Boehner: Delay increases danger for troops

The longer it takes President Barack Obama to make a decision on Afghanistan, the greater the danger grows for U.S. troops, the House GOP leader said Wednesday.

Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), who attended Tuesday’s Afghanistan briefing at the White House for congressional leaders, said U.S. troops in Afghanistan “are in much greater danger the longer this debate goes on.”

Boehner made the comment to reporters after a closed-door meeting of the GOP conference.

Boehner said Republicans who participated in the 90-minute meeting at the White House on Tuesday emphasized that they largely support the recommendations put forward by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who heads forces in Afghanistan. McChrystal wants to send another 40,000 troops to the country.

Many Democrats oppose sending more troops, putting Obama in a difficult political position.

The White House itself is locked in a debate over the issue, with some advisers clashing with McChrystal and other military leaders on the matter.

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