Obama Set To Address the Nation on Afghanistan Dec. 1

Update: Obama will speak at 8 pm eastern. If you're not near a TV, it will be live streamed at WhiteHouse.gov.

President Obama is expected to address the nation early next week, saying he will send a sizable force of additional troops to Afghanistan, sources tell NPR.

The tentative plan is for the president to make his announcement Dec. 1, followed shortly thereafter by testimony on Capitol Hill by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Also expected to brief Congress is the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. More at NPR

Contrary To Media Reports Obama Hasn't Decided on Troops

Yesterday, CBS and others said Obama had made his decision about how many troops to send. Today, Jim Jones says it's just not true:

"'Reports that President Obama has made a decision about Afghanistan are absolutely false. He has not received final options for his consideration, he has not reviewed those options with his national security team, and he has not made any decisions about resources. Any reports to the contrary are completely untrue and come from uninformed sources.'" Politico

Meanwhile, ABC takes another crack at it:

Senior administration officials tell ABC News that President Obama at his war council meeting tomorrow will assess four different specific strategies for Afghanistan and Pakistan, including two different options put forward by Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
At his meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, October 30, President Obama asked Pentagon officials to assess in detail two other strategy options, including the missions, troop requirements and cost.
All four options increase the levels of US troops in Afghanistan. The president has not yet been presented with those new assessments.
All four options will be discussed in detail when the Joint Chiefs and other senior officials meet with the President tomorrow.

Hillary Clinton on Face the Nation Sept. 27

Washington Unplugged Feb. 20

On Bob Schieffer's weekly web show, Michelle Muccio, "rebel economist," (what's up with that?) offers her alternative stimulus - let everyone keep their payroll taxes. But as Schieffer points out, those taxes go to social security and Medicare. 

Muccio, a libertarian, responds that there is plenty of waste to be found in the government to offset the taxes. That's likely true and I think Obama intends to find some, but cleaning up the waste in various governmental programs isn't going to happen over night. 

What's weird to me is that people are still chattering about the stimulus when it's a done deal. 

McKiernan: 2009 Is Going to be a Tough Year

This is ominous.
David McKiernan, the commander in Afghanistan, said the new 17,000 troops will not be enough. What would be enough? It doesn't seem as though any military might is ever enough. Obama's team is still crafting a strategy for the region but troops were apparently needed for the meanwhile.

Military Times: U.S. and allied forces in southern Afghanistan are “at best stalemated” with a resilient and adaptable insurgency, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

Gen. David McKiernan told a Pentagon news conference that he welcomed the White House’s decision to send more combat troops, but cautioned that fighting will be difficult in the months ahead.

“Even with these additional forces, I have to tell you that 2009 is going to be tough year,” he said.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday approved the dispatching of 17,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan to stabilize what he called a deteriorating situation. They include an Army combat brigade and a Marine expeditionary brigade and will join the approximately 30,000 U.S. troops already there.

“What this allows us to do is change the dynamics of the security situation, predominantly in southern Afghanistan, where we are at best stalemated,” the general said.

Obama To Approve About 17,000 New Troops to Afghanistan

Obama Weighing Afghanistan Troops Decision

Politico: 'Rather than sign off quickly on all or part of a long-standing Pentagon request for three Army combat brigades and Marine units [for Afghanistan], totaling over 10,000 troops, Obama and his aides are questioning the timetable, the mission and even the composition of the new forces, officials familiar with the deliberations said. ... Obama's deliberate pace represents yet another break with the usual style of his predecessor. Former President George W. Bush usually signed off quickly on requests for additional troops from his commanders, and, especially early in his presidency, he rarely engaged in lengthy discussions about what the troops would be used for. ...

'[T]hough the troop decision was once seen as an almost routine matter, Obama's discussions with [Defense Secretary] Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has evolved into a broader discussion about goals and methods in Afghanistan, even before the conclusion of the review. The delay in deciding reflects at least in part Obama's determination not to be rushed by the Pentagon brass into a decision before he fully understands the implications, several officials said. The slow pace also is an indication of the influence being exerted by Gates, who has warned repeatedly in recent weeks about rushing into a greater U.S. commitment in Afghanistan without carefully weighing the risks. ... The White House's longer timetable is likely an indication of its intention to shift the military strategy over the coming year. ... There are currently 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan ... Even if all three brigades are sent now, that would still only total less than half of the 30,000 additional troops that U.S. commanders once said they needed in the country.'

Holbrooke Arrives in Afghanistan Amid Violence

IHT: President Barack Obama's special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan landed here Thursday to help chart the president's strategy for peace in this volatile country, a day after a bold Taliban assault demonstrated the insurgency's ability to wreak havoc even in the tightly guarded capital.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman confirmed Richard Holbrooke's arrival late in the day, but declined to give further details about his location or the schedule for his multi-day visit.

Holbrooke's first visit to the country came amid an increasing sense that the security situation was disintegrating in and around Kabul. On Wednesday, Taliban fighters launched one of their most audacious attacks on the capital, killing 20 people in a coordinated assault on three government buildings.

Government officials said the mastermind behind the attacks was based in Pakistan, a reminder of the cross-border violence and disputes that have made the battle against the Taliban so difficult. One of Holbrooke's roles as envoy to both countries is to help the Obama administration design a strategy that will combat the Taliban regionally. He is set to meet with President Hamid Karzai and other officials. 

Obama may send more troops before the strategy review of the region is done:

Obama is facing a choice on whether to grant commanders' requests for additional troops in Afghanistan before he has decided on his new strategy there, Helene Cooper of The New York Times reported from Washington.

While the decision is expected to be the first significant military move of his presidency, defense officials said that Obama could choose a middle ground, deploying several thousand more troops there in the coming months but postponing a more difficult judgment on a much larger increase in personnel until after the administration completes a review of Afghanistan policy.

The officials said that Obama may deploy one or two additional brigades, between 3,500 and 7,000 soldiers. IHT

From the Penatgon Channel: