportunity to also take some swipes at Barack Obama's military strategies, or lack thereof, in the region. Read more here [2].
McCain has described Obama's call for withdrawal from Iraq as tantamount to declaring defeat and points to the lower levels of violence in Iraq as evidence that sending additional U.S. troops there has been a successful strategy.
"Sen. Obama will tell you we can't win in Afghanistan without losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards," McCain told a town hall meeting. "It is precisely the success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan."
McCain added: "I know how to win wars. And if I'm elected president, I will turn around the war in Afghanistan, just as we have turned around the war in Iraq, with a comprehensive strategy for victory."
McCain laid out a blueprint for intensified military efforts in Afghanistan, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed and 14 injured in a militant attack Sunday, the U.S. military's highest death toll there in three years.
As part of his reasoning for this needed change in strategy in Afghanistan, McCain noted the recent regrouping of our enemies in the region - much of which can be attributed to the seasonal nature of their abilities to fight improving following the bitterly cold months where they have been forced to hold up.
"The status quo is not acceptable. Security in Afghanistan has deteriorated, and our enemies are on the offensive," he said. "From the moment the next president walks into the Oval Office, he will face critical decisions and crucial decisions about Afghanistan."
Three more brigades should be sent to Afghanistan, McCain said, as well as a presidential envoy to deal with countries vying for power in the region.
I have little doubt that the present increase of violence in Afghanistan will once again be quelled to a large degree once the harsher, colder months once again arrive. The question that remains to be seen, however, is who will be our Commander-in-Chief come next January? Who will determine the strategy our military leadership should employ come May, 2009 when that next wave of barbarians emerge from their caves?
