Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Bond to Obama: No More Excuses


Sen. Kit Bond said progress towards resolving Afghanistan's disputed presidential election should prompt President Obama to make a decision on sending more troops to the country.

President Hamid Karzai has agreed to a runoff election after a commission found that Karzai had not garnered 50% of the valid votes cast back in August.
"The clear message for the President is 'no more excuses'," Bond said in a statement.
"Delay leads to defeat, not victory; it’s critical for the Commander-in-Chief to support his commander-on-the-ground now," he said.
But despite Karazi's announcement, a "resolution" to the Afghan election is far from clear. A runoff is set for Nov. 7th, but there's no guarantee there won't be more problems or a fair election.

"Unbelievably, the Obama Administration is still calling a decision on whether to support General McChrystal’s winning strategy for Afghanistan weeks away," Bond's statement reads. Bond said in addition to the delay on the decision, the lack of resolve in Washington is a "public diplomacy disaster."

"The wavering in Washington is disheartening American troops, demoralizing the people of Afghanistan, and emboldening our terrorist enemies," said Bond.

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