Obama to troops: I won't rush decision

JACKSONVILL E – As he moves closer to deciding whether to send as many as 40,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, President Barack Obama on Monday reached out to the military men and women whose lives will be most directly affected by whatever new strategy he chooses for redirecting the eight-year-long war.

“I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way. I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Obama pledge to 3,000 marines, naval officers and their families who packed into an airplane hangar at the Naval Air Station here. “And if it is necessary, we will back you up to the hilt. Because you deserve the strategy, the clear mission, and the defined goals, as well as the equipment and support that you need to get the job done.”


But while the president weighs the advice of his advisors and studies his options, the stakes of his decision were painfully acute. On Monday, 14 Americans – 11 soldiers and three civilians — were killed in two helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, making it one of the deadliest days of the war.

Obama offered his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died and said the tragedy was a reminder that members of the military are “our most precious resource.”

“And while no words can ease the ache in their hearts today, may they find some comfort in knowing this: like all those who give their lives in service to America, they were doing their duty and they were doing this nation proud,” Obama said. “They were willing to risk their lives, in this case, to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda and its extremist allies.”

The timing of the deaths could not be worse for the president, who already faces a shaky Afghan government, waning American support for the war, and increasing reluctance among members of his own political party to commit more troops to a worsening conflict with seemingly no end.

Obama is expected to make a decision on a new war strategy in coming weeks. The president has signaled he could wait until after the war-torn country holds a presidential runoff election on November 7.

The president’s military speech at the start of a two-day trip through Florida broadened the reach of his discussions on a new Afghanistan strategy to include rank-and-file service members. Previously, the president has been briefed on the situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan by the war’s U.S. commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal; he’s spoken with members of Congress; and he’s held six meetings with members of his administration, including one Monday morning with his national security team in the White House Situation Room.

The meeting ran over the scheduled time, and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters afterward that Obama’s decision “could come at any moment.”

“So as soon as he has it, he'll make it,” Gibbs said. “Whether that's before the runoff or not, I just don't know.”

Obama headed to Miami later in the day and was greeted with Spanish-language radio ads that criticized his “reckless government-run health care experiment.” In it, RNC Chairman Michael Steele hit Obama on federal spending, saying his $787 billion economic stimulus plan has not created jobs.

The spots were a stark contrast to Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s embrace of Obama in Fort Myers eight months ago, when the president was there to rally support for his stimulus plan.

The politics has changed since then. Crist is now trying to fend off a conservative Republican primary opponent in his bid for the Senate and was nowhere near Obama Monday.

But one Republican, Rep. Ander Crenshaw, was in the audience and even flew with Obama on Air Force One. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Rep. Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat, also made the trip.

“We honor you for your sacrifices,” Obama told service men and women, some of whom stood behind him on the stage. “And just as you have fulfilled your responsibilities to your nation, your nation will fulfill its responsibilities to you.”