McCain: Afghanistan Will Get Tougher Before It Gets Better

Senators McCain, Lieberman and Graham have been traveling through Iraq, India and Pakistan the last few days and are now in Afghanistan where at least John McCain is painting a picture of a tough road ahead for the War in Afghanistan. Here's some of the details from the report at Breitbart:

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that the situation in Afghanistan will get more difficult before it gets easier—"just like the surge in Iraq was."
The former Republican presidential candidate visited the southern province of Helmand, where he said NATO forces are at a stalemate with insurgents. McCain said the U.S. will be paying more attention to that part of the country with an influx of troops.

McCain said it was clear there has been progress in the eastern part of Afghanistan, but that the southern part of the country—the heartland of the Taliban movement and the world's largest opium poppy region—deserves more attention.
"And I want to emphasize again, I think it's going to get harder before it gets easier, just like the surge in Iraq was," McCain said.

None of this is really news but there was one part of the article that stuck WAY out for me. Take a look at this:

President-elect Barack Obama asked McCain to report back to him on what the three learn, Lieberman said.

Okay, my first question is this: Barack Obama was just in Afghanistan in July 2008 - that's four months ago...what the hell does he need these three senators to find out for him? Wasn't Obama paying attention when he was there? Didn't he ask the appropriate questions of commanders in Afghanistan? Was he afraid to confront the military command in Afghanistan for what was really going on? Obama WAS THERE four months ago - yet he needs three senators to gather information for him now and report back like some sort of buearucratic assignment.

The other side of this is whether Obama is even talking with the military minds about Afghanistan or is he going to rely on a two day appraisal from some senators. This guy, Obama, hasn't a clue folks. This guy, Obama, represents the greenest foreign affairs President we will ever have in office. And he is going to make mistakes because of it. Big mistakes.

McCain: Afghanistan situation will get harder

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Sen. John McCain said Sunday that the situation in Afghanistan will get more difficult before it gets easier—"just like the surge in Iraq was."
The former Republican presidential candidate visited the southern province of Helmand, where he said NATO forces are at a stalemate with insurgents. McCain said the U.S. will be paying more attention to that part of the country with an influx of troops.
McCain visited the country with Sen. Joe Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham, all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The three have also visited Iraq, India and Pakistan in the last several days.
President-elect Barack Obama asked McCain to report back to him on what the three learn, Lieberman said.
The three senators had dinner Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Cabinet. They also met with U.S. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in the country, and a newly arrived U.S. general in Helmand, where British troops have been stationed.
"It's a tough situation there," McCain said of the country's south. "We're going to have additional troops and additional help. It's a stalemate that exists and we're going to need additional troops."
McCain said it was clear there has been progress in the eastern part of Afghanistan, but that the southern part of the country—the heartland of the Taliban movement and the world's largest opium poppy region—deserves more attention.
"And I want to emphasize again, I think it's going to get harder before it gets easier, just like the surge in Iraq was," McCain said.
McCain, Lieberman and Graham were all proponents of the U.S. "surge" in Iraq, an influx of U.S. troops that has been credited in part with helping to lower violence. Lieberman said Iraq has seen "extraordinary progress."
"Here in Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan we're at a tough place, but we have confidence that working with our allies here, working with the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the new effort and the new resources that will be brought in we can conclude these fights as successfully as we're progressing in Iraq," he said.
Violence in Afghanistan has risen steadily over the last two years, and 2008 has been the deadliest year for U.S. troops since the 2001 invasion to oust the Taliban for hosting al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.
The U.S. currently has some 32,000 troops in Afghanistan, but U.S. commanders have asked for some 20,000 more.