A divided Maine congressional delegation generally reacted with hope that President Donald Trump’s new strategy toward Afghanistan might achieve the success that has eluded American forces there for the past 16 years.

“I am hopeful this path forward will support our country’s national security and help stabilize the region,” said U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent.

But one of the four delegates, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a 1st District Democrat, took a different stance after Trump’s national address Monday. She said Trump’s plan “is over-reliant on military action and, in removing all timetables, there is no end in sight for our nation’s longest war.”

She renewed her call for Congress to hold “a long overdue debate about the merits of this war and revoke the president’s blank check to declare it.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin in the 2nd District said that “our nation should remain forward-looking, address the serious security challenges we face, and stay on offense to defend our homeland, including putting pressure on partner actors in the region — specifically Pakistan — in combating our adversaries.”

He said that “fully withdrawing our forces in Afghanistan would be a mistake, as it would undermine our years-long efforts and create a breeding ground for hostile actors” in the same way that the decision to yank troops from Iraq helped fuel the rise of the so-called Islamic state.

“We must be wise about our foreign affairs and have clear objectives in mind,” Poliquin said.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican with two decades of experience on Capitol Hill, said the country “has not had a clear focus and defined strategy for Afghanistan in many years, despite the tremendous sacrifices made by our troops and by our taxpayers.”

She said Trump “outlined an important change from an approach driven by arbitrary deadlines to a strategy based on conditions on the ground.”

The president also made clear, she said, that “the Afghan government needs to do its part in defending its people, ending havens for terrorists, and curtailing corruption.”

King said that “it has always been my belief that achieving our goals in Afghanistan requires a realistic alignment of our resources and policies with the strategic objectives. Our military commitment and troop levels are a critical part of this strategy, but it also requires the appropriate commitment of other elements of our national power, including our diplomatic, intelligence, and economic means, and the recognition that other actors in the region have a significant impact on the ability to achieve our goals.”

“Our principal national security interest in Afghanistan is to prevent it from ever again becoming a terrorist safe haven like it was prior to the September 11th attacks. This requires – in part – a reliable partnership with a functional Afghan government,” he said.

King lauded Trump “for recognizing the critical role Pakistan, India, and other regional nations play in determining the stability of the region. To that end, we must be clear in what we expect and need from these nations and what we are willing to do to shape their behavior if necessary.”

He said he agreed on the need for a condition-based timeline for withdrawal, but added that the nation needs to “move forward with clear goals and great care” to honor the sacrifices of so many military personnel who have fought and died there over the years.

scollins@sunjournal.com

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