Source:
CNN(CNN) --
Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky was one of President Obama's earliest and most ardent supporters.
She served in the Illinois state legislature with him, and she supported his run for the U.S. Senate. But on the issue of Afghanistan, the president can't bank on the support of his longtime political ally.
"I think he's made up his mind that at this point there ought to be a troop increase, and I have to say I'm very skeptical about that as a solution," she said.Obama is expected to announce Tuesday night that he's sending 30,000 more troops to the war-torn country and ordering military officials to get the reinforcements there within six months, White House officials say.
The president ordered more than 20,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in March. About 68,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, along with about 45,000 from the NATO alliance.
Schakowsky is withholding her "absolute decision" on whether to support the president's plans until after she hears his speech, but she said it's "unlikely" she will change her mind.
Schakowsky founded a group of congressional Democrats that dubbed themselves the Out of Iraq Caucus, and she says she worries that Afghanistan is set to become the next "quagmire.""I really do think that the critical piece that people are going to be listening for is, 'When are we going to be done with this war in Afghanistan?' " she said.
more:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/01/afghanistan.liberals/
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