Senator Kerry: General McChrystal's troop request is too much, too fast

Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for a troop surge in Afghanistan goes too far, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said on Monday.

"I am convinced from my conversations with Gen. Stanley McChrystal that he understands the necessity of conducting a smart counterinsurgency in a limited geographic area," Kerry said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. "But I believe his current plan reaches too far, too fast."

Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that before additional troops are deployed to the country, three conditions must be met: sufficient Afghan troops; reliable local partners; and enough development aid to buttress military progress.

The Massachusetts Democrat said that, despite his concerns, he may eventually support a troop surge.

"Under the right circumstances, if we can be confident that military efforts can be sustained and built upon, then I would support the president should he decide to send some additional troops to regain the initiative," Kerry said.

Kerry also blasted Dick Cheney for accusing President Barack Obama of "dithering" on the troop decisions.

"After eight years of neglecting Afghanistan as vice president, Dick Cheney has now come out of retirement to criticize President Obama for taking time to examine assumptions before sending troops into war," Kerry said.

"Make no mistake," he continued:

"Because of the gross mishandling of this war by past civilian leadership, there are no great options for its handling today. One American officer captured well our lack of a strategy when he said, 'We haven't been fighting in Afghanistan for eight years. We've been fighting in Afghanistan for one year eight times in a row.' That is our inheritance."

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