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three months ago, general stanley mcchrystal gave obama three options on winning in afghanistan: a low-risk plan requiring 80,000 more troops, a medium-risk plan requiring 40,000 more troops, and a high-risk plan requiring 20,000 more troops.
if the official non white house leaker is to be believed, and who can really say with this administration, obama has finally decided to go between the high-risk and medium-risk plans with 34,000 more troops.
“President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he’s called “a war of necessity” in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy.
Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.
The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn’t originate in the White House.”
i have always supported the efforts in iraq and afghanistan. i still believe it would be a huge mistake to withdraw. but with this latest information, i would almost rather us pull out and end the war then to go forward like this.
our military fight (and die) to win. is this decision by obama one to win? general mcchrystal, the commander in afghanistan, offered obama a low-risk plan to win the war. yet, obama chose to dilute that plan, for the sake of balancing political expediency and the appearance of standing by campaign promises.
obama promised to resource afghanistan adequately. but he’s done nothing to change the basic realities on the ground there.
he knew what was happening in afghanistan back in march when he announced his ‘carefully considered and comprehensive strategy’ that he lifted from the bush administration’s strategic plan conducted in 2008.
it’s a president’s job to know the cost of war; the troop needs, the local assets, to make decisions and have a plan to go forward, to win. but obama did not do his job on afghanistan. we’ve seen the things that have consumed him the last year and they haven’t been our war there.
i guess in the age of obama, afghanistan IS a war we can afford to lose. go big or go home.
BikerDan says: This reminds me of the half hearted efforts of Vietnam. Back then, some of our best and brightest were cut down because of politicians and their disconnect with what happens on the ground. Just like now. War is awful business. But go in with overwhelming power and kill the vermin, leaving the locals in peace. Then come home with your head up.
Marsha says: It has taken Barack Obama 6 months to make this decision. He is so painfully not up to the job. We can only thank G-d he was not the president on 9/11.
I wonder what our resident Obamazombies will think? Certainly we were “warmongers” for wanting to send more troops to Afghanistan. Does this make Obama a warmonger, libs? I’m dying to hear an answer to this one.
I won’t hold my breath though because most of our liberal trolls either wont show up or just tell us how Obama is “cleaning up Bush’s mess.” Gotta love it.
Personally, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this. I hope this is enough to gett the job done so we can bring everyone home.
At least Obama took time out of his busy gold schedule to do it.
David says: “War is awful business. But go in with overwhelming power and kill the vermin, leaving the locals in peace. Then come home with your head up.”
Amen. Very clear. Very respectable – given that it’s a given already that “war is an awful business.”
David says: “Personally, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this. I hope this is enough to get the job done so we can bring everyone home.”
I’ll drink to this too!
David says: Afterall, the “problem” we conservatives have with Mr. Obama isn’t that he IS who he is, but rather that he DOES what he does (or doesn’t do what he ‘should’ as President of this nation).
I’d like little more than to hear that he’s successful in LEADING this nation to a strong day-to-day economy, strong long term outlook and respectable secular/societal norms. I hope he turns around and succeeds in that! : )
Paul says: Kate I agree. We need to remember the Powell Doctrine which was overwhelming force, then get in/get out. Just dragging things out like this in drips and drabs, ends up with more people dead and otherwise undermines the accomplishments we’ve already made there. I have a next door neighbor who is an Army officer who has been deployed to Afghanistan 2x. He says that progress has been made there but more needs to be done while there is still a window of opportunity.
Jane says: President Obama is making a mistake sending any more troops to Afghanistan. The country can’t afford it. It costs about $1 million per soldier!! I will wait to hear from him personally but I am hoping this is just mindless GOP gossip.
PenniePan says: Oh pleeeze. We have Bush and his merry band of warmongers to thank for the growing mess in Afghanistan. He NEVER did his job there because he was too focused on Iraq (the unnecessary war) so don’t blame our President! Will Bush never stop giving us the Clap?
Wow Ken you sound like you missed me!!
“Oh pleeeze. We have Bush and his merry band of warmongers to thank for the growing mess in Afghanistan. ”
Bull.
How creative.
Anyone whos the least bit informed knows that casualties were never higher until dickhead got ahold of it.
“He NEVER did his job there because he was too focused on Iraq ”
More bull.
The presidents first priority is to protect the American people from harm.
Not one attack on our soil or interests anywhere since 911.
The invasion of Afghanistan paid off in huge dividends.
Al Queda and terrorism was dealt the most serious blow ever in history.
Training camps were obliterated.
Combatents/scum bag terrorists were taken into custody, interrogated, giving us valuable intelligence preventing further attacks.
So sorry honey but if The One was doing his job we wouldnt of already had two attacks from radical Islamics on our soil, on his watch.
NOMAD says: @Jane and PenniePan
Let me try to say this as simply as possible: ANY and ALL failures in Afghanistan now are Asshat Obama’s fault alone. While he dithered, the terrorists regained momentum. War isn’t just about numbers you Code Pink rejects, it’s also about timing. Weeks and months of Obama’s insane and inept dithering has cost American lives, made us appear weak to the whole freakin world, and is a recipe for failure both in Afghanistan and whatever else war event lies ahead for us.
As far as using the death of soldiers for political purposes, that’s leftwing territory, owned and operated. I mean you people perfected it! You did it extensively in both Vietnam (as Biker said) and in Iraq. You even tried to do it in the Gulf War of which I am proud to say I am a Veteran of, but George Bush the Elder won there too quickly for you leeches, because he listened to his Generals and used the correct force level at the right time. Old 41 deprived you of your chronic squealing like the sows you obviously are because he DID NOT dither.
If Obama would let you, you would squeal here now over Afghanistan but Obama is a cagey one-trying desperately to play to both sides of the issue. He will eventually fall, like every other weak-spined penny dictator/party boy.
You 2 “women” are pretty disgusting. You should be required to go with the military details to homes of fallen soldiers to tell their families. See the raw, emotional grief. You should see the bravery there in the faces of the loved ones, proud of the sacrifice even amidst the pain. You might, might, regain your souls.
A_Reluctant_Pundit says: Afghanistan is just another horrible mess that Obama has to clean up from the Bush years. Obama isn’t going to make either side happy so he’s trying to compromise. You people want instant results on everything and unfortunately, Obama is having to tackle huge issues that can’t be fixed overnight. Give him a chance on Afghanistan.
lisab says: obama is getting more unpopular by the day
now he is going to lose this war too, and since he did not send the forces that were asked for, he gets all the blame
100%.
A_Reluctant_Pundit says: “I won’t hold my breath though because most of our liberal trolls either wont show up or just tell us how Obama is “cleaning up Bush’s mess.” Gotta love it.”
Ken yes, Afghanistan’s languishing is Bush’s fault. With this decision by Obama, from this point forward, it’s his.
well pennie, jane, A…
though you can spin and blame bush all you want, the fact remains that barack obama’s gargantuan incompetence and feckless, old-woman dithering has made things considerably worse in afghanistan.
president bush’s stand against terrorism had resulted in a relatively stable (if not a taliban-eradicated) afghanistan, while we secured the freedom of iraqi citizens from a murdering, torturous (yes kids, real torture, not interrogation) dictator.
had you flaming lefties not tried to sabotage president bush’s valiant efforts to fight terrorism for eight years, we might have won in iraq a heck of a lot sooner, gone on to victory in afghanistan, and might even have destroyed the rranian nuke program which i suspect will be next up to bat.
i am not as generous as ken and david.
behold, the traitorous dems have yet again, cost both unnecessary blood and treasure while undermining what is truely a god-given right: freedom for all.
PenniePan says: Whoa. We won in Iraq???? Damn. I missed the parade!
Step back Kate. You are an idiot.
Callahan says: PenniePan
First of all, you might want to remember who gives you the right to spew forth here on this blog. I am not so generous as you well know.
Secondly, Kate is right. So embittered, the left in this country made it harder to win in Iraq and actually caused the deaths of many of our soldiers and Iraqi civilians by their constant drumbeat of abu Graib, torture, Gitmo, and on and on. You on the left then used the deaths of soldiers and civilians alike as political fodder to flogg the Bush Administration day-in and day-out from the 2004 elections forward.
Obstructionists? Thy name is Democrats.
“You people want instant results on everything and unfortunately, Obama is having to tackle huge issues that can’t be fixed overnight. Give him a chance on Afghanistan.”
Yeah right.
Amazing how you guys make up these BS talking points when anyone knows that Bush is on record saying this was going top be a long war that would not be won during his admistration.
Hes had his chance when he said he had a strategy and then used “lack of strategy” as his excuse for dithering.
” With this decision by Obama, from this point forward, it’s his. ”
Bullsht.
How far up your rump did you have to reach to pull that one out ? Do your teeth hurt ?
It was his from the day he took the oath and not some convenient abstract time definition you squeezed outta your a$$
“Whoa. We won in Iraq???? Damn. I missed the parade!
Step back Kate. You are an idiot.”
I got news for you.
Yes, we won.
Iraq is a sovereign free country with democratically elected officials and control of its own resources, military and police.
Unless you can intelligently define what is a “loss” in Iraq instead of only being able to come out and call someone an idiot then its truly you whos the idiot.
I know, you’re frustrated, we all know you miss having a ready supply of dead soldiers so you can push your sickening anti war drivel.
David says: “Obama isn’t going to make either side happy so he’s trying to compromise.”
Here’s a novel idea… why doesn’t he just forget about a COMPROMISE regarding a d*mn WAR and get ON with it – whichever way!?
“You people want instant results on everything and unfortunately, Obama is having to tackle huge issues that can’t be fixed overnight.” Here’s another novel idea… why doesn’t he just forget about a COMPROMISE regarding a d*mn WAR and get ON with it – whichever way!?
“Give him a chance on Afghanistan.”
Here’s one more novel idea… why doesn’t he just forget about a COMPROMISE regarding a d*mn WAR and get ON with it – whichever way!?
i fixed the html david…easier on the eyes. 🙂 hope you don’t mind! kate
Ken says: “We have Bush and his merry band of warmongers to thank for the growing mess in Afghanistan.”
Did I call it or what?!?!?!? Pennie and her mindless dribble are as predictable as the sun rising!! Clueless Pundit comes in at a close second. You guys truly are pathetic. Keep spitting up dem talking points, it’s all you can do.
“Ken yes, Afghanistan’s languishing is Bush’s fault. With this decision by Obama, from this point forward, it’s his.”
Oh spare me, Obama has had 11 months and NOW he’s made a decision, talk about languishing. Keep drinking your kool aid, it seems to be working wonders for you.
“Whoa. We won in Iraq???? Damn. I missed the parade!”
Nothing new there Pennie. Sorry to disappoint you, Iraq is getting better by the day. I realize that a huge failure in Iraq is everything that you want, but unfortunately we are winning. Grow up, Pennie, you seem to be one of the willfully ignorant who refuses to even acknowledge the existence of anything that contradicts your opinion.
“You are an idiot.”
So says Pennie, “Lord of the Idiots”.
gene says: “He will eventually fall, like every other weak-spined penny dictator/party boy.”
somebody sounds like they got themselves an anger issue. or maybe they are jealous. that’s your president you’re talkin about son!
Ken says: “that’s your president you’re talkin about son!”
That reminds me of something I heard for 8 years under Bush…..what was it again? Oh yeah, now I remember: “He’s not MY president!!!”
It’s always hysterical to hear the same people who screamed about Bush every day for 8 years claim that someone ELSE has an anger problem.
Priceless!!!
David says: Thanks, Kate! 🙂 I don’t have a handle on this XHTML thang…
“somebody sounds like they got themselves an anger issue. or maybe they are jealous. that’s your president you’re talkin about son!”
You’ve got way more than an anger issue if you think anyone on this thread is jealous of “YOUR” president or any one of you.
Sounds like something a little surgical cranial glutal removal would be able to fix.
He will fall Gene. Hes falling now.
Any president whos ever had his ratings at this point in their presidency has never been re-elected.
“Whoa. We won in Iraq???? Damn. I missed the parade!”
Pennie.
In addition.
Did you miss the part where even before he was elected Obama thought Iraq was stable enough to start bringing home troops ?
I agree with you Kate, if the end game isn’t to win… let’s pull them out.
But what should we expect from the new “law enforcement action on terror”?
lisab says: obama is down to 45% in rasmussen among voters
48% in gallup among all adults
obozo needs a success badly
lisab says: by the way
obama’s gay ex-lover is running for congress in florida
David says: Why does Obama need to WAIT to announce his decision regarding the troops & the Afghanistan war? Why does he put his PLACE of announcement on a higher plane than the ESSENCE of his announcement?
Just ‘spit it out, already!’ and move ON!
He’s going to wait and go before the cadets at West Point to make his announcement.
Put away your “showmanship” dipsh*t (Obama) and GET ON WITH IT!! Our troops are paying with their lives every day your dither!!
David.
Really, does this have to some grandstanding opportunity ? Especially since the cats pretty much outta the bag.
I dont know, maybe the teleprompters have unionized and are guaranteed X amount of hours ?
David says: I agree. This guy will stop at NOTHING to get his mug on TV and say, “look at me! look at me!” What a complete disappointment.
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