Two views: How should President Barack Obama respond 
to the fight in Afghanistan?

By U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson 
(D-Lithonia)

We face difficult choices in Afghanistan. We should allow the White House to complete its comprehensive strategic review. President Barack Obama deserves a chance to implement his strategy, but I reserve the right to withhold my support should I determine that our objectives are not achievable. Afghanistan’s proximity to Pakistan, a struggling state with nuclear weapons whose frontier provinces are a haven for Islamist extremists, makes Afghan security critical to global security. However, despite our compelling interests in Afghanistan, our policymaking must be informed by our historical understanding. For centuries, Afghanistan has proved difficult for occupying powers to pacify — ask the British and the former Soviet Union. We must weigh our desire to re-engage this neglected theater of war and destroy our enemies in this region against the human, financial and political costs of a sustained effort where success is not guaranteed. Let us support the president’s efforts to succeed, but let us not blindly support indefinite military operations. Victory must be concretely defined and demonstrably achievable.

By Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)

It is clear that America faces a crossroads in Afghanistan.

In anticipation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s report stating that the war in Afghanistan will be lost unless we send more U.S. troops, some are questioning our commitment in Afghanistan.

The president said regarding Afghanistan, “The first question is: Are we doing the right thing. Are we pursuing the right strategy?”

My answer is: We absolutely are doing the right thing. We need only note the arrests this past week in Colorado and New York to realize that the agents of terror sponsored by al-Qaida and the Taliban will do anything to destroy our country.

The president himself earlier in the year declared Afghanistan the central battleground against terror.

As far as our strategy, we need only look at the success of the troop surge in Iraq to realize that if you give your commanders the resources they need, you will get the results we all desire.