"surge" of over 20,000 for Afghanistan...

Reuters, here

"...Gates rejected speculation Afghanistan could be heading for a dire situation. "The notion that things are out of control in Afghanistan or that we're sliding toward a disaster I think is far too pessimistic," he said

.....Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Obama should look to other NATO members first, rather than turning to the other seven states that took part in the Cornwallis meeting: Canada, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, Estonia and Romania.

"The reality is there are other NATO doors that President-elect Obama should be knocking on first," he told the news conference. Canada has long complained that the nations with troops in southern Afghanistan are bearing a disproportionate share of the military burden.

"There is an enormous amount of goodwill that has been engendered by President-elect Obama that he might be willing to spend for a cause that he clearly believes in," said MacKay..."