Sen. Rockefeller: Troop drawdown in Afghanistan needs to be faster

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), the former chairman and current member of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, called on a faster withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan.

"As I have said for some time, it’s time to dramatically accelerate the troop drawdown that began in July and end expensive reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.  Our continued commitment of 100,000 troops and over $100 billion a year to the war effort in Afghanistan is neither sustainable nor strategically wise," Rockefeller said Tuesday in a statement.

Rockefeller said recent victories in the war against al Qaeda meant that it was important to focus on the U.S. leaving Afghanistan. 

"We have only one objective in that region: To defeat al Qaeda and prevent terrorists based in that region from attacking the United States," Rockefeller said "Because of our troops’ and intelligence officers’ efforts, we have made significant advances toward that goal – particularly in recent months.  We absolutely must keep our eye on the ball."

The senior senator from West Virginia also weighed in on Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's comments that Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if it went to war with the U.S.

"As for what we cannot control, President Karzai’s comments about siding with Pakistan in a hypothetical war against the United States are just another example in a long string of disappointments from both sides of that border that collectively should serve as a wake-up call," Rockefeller said.  "No matter how many resources we offer, and no matter how excellent our troops’ performance is, we cannot fundamentally change Afghanistan and Pakistan."

Rockefeller's comments come just a few days after President Obama announced that all U.S. forces in Iraq would be withdrawn by the end of 2012. Democrats hailed the news as a victory while some Republicans said that Obama did not have a clear exit strategy for ending the U.S.'s entanglements in the Middle East.