Obama Declares Afghanistan 'Precarious and Urgent'

Calling the situation in Afghanistan "precarious and urgent," Barack Obama today urged the Bush administration to make Afghanistan—rather than Iraq—"the central front in our battle against terrorism." In his first interview since arriving in the country yesterday, the Democratic candidate told Lara Logan on Face the Nation that an additional two brigades were needed to combat insurgents and the drug trade that finances them, USA Today reports. 

Following a meeting in which he pledged aid to Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Obama told the talk show that "mission accomplished" would mean a politically stable country where insurgents can no longer plan attacks. He also dismissed detractors who call him a foreign affairs rookie, saying he's "never" doubted his abilities—noting that many foreign policy experts voice confidence in him.