A Done Deal

Obama has "signed the orders" sending more troops into Afghanistan.

President Obama has issued his order to send more troops to Afghanistan, communicating his decision to military leaders late Sunday afternoon during a meeting in the Oval Office, and will spend Monday speaking with foreign leaders to share with them the broad outlines of his new strategy, the White House said.

“The commander-in-chief has issued the orders,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at the White House at the outset of what will be a two-day effort to sell the new strategy to the American people, Congress and American allies.

Mr. Gibbs did not provide a precise figure for the new level of forces, although senior advisers to the president have said Mr. Obama intends to commit roughly 30,000 more troops. After weeks of intense deliberation, Mr. Obama plans to share his strategy with the American people Tuesday evening in a speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Mr. Gibbs said the president would discuss in the speech how he intends to pay for the plan, and will make clear that he has an exit strategy. “This is not an open-ended commitment,” the press secretary said.

The GOP will never support Obama on Afghanistan no matter what he does.  Democrats will only support a withdrawal.  Trying to split the difference will mean nobody accepts the plan, and nobody will.

Congress is not going to keep giving Obama a blank check on this.  And Republicans are already saying that Obama needs to scrap his entire domestic agenda to pay for victory in Afghanistan.

We need to get out, not send more troops in. Enjoy your war, Mr. President.  It's all yours now.