Here’s a repository for comments on Obama’s Afghanistan speech.

Just a couple notes before it starts:

• Vice President Biden will fan out to all three morning shows to defend the policy.

• Presidents who escalate unpopular wars typically lose ground among the American people rapidly.

The data track the average annual approval ratings of the last three presidents to find themselves enmeshed in unpopular wars. The picture is not a pretty one: Harry S. Truman lost 25 points in public approval as the Korean war progressed; Lyndon Johnson, 32 points during the Vietnam war; George W. Bush, 43 points during the war in Iraq.

• Russ Feingold and some progressive lawmakers, including Republican Walter Jones, offered a critique of the policy today.

We’re waiting on the address…

Obama leads by saying he will talk about “the strategy to bring this war to a successful conclusion.”

And then, in what is sure to be on the Daily Show tomorrow framed against a Bush quote, he goes right into 9/11.

…”Al Qaeda’s base of operation was in Afghanistan.” Emphasis on “was.”

…He sets his authority in place by citing the AUMF that passed in 2001, and the endorsements by NATO and the UN Security Council. Message to Congress: I can do what I want. (Still?)

…Will Obama mention the escape at Tora Bora while recounting the history of the Afghanistan war? Not yet…

…Obama says “the wrenching debate over Iraq is well-known and need not be repeated here,” but he essentially blames it for taking focus from Afghanistan. He mentions that we’re leaving Iraq completely by the end of 2011.

…He talks about Iraq like it’s a paradise, but it isn’t. Declaring victory and getting out, hmm, sounds like a good idea…

…The big mistake here is believing that the Taliban could overcome the entire whole of the country, which is disputed by most experts in the region. This is a regional civil war where neither side can win militarily.

…When Obama got to office, there were 32,000 troops in Afghanistan. By the end of this escalation, there will be 98,000.

…He’s taking credit for the Afghan Presidential election????

…”There’s no imminent threat of the government being overthrown, but the Taliban is making progress.” A nod to reality. Also that there is no Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, though they’re on the Pakistan border.

…”The status quo is not sustainable.”

…Obama’s defending the thorough review of the strategy. Says there has been no delay and that he owed the American people and the troops an intensive review.

…”It is in our vital national interest to send another 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home.” There it is.

…A nod to more dovish tendencies by mentioning that he opposed the war in Iraq.

…Actually says the security of the US and the safety of the American people are at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan, “the epicenter of violent extremism and Al Qaeda.” Cites 9/11 again. Wow.

…”We must keep the pressure on Al Qaeda and to do that, we must increase the stability of our partners in the region.” There’s the mission creep right there. Notice the shift into bolstering regional governments.

…Stanley McChrystal has released a statement. It’s supportive, unsurprisingly.

…You can read along here.

…”We have no interest in occupying your country. We will support efforts by the Afghan government to open the door to those Taliban who abandon violence and respect the human rights of their fellow citizens. And we will seek a partnership with Afghanistan grounded in mutual respect.” I think there are 98,000 reasons why Afghans might have trouble believing that.

…Obama is taking on a few straw man arguments, identifying a Vietnam analogy as the critique from the far left. That really isn’t the only argument. There’s the whole “Afghanistan isn’t a country and you have no regional partner.” That didn’t make the list.

…”I will work closely with Congress to address these (war) costs as we work to bring down our deficit.” That means approximately nothing.

…man, Jon Stewart’s going to have a field day matching up the surge speech from Bush on Iraq with this surge speech. They are interchangeable.

…Obama says that “we cannot count on military might alone” to defeat terrorism. He’s talking about all the different ways we can achieve security. Properly deployed, this is the best argument against an escalation in Afghanistan. Unless we’re also going into Somalia and Yemen, there are tools to keep the nation secure that have nothing to do with the military, and this President knows it.

…Don’t even talk to me about civil liberties, Mr. President of Bagram Prison Base.

…”But more than any other nation, the United States of America has underwritten global security for over six decades.” Yes, and I think someone should actually get to admit on television that the troops we have in 150 countries all over the globe is a problem.

I don’t know if there’s a whole lot to say. I thoroughly disagree with the policy, and I think the speech was disingenuous at key points.