Op-Eds

06/09/09

Getting It Right on Afghanistan
28 May 2009
The Washington Post

The May 17 editorial "Mr. Obama's War?" implied incorrectly that my opposition to the supplemental appropriations bill was because I believe we should abandon Afghanistan and ignore the threats the region poses to the United States. To the contrary, having returned recently from Afghanistan, my vote was based on the belief that this bill commits our servicemen and women to a war without end, placing them in harm's way without a plan for being there or a strategy for leaving. I share Defense Secretary Robert Gates's assessment that "Afghanistan . . . poses an even more complex and difficult long-term challenge than Iraq -- one that, despite a large international effort, will require a significant U.S. military and economic commitment for some time."

Unfortunately, this legislation did not include a comprehensive approach that even Mr. Gates acknowledged is necessary. Instead, only $2.05 billion of the $33.6 billion appropriated is dedicated to foreign aid and development funding, despite experts' recommendations. After eight years of failure, the American people and our servicemen and women deserve a plan that defines what winning means and how we accomplish it. Congress failed its responsibility leading up to the Iraq war, yet here we are once again. President Obama inherited this situation from President George W. Bush, who ignored needs in Afghanistan to go to war in Iraq. Now, I only hope we get it right.

DONNA F. EDWARDS

U.S. Representative (D-Md.)