Fisher against more troops for Afghanistan

Count U.S. Senate candidate Lee Fisher among the Democrats who are opposed to President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan.

On the one hand, says Fisher, "Keeping America safe is our most sacred duty. That’s why I believe we must continue to aggressively target al-Qaeda and destroy terrorist networks around the world that threaten our nation."

But on the other, says the Ohio lieutenant governor, "defeating al-Qaeda does not require 30,000 additional troops be sent to Afghanistan. As those on the ground have said, stabilizing Afghanistan and preventing al-Qaeda's return requires training tens of thousands of additional Afghan forces, building a broad-based, coalition government with the legitimacy to lead and a crackdown on corruption by the Karzai government. Placing more American soldiers in harm’s way will not move us closer to achieving those goals."

Fisher is running against Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination for the 2010 Senate race. Brunner has taken a similar stance on Afghanistan, coming out with her position even before Obama's speech last night.