Zinni comes out against dithering on troop request

CBS:

The former U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Anthony Zinni, warned that the deliberations over whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan - as many as 40,000, as suggested by General Stanley McChrystal - should not go on too much longer, lest the debate be viewed as indecision or weakness.

On CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Zinni said it was positive to have a strategic debate and to take all opinions into account. "But I think we have to be careful how long this goes on," he told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "It could be seen not only out there in the region but our allies, even [by] the enemy, as being indecisive, unable to make a decision."

He questioned why the White House is questioning the advice of their commander in Afghanistan, General McChrystal who made the request for additional troops.

"We have a general out there who is probably the best qualified we could have that's telling us what we need on the ground to have the security space and the time to get those non-military things done," Zinni said. "I just don't understand why we're questioning that judgment at this point.

"I hope this doesn't go on much longer."

The former commander said he agrees that America's success in Afghanistan is dependent upon an influx of troops. "I don't know much about the politics but I can certainly tell you, to prosecute the military perspective you have the finest lineup in Mullen, and McChrystal on the ground. It is what you need on the ground if you're going to make this kind of strategy work," he said.

Asked if he thought al Qaeda would make Afghanistan a safe haven should the Taliban return to power in the region, Zinni said, "I think they could find themselves with the safe sanctuary inside Afghanistan to work against the Pakistani military in the tribal areas, in the Swat Valley - just like the reverse, when they went into Pakistan to fight our forces there."

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Zinni is a smart guy, but he has not always favored counterinsurgency operations. He was an opponent of the war in Iraq. He also has been jerked around by the Obama administration which first said he would be appointed as ambassador to Iran and then pulled the appointment without telling him to give it to Hills. Zinni would have been a better fit. In fact Hills has alienated the US military in Iraq already.

On the point of the decision about increased troops for Afghanistan, Zinni is clearly right. We need to increase our force to space ratio. Further the Obama administration is playing with fire in ignoring the advice of the senior military commanders. Having fewer troops will lead to a longer and bloodier war. Americans are already distrustful of Democrats' ability to make good decisions on the use of force and this dithering only confirms those misgivings.

Max Boot has more on the Zinni interview.