California Democrat calls for withdrawing 50,000 troops from Afghanistan

A leading anti-war congresswoman established a new marker in the Afghanistan war debate Friday, calling on President Obama to order a swift withdrawal of at least 50,000 U.S. troops in a further indication of Congress’ growing unease with the prolonged military operation.

The stance from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) offers the president an assist from the political left as the White House is engaged in internal deliberations over the scale of the drawdown he is expected to announce in July. Lee said anything less than a halving of the 100,000 troop presence would be too modest. Military officials want to retain a sizable force in the country.

“As the president contemplates this decision, I urge him to hold true to his comments that he will seriously consider a ‘significant’ reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan,” said Lee, a member of the liberal wing in the House.

“A more ‘significant’ and reasonable goal would be the withdrawal of 50,000 combat troops,” she said. “Any withdrawal plan should begin immediately and be conducted swiftly, not dragged out over years.”

Congress has grown increasingly war weary, pushing back against the Obama administration’s national security strategy especially after the U.S. joined the NATO-led operation in Libya this spring.

An unusual alliance of anti-war liberals and fiscally conservative Republicans has created a growing political force against U.S. military operations. Rising federal deficit concerns and popular opinion are fueling the anti-war debate.

Last month, the House fell about a dozen votes short of passage of legislation pressing the administration on an exit strategy for Afghanistan -- the largest vote of opposition since the war began in 2001. More recently, the House has escalated its criticism of president for not seeking congressional approval for military engagement in Libya as required under the War Powers Act.

Lee’s insistence on a robust and swift drawdown of troops comes as the House is about to begin debating the annual Pentagon appropriations bill, which has been used in past efforts to reduce war funds. Lee has been among those lawmakers leading such previous efforts.