Source:
NYTimesNovember 13, 2009
Among Obama Aides, Debate Intensifies on Troop Levels
By MARK LANDLER and JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON — The disclosure that the United States ambassador in Kabul has expressed written opposition to deploying more American troops to Afghanistan lays bare the fierce debate within the Obama administration over the direction of the war, even after weeks of deliberations and with the president on the verge of a decision.
The public airing of Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry’s reservations bolsters the case of those in the president’s circle, notably his vice president and some of his top political advisers, who remain skeptical of a request for 40,000 troops by the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, several officials said Thursday.
In meetings in the White House Situation Room, and in confidential cables, the ambassador, a retired Army lieutenant general who once was the top American commander in Afghanistan, has argued that the administration needs to move away from a debate over numbers and confront a more basic issue: the risk that sending more soldiers will deepen the dependence of the Afghan government on the United States.
Public disclosure of his views has heightened existing tensions between senior military officers and General Eikenberry, who left the military in April to become Mr. Obama’s emissary. Several military officials complained bitterly that his latest cables were part of a skein of pessimistic and defeatist memos he has sent since taking over in Kabul.
At a National Security Council meeting on Wednesday, however, Mr. Obama picked up on General Eikenberry’s arguments about growing Afghan dependence, according to a senior official. The president, he said, was far more assertive than in previous sessions, pressing his advisers about the wisdom of four proposals for adding troops. The change in his tone, from listening to challenging, was palpable, officials said.Read more:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/world/asia/13eikenberry.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=print
My bolding.