Obama, McCain Sharp Exchange on Afghan War

President Obama met with House and Senate leaders of both parties at the White House yesterday to discuss the future of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, and there was at least one pointed exchange.

Inside the State Dining Room, where the meeting was held, Mr. Obama's Republican opponent in last year's presidential race, Sen. John McCain, told the president that he should not move at a "leisurely pace" on a decision over whether to increase U.S. troops in the region, according to people in the room.

That comment later drew a sharp response from the president. Mr. Obama said no one felt more urgency than he did about the war, and there would not be nothing leisurely about it.

McCain has been a very public advocate to increase troop levels in Afghanistan, an approach advocated by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top military commander in the country.

For the most part, House and Senate leaders emerged from the nearly 90-minute conversation with Mr. Obama offering praise for his candor and interest in listening. But politically speaking, all sides appeared to exit where they entered, with Republicans pushing him to follow his military commanders and Democrats saying he should not be rushed.

Coming up on the "CBS Evening News": Afghanistan: The Road Ahead, an in-depth examination of the escalating conflict, continuing tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET.

CBSNews.com Special Report: Afghanistan

Mr. Obama's White House session Wednesday comes eight years after the war started and amid new poll statistics showing that support for the conflict in this country is waning.

Mr. Obama, who inherited the war when he took office last January, is examining how to proceed with a worsening combat situation that has claimed nearly 800 U.S. lives and sapped American patience. Launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to defeat the Taliban and rid al Qaeda of a home base, the war has lasted longer than ever envisioned.

Public support for the war now stands at 40 percent, down from 44 percent in July, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. A total of 69 percent of self-described Republicans in the poll favor sending more troops, while 57 percent of self-described Democrats oppose it.

Today, Mr. Obama is gathering his national security team for another strategy session on Afghanistan after signaling that a troop withdrawal is not under consideration.

Mr. Obama said the war would not be reduced to a narrowly defined counterterrorism effort, with the withdrawal of many U.S. forces and an emphasis on special operations forces that target terrorists in the dangerous border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Two senior administration officials say such a scenario has been inaccurately characterized and linked to Vice President Joe Biden, and that Mr. Obama wanted to make clear he is considering no such plan.

The president has not shown his hand on troop increases. His top commander in Afghanistan, McChrystal, has bluntly warned that more troops are needed to right the war, perhaps up to 40,000 more. Mr. Obama has already added 21,000 troops this year, raising the total to 68,000.

Mr. Obama may be considering a more modest building of troops - closer to 10,000 than 40,000 - according to Republican and Democratic congressional aides. But White House aides said no such decision has been made.

The president insisted that he will make a decision on troops after settling on the strategy ahead. He told lawmakers he will be deliberate yet show urgency.

Marc Ambinder: Ugly Politics for Obama and Afghanistan

"We do recognize that he has a tough decision, and he wants ample time to make a good decision," said House Republican leader John Boehner. "Frankly, I support that, but we need to remember that every day that goes by, the troops that we do have there are in greater danger."

What's clear is that the mission in Afghanistan is not changing. Mr. Obama said his focus is to keep al Qaeda terrorists from having a base from which to launch attacks on the U.S or its allies. He heard from 18 lawmakers and said he would keep seeking such input even knowing his final decision would not please them all.

Mr. Obama's emphasis on building a strong strategy did not mean he shed much light on what it would be. He did, though, seek to "dispense with the more extreme options on either side of the debate," as one administration official put it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the closed-door meeting.

The president made clear he would not "double down" in Afghanistan and build up U.S forces into the hundreds of thousands, just as he ruled out withdrawing forces and focusing on a narrow counterterrorism strategy.

"Half-measures is what I worry about," McCain, R-Ariz., told reporters. He said Obama should follow recommendations from those in uniform and dispatch thousands of more troops to the country - similar to what President George W. Bush did during the 2008 troop "surge" in Iraq.

The White House said Mr. Obama won't base his decisions on the mood on Capitol Hill or eroding public support for the war.

"The president is going to make a decision - popular or unpopular - based on what he thinks is in the best interests of the country," press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.

Stories from Afghanistan: The Road Ahead:

Afghan Chances Lost, U.S. Faces Long Odds
How the Taliban Rose from Afghan Turmoil
McChrystal: Cooperation Key in Afghanistan
Clinton: Taliban Much More Aggressive
Rebuilding Afghanistan, One Day at a Time
See the Full Series