Decision Day

It's finally here, and I must say, worth the wait. Given the box General McChrystal's request put him in, President Obama did about as well as he could have. After the ninth strategy meeting earlier this week, leaks said that the decision has been made. 34,000 total soldiers and marines, comprised of 23,000 combat and support troops, 7,000 for a division headquarters in southern Afghanistan, and 4,000 trainers. And in a diplomatic coup, 5,000 additional troops from NATO allies. So in the end, Obama can say that he basically provided the 40,000 troops requested.

Beyond the numbers, the strategy and justification for the increase is vitally important. That will be addressed on Tuesday, the official announcement date, and I look forward to the speech Obama will give. He's set the bar pretty high for himself with campaign and inauguration orations, I expect him to rise to this level again. Until then, here are a few issues I've found this week.

Via Spencer Ackerman, two money issues. The Pentagon says that it costs $500,000 per service member per year to deploy to a war zone. The administration says it's closer to $1 million. A Los Angeles Times article, "Pricing an Afghanistan troop buildup is no simple calculation," addresses this gap. Rep. David Obey (D-WI), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has introduced the Share the Sacrifice Act, which would start a surtax on income in 2011 to pay for the full cost of the Afghanistan war. Co-sponsored by my Representative, Betty McCollum (D-MN), I'm proud to say.

Both our allies and our enemies in Afghanistan look like the men in this picture. In fact, the same person could be both at any given time. For instance, 10 to 20 percent of supply contracts are diverted to insurgents for protection. Read Aram Roston's article in the The Nation, "How the US Funds the Taliban" to find out how and why this happens.

Finally, for a look at the opportunity cost of spending money in Afghanistan, read a post by David Rothkopf, who blogs at ForeignPolicy.com, "The Choice."

Today's Washington Post carries a story saying that 34.5 percent of young African American men are unemployed. That number, like all such numbers, almost certainly understates the problem. That is not an economic challenge. That is a failure of our system and a wound to our society that makes anything that terrorists could do to us pale by comparison. It is time we started to understand and address the real threats we face.

Eff'dghanistan

I promise more variety and cheerfulness in the near future, but I need to get one more Afghanistan post out before the escalation decision is made.

Jon Stewart continues to get more truth out through his graphics than "real" news shows do in their entire programs. Eff'dghanistan is the latest contribution.

The best article by far I have seen is "The decision" by Spencer Ackerman in The National, an United Arab Emirates paper. (h/t Tom Ricks)

President Obama has succeed in getting the "Goldilocks" option to be reduced to sending 34,000 additional soldiers and marines to Afghanistan. Not bad. Not good, either, but considering the hand he was dealt by the neo-con McChrystal report, not bad.

UPDATES: Wow! Ambassador Karl Eikenberry just dropped a bomb on the escalation There is hope! I sense the narrative is switching - but my fingers are still crossed. Colin Powell tells Obama to take his time. Debate Shifts to Afghan Exit Plan. Whoo hoo!

Tom Ricks has a reading list for Afghanistan. One PhD student, Christopher Bleuer, is highlighted twice. A blog, Ghosts of Alexander, and a huge resource site, The Afghanistan Analyst.