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Unnamed senior administration sources say aides to President Barack Obama are worried that liberal Democratic allies in Congress will demand an end to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan before the president can post progress in the 8-year-old conflict, the Washington publication Politico reported Tuesday.

The Obama aides also reportedly are concerned that a narrow win for Afghan President Hamid Karzai in election results still being counted will bring his legitimacy as leader into question. They worry it may be likely that Afghanistan rather than healthcare reform will define the Obama presidency's early years, Politico said.

"There's no question that the drumbeat is going to get louder and louder on the left, and you'll see some fall-off on the right", Matt Bennett of the think tank Third Way, told the publication. "His supporters on the Hill are fighting a really serious political battle to keep the criticism under control."

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