STRONG COUNTRY, WEAK UNICORN RIDER:

Musharraf: Afghan debate shows U.S. weak (Sara A. Carter, 9/29/09, Washington Times))

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Monday that the U.S. would make a "disastrous" mistake if it withdrew from Afghanistan and warned that a delay in sending more troops would be seen as a sign of weakness. [...]

Asked by reporters and editors at The Washington Times whether the U.S. and its allies might be seen as weak because of the prolonged debate over whether to send more forces to Afghanistan, Mr. Musharraf said, "Yes, absolutely. ... By this vacillation and lack of commitment to a victory and talking too much about casualties [it] shows weakness in the resolve."

With Obama Wavering, Congress Seeks to Chart a Course on Afghanistan (Jay Newton-Small, Sep. 29, 2009, TIME)

President Barack Obama is taking out a blank sheet of paper this week as he weighs his options in Afghanistan, and Congress stands more than willing to fill it in. The Senate on Sept. 29 is expected to debate amendments to the 2010 defense appropriations bill that are likely to include everything from timelines for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan to proposals to send upwards of 40,000 more. But, unlike health-care reform, this isn't a decision Obama can leave in the hands of the legislative branch — however undecided he remains today.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 29, 2009 6:20 AM