Sen. Lieberman outlines how U.S. can win in Afghanistan

In a meeting today at the Brookings Institution, Senator Lieberman (I- Conn.) said, “Despite the missteps and difficulties in Afghanistan, I am still confident we can turn the tide there.”

Lieberman spoke about how the overall goal should be to secure the civilian population, and stated that although reaching this goal will be a long and difficult task, there are many reasons to be hopeful.

The first reason for optimism which the Senator pointed out is the appointment of Richard Holbrook as the US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The combination of Dick Holbrook and Dave Petraeus, working under Bob Gates and Hilary Clinton is not a team that I would bet against,” he said.

Lieberman showed that he believes it is of utmost importance that the US remain steadfast and determined in Afghanistan, for it is the front line of the war against Islamic extremism. “We all agree our foremost interest in Afghanistan is preventing that country from becoming a terrorist safehaven. But the only realistic way to prevent that from happening is through the emergence of a stable and legitimate political order in Afghanistan backed by capable indigenous security forces. Neither of those realities is going to materialize without a significant and sustained American commitment,” he stated.

Lieberman showed that with full U.S. commitment and help from allies, we can promise a better life for millions of Afghani civilians, while the extremists will not. “That ultimately is how I believe the war on terror will end,” he concluded.