Madam President, yesterday Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission announced that a run-off election is no longer necessary – which means Afghanistan President Hamid Karazi has secured a 2nd term.

Whatever your feelings about President Karzai, this peaceful resolution of Afghanistan’s electoral mess should have brought a sigh of relief for anyone waiting with baited breath for our own Administration’s decision on whether to support General McChrystal’s troop request – whether to support the President’s own request – or not.

After all, according to the White House, President Obama’s decision was quote “weeks away” – he was waiting to announce a decision until the Afghanistan election was decided.

Yet, I read in the New York Times today that White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the President’s announcement was once again, “weeks away.”

This is beginning to sound a little like Charlie Brown and the football. Only the game the White House is playing has deadly consequences.

Madam President, while the White House continues to dither and delay here in Washington, American heroes and our Afghan allies are dying on the battlefield.

Last month was the bloodiest month in Afghanistan since the war started. And as the people of Afghanistan see America’s will waver here in Washington, the terrorists gain strength.

General McChrystal said last July we only have about 12 months to get the troops in Afghanistan necessary to reverse the Taliban’s gain. It’s going to take some time, once a decision is made, to get the troops there that we need to support General McChrystal’s implementation of the President’s plan.

I call on President Obama to end this deadly indecision. Mr. President – recommit to the very strategy you announced in March. Recommit to the “war of necessity” as you so eloquently – and rightly – called by name the conflict our troops are engaged in in the villages and mountains of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Government

In addition to calling on the President to end the delay, I call on the pundits here in Washington to abandon their excuses to justify further delay.

We have heard excuse after excuse, constant attempts to justify delay by those in the media and those on the far left.

The latest red herring was the Afghan elections. Now that the election is resolved the next excuse is corruption in Kabul.

Now don’t get me wrong – I agree that corruption must be tackled – in fact, I outlined the need to take on corruption in the Roadmap to Success for the region that I sent to President-elect Obama, the defense department, the intelligence community and his national security team last November.

But don’t forget this critical truth – all politics is local – and so is security.

Everyone in Washington is all too familiar with that truth – but it undeniable in the mountains and villages in Afghanistan.

The Taliban is not waiting for a Jeffersonian Democracy to flourish in Kabul before as they continue to kill our troops and attack the people of Afghanistan.

Yes, we must tackle corruption at every level, lots of other challenges we must tackle, but security in Afghanistan will not come from Kabul– it has to be built village by village and valley by valley.

Knowledgeable professional who advise us in public and classified sessions have told us time and time again that security must confirm first.

I have spoken time and time again on the floor about the need for smart power – development and diplomacy combined with military force.

For too long the international community has been too fixated on the machinations of Kabul, and questions about leaders elected by the people of Afghanistan and not focused enough on the fight in villages and valleys.

We will only succeed when the people of Afghanistan feel secure from the intimidation and violence of the Taliban, when Afghan forces can be developed to the point where they protect the population for good, when local governance begins to deliver schools, wells and fundamental institutions for economic development and justice.

Those institutions, from the Afghan national security forces to the economic development to the institutions of justice (courts, jails, cops, etc.) will only stay if Kabul organizes itself to support them.

But the progress we must commit to now is a necessary precondition, is imperative in the rural areas now, and important in the capital over the coming months.

Cost of Delay

Madam President – The time for excuses is over. Every day we delay the enemy grows stronger, more of our troops and allies die.

The President and Congress need to send a signal today to the Afghan people that America will not abandon them in this critical fight against terrorism.

Our allies need to know that we will remain by their sides to defeat this enemy together.

Our enemies need to know that they can’t wait us out, that the American will is strong.

If we fail to deliver this message and to commit the troops General McChrystal has asked for the dangers are very real.

Let there be no doubt, failure will allow the Taliban to return to power in Afghanistan.

Failure will embolden the enemies of freedom who launched the attacks of 9-11 from Afghanistan.

I call on President Obama to end this indecision, commit to his OWN strategy and show the American people and our allies the same resolve and determination I heard in his words this past Spring: quote our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you unquote.

I yield the floor.