Emerging Sense on Afghanistan from Sen. Casey

When we debate an issue as grave as the war in Afghanistan, we must take the time to carefully deliberate the costs of the war to the American people, both in terms of blood and treasure. We owe it to our brave troops and civilians on the ground, many of them Pennsylvanians, to get our strategy right. We know that, at the end of the day, the fight against the Taliban must be an Afghan fight; the Afghan government must be legitimate in the eyes of Afghans; and that the Afghan development process must be driven by local needs. The core of our strategy must reflect a commitment to support the Afghans in taking ownership of their security and governance so that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for al-Qaeda.