Speaking to the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan at a hearing this afternoon, Rep. John Kline criticized having a public withdrawal date for the war and emphasized that the military's objective in the area should be to "win."
Kline, questioning Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said that the stated withdrawl date has "put ambiguity out there" and confused the American public. He also noted that the general did not recommend the date be announced.
"I think we've put ourselves in a very tough position by having this date out there which you and others must constantly explain to the Afghans, to our allies and the American people," Kline said.
Kline pressed -- unsuccessfully -- for the general to state that the objective of the operation in Afghanistan was to "win," and eventually hinted that there might be a coordinated effort by the administration to avoid the words "win" and "victory."
"What is it we have the right strategy and the right resources to do? Is that to win?" Kline asked.
"I believe it's to let the Afghan people win," McChrystal replied.
"OK. And is there an important difference there? We're asking our sons and daughters -- literally in some cases -- to go over there and fight. 30,000 more of them. Are we asking them to go over and win?" said Kline, whose son will be returning to Afghanistan as a soldier next year.
"We are asking to go over and be on the winning team. And the reason I parse this is because the Afghans are the ultimate winners here."
