GOP support may be needed for war effort

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama, facing party opposition, may be forced to seek Republican support for any Afghanistan troop surge, The Washington Post reports.

Such a situation may arise if the president decides to approve the request for more troops sought by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in his confidential assessment document, The Post reported.

The general's assessment is under presidential review at a time when Obama is facing opposition from his Democratic Party to sending any more troops.

The Post reported Democratic lawmakers have come up with a resource plan with emphasis on the training of more Afghan security forces than adding more U.S. troops.

Republican lawmakers, however, have endorsed the McChrystal request for more troops, The Post said.

The report said if Obama decides to seek Republican support, he would have less flexibility in devising his own plan.

"I'm against a half-measure. That's the worst scenario … If you do what the commanders recommend, I will be an enthusiastic supporter of the president," Sen. Lindsey O. Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Armed Services Committee, had been quoted as saying.

However, Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said such a step "would probably not be a good idea for the president to rely on Republicans and a handful of Democrats," The Post said.