By JONATHAN HUNLEY
jhunley@insidenova.com
Rep. Frank R. Wolf is asking President Barack Obama to create an Afghanistan Study Group similar to the panel scrutinizing the Iraq War.
The Republican, who represents Manassas, Manassas Park and western Prince William County, authored the legislation creating the Iraq Study Group.
He sent a letter to Obama on Wednesday asking him to convene a "bipartisan group of well-respected, nationally known figures" to assess the progress in Afghanistan eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"This group's efforts would buttress the critical work that has already been done by General Stanley McChrystal and General David Petraeus, by Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and others," the congressman wrote. "This team could reinvigorate national confidence in the war effort and move us toward a shared mission in Afghanistan."
Wolf suggested that two members of the Iraq Study Group, former Virginia Sen. Charles Robb and former White House Chief of Staff Ed Meese be appointed to the Afghanistan commission "to allow for a degree of continuity."
And other "people of caliber" could be tapped, Wolf said. He mentioned former U.S. Sens. Sam Nunn of Georgia, Bob Kerrey of Nebraska and John Warner of Virginia; former Secretary of State George Schultz; and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker.
"Certainly there are pressing domestic issues, the economy and jobs foremost among them," Wolf wrote. "But, with more than 60,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan alone, I have been distressed by the lack of public attention to these issues. If America's political leadership does not start making the case, how can we expect the American public to support this course and how can we ask more young men and women to put their lives on the line?"
The lawmaker noted Obama's use last week of the "bully pulpit" to push for health care reform and asked that the commander in chief do the same for the conflict in Afghanistan, a "battle not of our own making, but one which we cannot lose."
"Make a nationally televised address on the administration's plan for Afghanistan clearly outlining why we must succeed there," he wrote.
Withdrawal from the nation isn't feasible, Wolf declared, but neither must the U.S "stay half-heartedly simply for the sake of staying."
"A bipartisan support group of well-respected men and women could help ensure that we stay with a clear mission and the political will to sustain it," he wrote.
Staff writer Jonathan Hunley can be reached at 703-369-5738.
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