Seven American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Monday, marking a spike in U.S. and NATO fatalities. There was little uproar over this tragic news, which was accompanied by military official predictions that the death toll will rise as the conflict intensifies
Opposition to the troop buildup has been muted. Progressive democrats, generally disinclined toward American military action, are reluctant to attack Obama. Supporters of aggressive military intervention, usually conservative, tend to agree with this escalation.
This gives the president some latitude to carry out his risky Afghanistan strategy.
During the Bush Era, the American public’s disgust with the war in Iraq deepened as the number of American troops killed passed 2,000, than 3,000, than 4,000.
Barack Obama knows that there is limited patience for American casualties. But this is not simply a political calculation.
This is his Afghan policy. Soldiers will be suffering and dying based on his decisions and his orders. If the Obama plan in Afghanistan isn’t working, at what point does he withdraw? How will this president tolerate the enormous burden of war?
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I think Afghanistan is a far more difficult situation then Iraq has been. Obama's recent actions I feel are necessary to minimize soldiers deaths, increase local trust, and create a more stabilized environment.
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