After months of deliberation, President Barack Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. The cost in terms of dollars, lives lost and the future of this country and Afghanistan will be immense. Obama, who inherited the mess in Afghanistan from a previous administration who ignored the situation for several years, has made a terrible mistake by issuing a date when troop withdrawal will begin.

By committing this many troops and putting an expiration date on his commitment, the President has now also put his stamp on the war, meaning that he will be responsible for its ultimate success or failure. He has also increased the likelihood that African-Americans, who have remained steadfast in their support of this president, will see more friends and families head off to war as the U.S. military seeks to increase recruitment in the black community to replenish a military already stretched to the brink.

"If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan," he said, "I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow."

"Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards," the president said in explaining his decision. "There is no imminent threat of the government being overthrown, but the Taliban has gained momentum. Al Qaeda has not reemerged in Afghanistan in the same numbers as before 9/11, but they retain their safe-havens along the border....In short: the status quo is not sustainable."

This is just one of those decisions where no one is going to be completely happy. Democrats are concerned about the costs of committing more troops; Republicans say setting a timeline is to set a course for failure. There is also concern that the Afghani government is too corrupt to commit this type of support, and then there is the unwillingness of our international allies to commit more than a few additional troops.

The hope and change that Obama brought when he stepped in to office is also being questioned. Some say the president has resulted to conventional thinking and is playing it safe. I'm not sure I agree with that. The recommendation for more troops came from Obama's man on the ground, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal. One of the problems with the Bush White House was that some of his advisers thought they knew better than the experts.

According to the Washington Post:

More than 920 U.S. troops have died in the Afghanistan operation since 2001, and the pace of combat deaths has accelerated this year with Obama's earlier decision to send an additional 22,000 forces, along with 11,000 that administration officials say were authorized by his predecessor. So far this year, 298 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan effort, surpassing the 155 who died last year.

In his assessment of the conflict, McChrystal wrote that the war probably would be won or lost in the next 18 months. Senior administration officials emphasized that July 2011 -- about 18 months from when the first batch of additional U.S. troops arrives in Afghanistan -- will mark the start of the U.S. withdrawal.

Now is the time that President Obama should work to earn the 90 percent approval rating that the African-American community has given him so willingly. That approval comes despite the fact that African Americans are not that supportive of this country's military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, African Americans make up almost 18 percent of the active Army and almost 23 percent of its reserves. Both numbers are much higher than the 13 percent of African Americans in this country.

I wonder how long that support will last once our sons and daughters are recruited to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq in increasing numbers. How will our approval of the president shift as more and more African Americans return home in flag-draped coffins, the inevitable result of sending 30,000 additional men and women in to harm's way.

President Obama should work to earn our support by focusing on jobs in the African-American community and making sure returning veterans get the medical, educational and economic benefits they deserve. President Obama can't afford to lose many friends these days.