AFGHANISTAN

Kerry Criticizes McChrystal's Plan

Too much too soon.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is speaking up about Afghanistan again, one week after his crucial role in persuading Afghan President Hamid Karzai to agree to an election runoff. In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Kerry warned that maintaining too aggressive of an approach in Afghanistan was unwise. He openly criticized General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. military commander in the region, of "trying to do too much in a relatively short time," The New York Times reports. General McChrystal is reportedly seeking an increase of up to 40,000 additional American troops. The senator urged patience and said he supported a long-term, sustained approach, emphasizing that the end goal is a self-governable Afghanistan.