Pelosi Sees Little Support for Troop Deployments

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has thrown a high-level wrench into President Obama’s plans to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Pelosi said Thursday that she sees little support in Congress for new deployments, an observation that comes at a time of rising casualties and strife in Afghanistan.

Los Angeles Times:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she sees little support in Congress or elsewhere in the country for sending more troops to Afghanistan, signaling trouble for President Obama’s new strategy at a critical point in the war.

With the number of casualties rising, Afghanistan embroiled in allegations of widespread election fraud and administration officials mindful that they must show progress by the middle of next year, several experts warned that the administration must move quickly to better explain its approach.

Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, became the highest-ranking lawmaker to publicly express doubt about further troop increases.

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AP / Susan Walsh

Pelosi’s remarks come just ahead of an expected request for additional combat forces from the allied commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal.