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The hard sell is under way. President Obama's speech was mainly aimed at convincing the American people that his strategy - hit hard and fast, and then plan to get out of Afghanistan - was the right one.

Now his top team have been on Capitol Hill trying to convince the serious and senior elected politicians that this is the right strategy. There was a fair bit of flesh on the bare bones of the president's speech but the trio also hit hard one very basic message.

Speaking to the , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton struck an emotional note.

"In the aftermath of 11 September, I grieved with sons, daughters, husbands, and wives, whose loved ones were murdered. It was an attack on our country, but it was also an attack on my constituents. I witnessed the tragic consequences in the lives of thousands of innocent families, and the damage done to our economy and our sense of security. So I feel a personal responsibility to help protect our nation from such violence," Mrs Clinton said.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates set out why this responsibility implied dealing with the Taliban: "The lesson of the Taliban's revival for al-Qaeda is that time and will are on their side. That, with a Western defeat, they could regain their strength and achieve a major strategic victory - as long as their senior leadership lives and can continue to inspire and attract followers and funding. Rolling back the Taliban is now necessary, even if not sufficient, to the ultimate defeat of al-Qaeda."

The Chairman of the , Adm Michael Mullen, argued that "if the United States should be hit again, I remain convinced that the planning, training and funding for such an attack will emanate there".

"It is a region where a nuclear weapons state, Pakistan, is under direct threat from
al-Qaeda and affiliated Pakistani Taliban groups that aspire to acquire and use
nuclear weapons against the United States and our allies. Thus, it is a region
with a unique - and deadly - combination of the most dangerous terrorists and
the most dangerous technology in the world. Our actions in Pakistan and
Afghanistan seek to prevent catastrophic outcomes from these toxic forces."

But senators were concerned that announcing that the US would start getting out in a year-and-a-half's time gave the wrong signal to the enemy.

Former Republican Presidential candidate John McCain repeatedly pressed Mr Gates on what would happen if there was no victory by then, if conditions on the ground weren't right, but he didn't get much of an answer, beyond the promise of a review of the situation.

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