President Obama confirmed Tuesday that he will announce next week how many more U.S. troops he will send to Afghanistan and announce his new strategy, and in a slam at the Bush Administration, Mr. Obama promised to "finish the job." Most in Washington expect, President Obama will split the difference and send about 30,000 troops. That will cause strong opposition from many democrats.
        Appearing with the Prime Minister of India, a key ally in the fight against Islamic terrorism, President Obama said what he would announce next week a new strategy to win in Afghanistan.
        "It is my intention to finish the job," said the president.
        That's a shot aimed at Dick Cheney, who says Mr. Obama's taking too long to decide, and what Mr. Obama says were eight years in Afghanistan without the right strategy or resources, which in turn, allowed a Taliban comeback. The Obama goal?
        "To make sure that Al Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas," said the president.
        After weeks of closed-door Afghan strategy sessions, the White House hints the President will send 30,000 to 35,000 more troops. That's fewer than what Afghan commander Stanley McChrystal requested, but a doubling of the U.S. force this year.
        "If we add more troops, then they're only gonna fight us harder and they're only gonna keep fighting, and the Taliban is not gonna come to the table for negotiations until we start to withdraw," said former State Department official Matthew Hoh.
        The new focus will be training Afghans to take on the fight, but the cost in U.S. lives and dollars will go way up. Liberals are upset.
        "The progressive wing of the democratic party is counting on President Obama to hold the line against the military. If he doesn't do that, he's gonna have a problem with the left wing of his own party," democratic activist David Goodfriend said.
        Some democrats are warning that expanding the war means contracting healthcare and other reforms at home, and some in the president's party are so upset they claim the Obama Afghanistan plan to be announced next week might require higher taxes.