Anti-war groups fear Obama cabinet of "hawks"

A Los Angeles Times article today reported that antiwar activists are fearful that President-elect Barack Obama is selecting hawkish appointees for key national security posts.

During the early part of his campaign, Obama attracted media attention for his consistent opposition to the Iraq War, which set him apart from his opponents.

However, so far, Obama has leaned heavily toward nominees who supported the war. Sam Husseini of the Institute for Public Accuracy noted: "It's astonishing that not one of the 23 senators or 133 House members who voted against the war is in the mix" for cabinet positions.

Many groups are worried about Obama's current commitment to pull out troops from Iraq in 16 months, a key campaign promise that he reiterated repeatedly throughout both the primary and general election campaigns.

Others believe that Obama should be given a chance, and note that he's not even in office yet. "I take him at his word that he is committed to ending the occupation of Iraq in 16 months and that he's going to assemble a team that's committed to that goal," said Tom Andrews, national director of Win Without War.

Obama has also said that he plans to ratchet military operations in Afghanistan and also possibly Pakistan in pursuit of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. However, many military commanders are ready to negotiate with the Taliban, at least, frustrated in their efforts to squash the fundamentalist organization.

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