It is not with the loyal opposition - there is no significant Republican call to deny him resources to accomplish the task. A more likely source of that
as a problem would come from within his own Party. However, occasional
sound bites of varying degrees of sincerity aside, it's difficult at
this point to imagine current concerns growing to seriously destructive proportions. As for opposition from the media - is there any point in maintaining the charade?
This Washington Post, with "Obama's War - the surge begins" above a
headline that assures us we're in "a fight for peace" is the same
newspaper that sneeringly "fact checked"
a point in the vice Pre...

It is not with the loyal opposition - there is no significant Republican call to deny him resources to accomplish the task. A more likely source of that
as a problem would come from within his own Party. However, occasional
sound bites of varying degrees of sincerity aside, it's difficult at
this point to imagine current concerns growing to seriously destructive proportions. As for opposition from the media - is there any point in maintaining the charade?
This Washington Post, with "Obama's War - the surge begins" above a
headline that assures us we're in "a fight for peace" is the same
newspaper that sneeringly "fact checked"
a point in the vice Presidential debate (Palin: "the surge principles
will work in Afghanistan" Biden: "no") in favor of the guy who was
quite obviously (and pointlessly and foolishly) wrong. Water under the bridge, as they say; he is the VP, she is not, and the surge is on.

I don't oppose all
wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction,
the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to
hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name
of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent
such tragedy from happening again.

-Barack Obama, October, 2002

"We have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent
h...

read more»

I don't oppose all
wars. After September 11, after witnessing the carnage and destruction,
the dust and the tears, I supported this administration's pledge to
hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name
of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent
such tragedy from happening again.

-Barack Obama, October, 2002

"We have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent
here in Afghanistan, and I believe this has to be the central focus,
the central front, in the battle against terrorism," Obama said in an
interview with CBS News.
<...>
"Losing is not an option when it comes to Al Qaeda, and it never has been," Obama told CBS.

Senator Obama, July, 2008.

The United States must overcome the 'trust deficit' it
faces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where many believe that we are not a
reliable long-term partner. We must engage the Afghan people in ways
that demonstrate our commitment to promoting a legitimate and capable
Afghan government with economic progress. We must engage the Pakistani
people based on our long-term commitment to helping them build a stable
economy, a stronger democracy, and a vibrant civil society.

- President Obama's plan for Afghanistan, March, 2009

The United States must look for a way out of the war in
Afghanistan, President Obama said, in a signal that the military
build-up in...

read more»

The United States must overcome the 'trust deficit' it
faces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where many believe that we are not a
reliable long-term partner. We must engage the Afghan people in ways
that demonstrate our commitment to promoting a legitimate and capable
Afghan government with economic progress. We must engage the Pakistani
people based on our long-term commitment to helping them build a stable
economy, a stronger democracy, and a vibrant civil society.

- President Obama's plan for Afghanistan, March, 2009

The United States must look for a way out of the war in
Afghanistan, President Obama said, in a signal that the military
build-up in Afghanistan will not be open-ended and will lead to the
eventual withdrawal of American and NATO troops from the country.

"There's got to be an exit strategy," Mr. Obama said in a wide-ranging interview shown Sunday on "60 Minutes" on CBS.

- President Obama, March, 2009

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is having trouble
finding the hundreds of civilians it wants to bolster its troop buildup
in Afghanistan, so military reservists might be asked to do many of the
jobs.

- April, 2009

Well, Jones went on, after all those additional troops,
17,000 plus 4,000 more, if there were new requests for force now, the
president would quite likely have "a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment."
Everyone in the room caught the phonetic reference to WTF -- which in
the military and elsewhere means "What the [expletive]?"

Nicholson and his colonels -- all or nearly all veterans of Iraq --
seemed to blanch at the unambiguous message that this might be all the
troops they were going to get.

- July, 2009

Nicholson
had wanted his troops to conduct every patrol and man every checkpoint
with members of the Afghan National Army, largely because people her...

read more»

Well, Jones went on, after all those additional troops,
17,000 plus 4,000 more, if there were new requests for force now, the
president would quite likely have "a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment."
Everyone in the room caught the phonetic reference to WTF -- which in
the military and elsewhere means "What the [expletive]?"

Nicholson and his colonels -- all or nearly all veterans of Iraq --
seemed to blanch at the unambiguous message that this might be all the
troops they were going to get.

- July, 2009

Nicholson
had wanted his troops to conduct every patrol and man every checkpoint
with members of the Afghan National Army, largely because people here
take less umbrage at being searched by fellow Afghans, and Afghan
soldiers have a keener sense of who ought to be searched. But plans to
partner with the Afghan army have been scaled back because the Marines
have been allotted only about 400 Afghan soldiers instead of the
several thousand Nicholson had sought.

He has been promised more troops, but they will not start rolling in
until next year. In the interim, he has asked his superiors for
permission to arm young men and train them to serve as a local
protection force. It is similar to the Sons of Iraq initiative the
Marines created in Anbar that resulted in locals turning against
foreign fighters in the group al-Qaeda in Iraq.

But senior commanders have shown no sign of approving the request.

Nicholson's
superiors -- including National Security Adviser James L. Jones, who
recently visited Leatherneck -- are making clear that the clock is
ticking: The Obama White House wants results within a year.

- July, 2009