Today's Washington Post story about Barack Obama's growing troubles in Afghanistan pinpoints a potentially strange political dynamic. With liberals like Russ Feingold and some House progressives getting nervous about a major American commitment, Obama's will increasingly need to ally with conservatives--many of whom are bashing him on domestic policy--to sell the war effort. It's almost entirely conservatives like John McCain, Slade Gorton, and the hawkish Joe Lieberman making the argument that Afghanistan can't be done "on the cheap."
Also in the story, an administration official says that public support for wars often dips during bad economic times. But didn't public opinion about Iraq hit rock bottom in 2005 and 2006, back when the economy was doing alright? That seems a thin reed to grasp for. What really matters is whether things are going well.