Dem leader wants 'successful' plan for AfghanistanCongress seeks healthcare deal before Obama speech

WASHINGTON – House and Senate lawmakers are expressing increasing skepticism over the prospect of ordering thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, saying they want to see strong evidence that such an increase would dislodge insurgents from safe havens there and in neighboring Pakistan. "We'll want to see a plan, a plan that members conclude can be successful," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters Tuesday. Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it's far from clear that the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan can succeed, "despite the enormous bravery of our troops and talent of military leaders." "I just don't know if this is doable," Collins, R-Maine, said. "I don't know that we can achieve the goal of a stable, secure Afghanistan that is freed from the Taliban and is no longer a safe haven for al-Qaida." The building congressional caution comes amid what several senior Obama administration officials described as a rigorous internal debate inside the White House over whether sending more troops can clear Afghanistan of violent extremists and stabilize Pakistan. Fifty-one American troops died in Afghanistan in August, making it the bloodiest month for the U.S. since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the ruling Taliban. In an interview Tuesday with the Arab satellite TV station Al-Jazeera, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "There are issues on both sides of it, and frankly, I haven't made up my own mind at this point in terms of whether I think more forces are needed."