Obama Team Mulls More Troops

Is the third time a charm? Obama conducts his third private meeting with his national security team on Wednesday to discuss whether to grant General Stanley McChrystal’s request for up to 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan. If authorized, the troops would be joining the 108,000 already approved by the U.S. and NATO since the war in Afghanistan began eight years ago. While most Republicans support sending more troops, Obama and the Democrats have taken a judicious approach toward making the decision, and two additional security sessions are slated to follow Wednesday’s meeting. U.S. public support for the war has decreased to 40 percent from 44 percent in July, according to a recent poll from the Associated Press.