McChrystal Chided on Public Push for Troop Increase in Afghanistan

National Security Adviser James Jones today chided General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, for his public push for a big increase in American troops and said he expected that McChrystal and other military leaders "will be willing to present different options and different scenarios" as President Obama decides on his next step.

In September, McChrystal presented a grim assessment of the situation in Afghanistan in a 66-page report that said U.S. efforts "will likely result in failure" without more troops. McChrystal's push for more troops has ignited a debate within the Obama administration which is facing rising public opposition to increased U.S. involvement. McChrystal repeated that view on Friday in London.

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" whether Jones, as a former four-star general, would have gone as public as McChrystal has with his views, Jones said, "Ideally it's better for military advice to come up through the chain of command."

He said he expected that McChrystal, along with Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will present Obama "not just one option, which does in fact tend to have a forcing function, but a range of options that the president can consider."

"Troops are a portion of the answer but not the total answer," Jones said. On CBS' "Face the Nation," Jones added, "The president should be presented with options, not just one fait accompli."

Since McChrystal's initial assessment became public, some in the White House – including Vice President Joseph Biden – have argued for a shift in strategy that would not increase troop levels, but would rely on greater use of Predator drone strikes, special forces and faster training for Afghan forces.

But when asked in London on Friday whether such an option would work, McChrystal said, "The short answer is no."

McChrystal is said to want as many as 40,000 more troops which has put Obama in a difficult political position. Republicans have called on him to back the general he put in charge of the Afghan effort while opposition among Democrats is on the rise.

But Jones rejected criticism from Republican Sen. John McCain that the White House was allowing political considerations to influence its thinking. "I can assure you that the president of the United States is not playing to any political base. I take exception to that remark."

Jones said on CNN that "troops are a consideration" but other factors that were key to success were "bringing hope to the Afghan people through economic development, good governance, no corruption, no crime ... [and] a really robust effort to help the Afghan army and Afghan police control their own destiny."

He said the Karzai government "is going to have to pitch in and do much better than they have."

Jones said he did not believe Afghanistan was in "imminent danger of falling" to the Taliban. He said "the good news is that the al-Qaeda presence is very diminished."