Opposition to Afghanistan conflict not just a liberal issue anymore
By Sean J. Miller
Opposition to the war in Afghanistan, once a mainstay of liberals, is no longer a partisan campaign issue.
A majority of voters want the conflict to end quickly – no matter their party affiliation, according to recent polls.
And Senate candidates on both sides of the aisle say they support that goal.
Prominent liberal activists, reacting to President Obama’s plan to move 30,000 troops into the region, warned late last year the surge could cause Democrats to stay home in the midterm election.
Now the issue is spreading across the political spectrum as the last of the surge prepares to move into place – just after Obama ordered the remaining U.S. combat troops out of Iraq.
Already this summer, American forces in Afghanistan suffered back-to-back record casualties and voters are starting to take notice.
A record number of respondents in the latest CNN poll, 62 percent, said they opposed the war there.
