Vice President Biden told USA TODAY that the Obama administration must do a good job of selling its plan for Afghanistan, as skepticism from the public and Democrats in Congress continues to mount.

In an interview at Fort Drum, N.Y., after welcoming home troops from Iraq, Biden acknowledged some of the frustrations voiced recently about the 9-year-old Afghan war -- the longest in U.S. history. But the vice president said he remains optimistic that Obama's strategy to send in 30,000 more U.S. troops is the right thing to do.

We can maintain support "as long as we're straight with the American people and the Congress about the progress we're making," Biden told USA TODAY's David Jackson.

He stressed that "no war can be sustained without the informed consent of the American people."

On Tuesday, 102 House Democrats joined 12 Republicans to vote "no" against emergency funding for the war in Afghanistan.

Most Americans continue to support the war, launched in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. But in a Gallup Poll two weeks ago, a record high 38% said the U.S. "made a mistake" in sending troops to Afghanistan.

(Posted by Catalina Camia)