Poll: Americans now say they favor troop increase in Afghanistan
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Americans in recent weeks have shifted their view about what to do in Afghanistan, with more saying they favor an increase in U.S. troops, Gallup reported today.
Despite the change, however, Americans remain deeply split, with less than half saying they would support President’s Obama’s decision to increase the U.S. presence in the war, now in its ninth year.
Obama will announce his decision on how many more troops he will order to Afghanistan next week. The speech to the nation on Tuesday will also lay out his priorities for the mission in Afghanistan.
According to Gallup, 47% of Americans said they would advise Obama to increase the number of U.S. troops, while 39% said they would advise Obama to reduce U.S. involvement. Another 9% would opt to leave troop levels as they are, while 5% said they have no opinion.
The same questions asked earlier this month found Americans leaning to the troop reduction option 44% to 42%.
In a rare public display, the military has made it known that the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has asked for 40,000 troops to supplement the 68,000 already committed. NATO has more than 40,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Obama is weighing several options, but all include increasing the number of U.S troops and trainers. NATO is also expected to increase its commitment, though the Afghanistan war is increasingly unpopular.
Republicans have criticized Obama for taking months to decide the next step in his policy on Afghanistan and have strongly backed the military’s request for a large surge. The Gallup poll found that the majority of Republicans favor a buildup while the majority of Democrats say they favor a reduction of troops. Political independents tilt more toward the Republican position.
--Michael Muskal
