Afghan plan

President Barack Obama is facing mounting congressional opposition to his plans for Afghanistan.

Four Democratic senators and one Republican spoke out Sunday, saying that the president needs to boost the Afghan military and police before increasing U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cautioned the White House against escalating the war and urged more training for Afghan security forces.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., agreed, saying that "sending additional troops would not be the right thing to do." He suggested having "the Afghans bring stability to their own country" and working with them "to make that happen."

More information on the administration's Afghan policy was requested by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who said: "I think we need to get the measurements that Congress has mandated from the White House on how we're going to determine progress in Afghanistan."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a member of the Armed Services Committee, expressed doubts about the current strategy in Afghanistan: "We clearly need more American civilians to help build up institutions. We need to grow the size of the Afghan army. But we're dealing with widespread corruption, a very difficult terrain, and I'm just wondering where this ends and how we'll know if this succeeded."

Clearer goals and a timeline for troop withdrawal were requested by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who added, "I do not believe we can build a democratic state in Afghanistan. I believe it will remain a tribal entity."

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has submitted a review of Afghan strategy to the president. Congressional leaders are expected to learn more about the review this week.

The administration is at a crucial point in Afghanistan, considering whether to increase troop levels beyond the 68,000 already approved.

The president will need to lead on the issue by clearly outlining his plan for Afghanistan.