Poll: Voters torn on Afghan troop increase

Voters are just as torn on the merits of a new troop deployment to Afghanistan as congressional lawmakers, White House advisers and military leaders, according to a new poll.

Just about one-third of surveyed voters in Gallup's latest survey, released on Thursday, said President Barack Obama should heed Gen. Stanley McChrystal's initial suggestion and commit about 40,000 more troops to the war-torn state.

By contrast, more than four in 10 in this week's poll instead believe the president should begin reducing the number of troops already stationed in Afghanistan. Few said Obama should keep the number of troops the same or deploy less than McChrystal requested in his secret memo, which reporters unveiled in September.

More than ever, Thursday's numbers reveal the political difficulties that are sure to face the Obama administration's forthcoming troop decision -- an announcement many pundits have called the most important yet in his presidency.

While a troop increase of at least 40,000 would satisfy most Republicans, that decision would ultimately frustrate congressional Democrats, some of whom insist a counter-insurgency strategy that relies on a smaller military force would be more appropriate and effective at rooting out terrorists.

However, committing fewer than 40,000 more troops would most likely subject Obama -- and lawmakers who support his plan -- to criticisms that the White House is not providing its generals on the ground with the resources they need to succeed.

Those arguments could pervade both sides throughout 2010 election. Gallup's cross-tabs reveal that support for a troop increase or decrease coincides with party lines; more than half of Democrats would prefer to see a reduction, while a comparable number of Republicans hope Obama will provide McChrystal what he suggested.

Nevertheless, the White House still seems distant from an official announcement. While Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said earlier this week that the president had narrowed down his options to only four -- at least one of which reportedly included a 40,000-strong troop increase -- a separate report on Thursday cast doubt on the war council's progress.

According to The New York Times, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan remains mostly opposed to a new round of sizable troop deployments, and Obama has already asked his advisers to revise the four options they submitted earlier this week.

“He wants to know where the off-ramps are,” one official told the Times, noting the president was concerned about the four plans' possibilities for an eventual exit strategy.

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