Ellison wants to know about the “civilian surge” in Afghanistan
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DFL Rep. Keith Ellison got a chance to ask General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan several questions during this morning's House Foreign Affairs Committee (which aired on C-SPAN3). Ellison, who has opposed a troop increase of any kind in Afghanistan, praised the efforts to increase the civilian presence in the country but wonders if the numbers are dwarfed by the military presence:
"It's like a 100 to 1. Is that the right ratio? Shouldn't we have, if we're trying to stabilize the country, harden the country so it's more impervious to these forces that would overthrow the government and hurt the country, shouldn't the proportion be a lot greater when it comes to civilian representation?"
The response from the testifiers was that numbers matter but it's how it's organized...
Listen to the exchange here:
H/T MPR's Tim Nelson.
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