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Joint Chiefs Chairman 'Very Positive' After Meeting With Obama

Barack Obama joined Gen. David H. Petraeus in a helicopter tour of Iraq in July. While some in the military are uneasy about the president-elect's lack of experience in uniform, top officers say he might have a better relationship with his forces than has President Bush. They are particularly hopeful that he will be more realistic about their capabilities.
Barack Obama joined Gen. David H. Petraeus in a helicopter tour of Iraq in July. While some in the military are uneasy about the president-elect's lack of experience in uniform, top officers say he might have a better relationship with his forces than has President Bush. They are particularly hopeful that he will be more realistic about their capabilities. (By Staff Sgt. Lorie Jewell -- U.s. Army Via Associated Press)
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Bush's ideological objective of a modern Afghan democracy, several officials said, is unattainable with current U.S. resources, and there is optimism that Obama will have a more realistic view.

A number of senior officers also look with favor on Obama's call for talks with Iran over Iraq and Afghanistan, separating those issues from U.S. demands over Tehran's nuclear program.

One of the biggest long-term military issues on Obama's plate will be the defense budget, currently topping 4.3 percent of gross domestic product once war expenditures are included.

Obama has said he will increase the size of the Army and the Marine Corps, finding savings in the Iraq drawdown and in new scrutiny of spending, including on contractors, weapons programs and missile defense.

"They know the money is coming down," a Pentagon official said of the uniformed services, and many welcome increased discipline.

But it's neither the military's nature nor its role to volunteer the cuts, the official said. "It's for Congress and the administration to say 'Stop it.' "

Polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta and research editor Alice Crites contributed to this report.


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