Obama Squeezed by MoveOn.org on Afghanistan
EmailABC News' Teddy Davis reports:
MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group which battled former President Bush on Iraq, is now calling on President Obama to develop an exit strategy for Afghanistan.
"U.S. policy in Afghanistan has reached a pivotal moment," reads MoveOn's email to its members. "Can you write to the White House and tell them we need a clear exit strategy — not tens of thousands more US troops stuck in a quagmire?"
The move is significant because up until now the major liberal groups had kept quiet on Afghanistan, wanting to give the new president time to stabilize a military intervention which has been going on since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
MoveOn's decision to engage a president that it helped elect could increase pressure on President Obama not to go along with calls for a stepped up troop presence in Afghanistan.
The email, which is reproduced below, calls on Obama to listen to people like Vice President Biden and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel who are urging "caution" rather than to "pro-war advocates" inside and outside of the administration.
MoveOn's entry into the debate over Afghanistan comes at the end of a week which began with the Washington Post reporting that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, has prepared an assessment stating that more troops are needed or else the mission will fail.
Republicans, including potential presidential candidates Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, have been urging the president this week to move forward with a planned troop build-up.
"This is not time for Hamlet in the White House," said Romney in Monday remarks to the conservative Foreign Policy Initiative.
"He picked his team," Romney added. "This team is unanimous. They have developed a strategy consistent with his principles. How in the world can he at this stage be saying what he is saying?" See below for the full text of MoveOn's email: ###
Dear MoveOn member,
U.S. policy in Afghanistan has reached a pivotal moment. President Obama is poised to make a critical decision about the Afghanistan war in the next few weeks. And there's a big debate happening right now about what to do. Pro-war advocates both inside and outside the administration—including John McCain and Joe Lieberman—are calling for a big escalation.2 The general in charge of Afghanistan is expected to request tens of thousands more troops, and that may just be the beginning.3 They're cranking up the pressure for an immediate surge. But other powerful voices are urging caution: Vice President Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have raised real concerns about the idea of sending more troops to Afghanistan without a clear strategy4, as have Democrats in Congress.5 And a majority of Americans oppose increasing troop levels.6 Can you write to the White House and tell them we need a clear exit strategy—not tens of thousands more US troops stuck in a quagmire? You can send the President a message by clicking below: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51843&id=&t=1 Some administration officials are arguing for a smaller, nimbler approach with a narrow focus on the threat from al-Qaeda. But cheerleaders for the war refuse to acknowledge that there could be any viable strategy other than more and more troops. So they're trotting out the same tired old lines and questioning the motives of those who disagree with them.7
They figure they can cut off any debate about our ultimate goals in Afghanistan and the region. But President Obama has consistently shown a willingness to stand up for his more thoughtful approach to foreign policy, and that's what he needs to do here, too.
The hawks are making their position heard. Now, the majority of Americans—those of us who are for as quick and as responsible an end to the war as possible—need to make our voices heard, too.
Can you write to the President now?
-Daniel, Lenore, Kat, Marika, and the rest of the team ###
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I see move on runs this country. Bet your bottom dolaar obama is going to beckin to the call that is put on him. This president is that. Just a president, a title. he is a poll watching and do what ever ole George S says.
Posted by: Jim Rod | September 25, 2009, 2:57 pm 2:57 pm
MoveOn is just as extremist in many ways, as other special interest groups, and does not speak from a centrist point of view.
I have avoided them for some time, after becoming familiar with them and their extremism.
However, Obama has to face the fact that he has a religious war in Afghanistan, that can only be won, by eradicating the religion, which is not something he is prepared to do, I’m sure, so the only other option, really, is extrication.
Yes, that will mean Taliban and Al-Qaeda will again take control of the country, and world-wide terrorism will again expand.
Therein, lies the choice.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | September 25, 2009, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm
Doesn’t matter to Obama. Move-on has lost its teeth as have all other organizations that overtly supported Obama. How do I know? Because I was one of the more extreme supporters of the Soros groups until my husband made way for a much needed intervention. I would much rather be married than support another 10 months of nothing, zilch, nada.
Move who to where? Be my guest Eli…you first.
Tina
Posted by: Tina | September 25, 2009, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
If you fight a war, you fight to WIN.
A loss would only give us bigger problems later on. Will this administration fight or run home with its tale between its legs?
Posted by: Jeff | September 25, 2009, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
Rick McDaniel,
Very accurately described and is exactly where this rubber will meet this road. As you say, therein lies the choice.
Tina
Posted by: Tina | September 25, 2009, 3:40 pm 3:40 pm
Will this administration fight or run home with its tale between its legs?
Posted by: Jeff | Sep 25, 2009 3:38:45 PM
_____________________________
It’s this WW2 ‘bravado’ crap that is extremely amusing. and sad.
There’s literally no conservative sense here of what 4th generation warfare entails.
Posted by: gus amaral | September 25, 2009, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm
It’s a shame that moveon wants the USA to quit after so many troops have sacrifiesed their lives and the Commanders in Afganistan are sure we can wim the war with more troops. I WOULD RATHER FIGHT AND WIN THAN QUIT. THE USA WILL LOSE CREDIBILITY IN THE WORLD IF WE QUIT. THE RESULT WILL BE DISASTROUS POLITICALLY.
Posted by: Tony Leano | September 25, 2009, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
Mr. President, we lost in Vietnam because of the politicians dictating the military on how to fight the war.It is happening again on how the war in Afganistan is being fought. PLEASE DON’T LET POLITICIANS MAKE US LOSE IN AFGANISTAN.
Posted by: Antonio G | September 25, 2009, 4:19 pm 4:19 pm
Was this reporting… Or just an editorial? Right at the end, it got kinda’ preachy.
Posted by: Jim King | September 25, 2009, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
Shouldn’t the heading read:
ABC News’ Teddy Davis pontificates:
and not:
ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports:
Sorry Teddy…
Posted by: Jim King | September 25, 2009, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
I agree that one of the biggest problems in Vietnam was the politicians ran the war from the Senate floor instead of military leaders running it from their foxholes.
Gen McChrystal (who has been doing this kind of thing for quite some time…) has spoken. The man asked for more troops, so give him more troops, period.
Congress should be in the buisness of authorizing the military to go to war. Once they do, they need to get out of the way and let military men and women do what they do best. You wanted it, you got it. Now let our forces finish it so we can all MoveOn.
Posted by: Tricia | September 25, 2009, 6:35 pm 6:35 pm
This decision will be a true test of Obama’s leadership. It will be a far reaching decision, regardless of the direction.
* If he decides not to honor the troop increase, why should our troops remain and be killed slowly but surely by the Taliban? If we are not there to WIN, then the troops should be withdrawn. They should not be victims of indecision.
*If he decides to increase the troop level, he should plan for involvement for the long haul. A culture based on opium trade, warlords, and radical Islam is not changed over a decade — but requires generations. Look how long we have been in the Balkans; Korea; for Pete’s sake – Germany and Japan!
*If he decides to pull out (as the far left would propose), he will cede Afghanistan (AND BY EXTENSION, PAKISTAN) to radical Islam. Two major problems: what will happen to the nukes in Pakistan, and what fuse will be ignited between India and Pakistan (both nuclear powers) when the US pulls out? The whole idea was to engage radical Islam on their turf — not a repeat of the Twin Towers.
NOW, LET US SEE WHAT LEADER EMERGES!!
* An appeaser, placing the US at risk?
* A far thinking risk taker with the goal of winning?
This is going to tell us if Obama is up to the task of protecting the USA!!
If he makes the wrong decision, and this Country is attacked again, Obama will not be in a position to blame Bush using convoluted Obama Team logic!
Posted by: PappyHappy | September 25, 2009, 9:06 pm 9:06 pm
“Obama Leadership” is an oxymoron. Kinda like “Jumbo Shrimp” or “Intelligent Liberal”..
Posted by: ncpilot09 | September 25, 2009, 10:22 pm 10:22 pm
Maybe he can get the school children to sing a “praise song” to soros…like the ones they were made to sing in NJ???
Posted by: ncpilot09 | September 25, 2009, 10:23 pm 10:23 pm
MoveOn speaks, POTUS TURTLE leaps.
He’s giving it all away, grooming himself to be the world dictator while every day he puts off the military experts, more troops are dieing.
What a disgrace!
The founders would have drummed him out in humiliation.
Posted by: getoffthepot | September 26, 2009, 3:08 am 3:08 am
Give the general more troops. But forget about rebuilding Afghanistan until there is security. We are there to destroy Al Qaeda and finish the war that Bush did not bother to finish, not to turn Afghanistan into a shiny example of democracy.
Posted by: tony | September 26, 2009, 3:26 am 3:26 am
Obama is doing the right thing. The election in Afghanistan has not been decided and he does not know who we will be dealing with. Also, the people who were suppose to be standing by us have not so why should we send in more troops? He is taking his time no matter what is said to access the situation before he makes a blunder like Bush and commits us to a war. What they really need is someone to rebuild their infrastructure and protect them from the taliban but they need to get off their butts and decide who’s back they are going to cover. Clinton,agrees and so do most intelligent people. Even McCain said he needs to take time to look over the situation before committing 40,000 men. That is what he does…he thinks…unlike those before him.
Posted by: talmag | September 26, 2009, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
“MoveOn is just as extremist in many ways, as other special interest groups, and does not speak from a centrist point of view.”
I totally agree. I don’t understand how my friends can support some fool that tried to take down the entire economy of Britain one day. That is a clue to this man’s virtue.
Posted by: secondlook | September 26, 2009, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
The below is part of an Op-Ed written by Walter Cronkite on the Vietnam War in 1968.
“We have been too often dissapointed by American leaders in Washington and Vietnam.
It seems more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. For every means we have to escalate, the enemy can match us and that applies …..the commitment of 100, 200 or 300,000 more American troops……
……It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out, then, will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy and did the best they could.”
Cronkite said it better than my poor words ever could. What he wrote in 1968 applied to Vietnam; applies now to Iraq and Afgans. The American people and the Afgan people and the Iraq people feel that same way Conkite did. So, where is the choice? We must withdraw in an orderly way.
Posted by: Beto Ramos | September 26, 2009, 7:18 pm 7:18 pm
When the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam, about a million people died in the bloodbath that followed.
I see no reason to expect anything different in Afghanistan except maybe the numbers; anyone and everyone even vaguely suspected of working with or for the U.S. will die, probably horribly.
I imagine as soon as the U.S. is out and the Taliban takes over, many of the same people now clamoring for withdrawal will go back to demanding the U.S. do something about the human rights violations, especially the treatment of women, in Afghanistan.
Whatever Obama decides, the screams of outrage are sure to follow. I just hope the decision he makes will turn out to be in the best interest of the U.S.
Posted by: MizFW | September 26, 2009, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Listening to his Generals would be alot more conducive than bowing to groups like MOVEON but we must always remember that they put him in office and there are paybacks to be made. Forget all that talk about fighting the “real war” – that was just another chance to trash Bush on Iraq. Well we r in the middle of the REAL WAR now Obama – you cant keep campaigning on it..you actually have to do something now… voting PRESENT is no longer an option.
Posted by: jmbo | September 27, 2009, 11:41 am 11:41 am
Two things Obama needs to do:
1. Tell Georgie Soros where to go – we can’t let a former Collaborator run the United States foreign policy.
2. Realize that we are dealing with a society based religion that never made it out of the 6th century. We’ll need to negotiate from a position of strength, but only through showing the people there how we can help them develop a better life for themselves, will we win their hearts and minds.
3. (I know I said two): It’s not about Afghanistan – it’s about keeping the nut cases from taking over Pakistan and getting ahold of their nukes.
Posted by: Bill | September 27, 2009, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm