Today’s Qs for O’s WH – 9/30/2009
EmailTAPPER: Would the White House be comfortable with parts of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban as long as they were not hosting — providing safe haven for Al Qaida?
GIBBS: Well, I hesitate to get into hypotheticals, what if, what if. The president is going to have a top-to-bottom assessment to ensure that we have a strategy that meets our goal, the goal that the president has outlined many times.
TAPPER: Does the Taliban pose a threat to the United States?
GIBBS: I think there's no doubt that many believe that them controlling a large amount of area in a place like Afghanistan as they did provides safe haven for those that can reach in directly into this country and do damage. That's obviously part of what the president will discuss with advisers today.
TAPPER: And the book, "Lessons in Disaster," is being passed around and read by a lot of White House officials right now. What — what lessons are you guys getting out of "Lessons in Disaster"?
GIBBS: Well, I think a number of people have — have — have read the book here. Again, I — I think the — I think this goes to a larger perspective of the way the administration is viewing this assessment and this discussion. And that is, let's get a firm strategy. Let's — let's discuss that. Let's poke and prod it and ensure that we've done it the right way, then implement tactics to achieve that strategy. And part of those tactics are deciding resources. I think we've seen what happens when thousands or tens of thousands of troops are moved into an area and then you come up with a strategy or, after that happens, then you come up with definable goals that you know when they're achieved and when it's time to go home. So I think the administration wants — wants to go through and ensure for the American people that we're making the very best decisions to protect our national security.
-jpt
Obama: 'Now Is the Time For Common Sense Action' 
Romney Takes Aim at Conservatives
Re: Lessons in Disaster
One reporter titled his book review,”The Doves Were Right” – sure makes me wonder if the White House is engaged in finding justification for walking out of Afghanistan. I hope they do not leave allies in Afghans high and dry like they did those in Viet Nam.
Posted by: SjB | September 30, 2009, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
Question:
When will Obama pardon Roman Polanski??
Posted by: Obama: World's Greatest Celebrity | September 30, 2009, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
These incompetent clowns have to resort to reading books to formulate policy because they lack real-world experience. What could go wrong?
Posted by: tjp612 | September 30, 2009, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
“Would the White House be comfortable with parts of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban as long as they were not hosting — providing safe haven for Al Qaida?”
Jake- do you seriously think that’s even a possibility?
Posted by: drjohn | September 30, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
… probably the only good thing..that I believed would come out of an Obama presidency was the end of these overseas war.. I guess now that I can assume it’s all bad..
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | September 30, 2009, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
“Posted by: tjp612 | Sep 30, 2009 3:49:03 PM”
Did you see a right wing lunatic wrote a column on Newsmax calling for a military coup?
My guess is that you will pretend it never happened.
Posted by: Ryan C | September 30, 2009, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
“Did you see a right wing lunatic wrote a column on Newsmax calling for a military coup?”
Nope, sure didn’t.
Posted by: tjp612 | September 30, 2009, 5:29 pm 5:29 pm
“you would be so disappointed to learn that most of the posters here do not belong to a conservative group, do not get talking points from anyone and do not read all the conservative blogs.”
________________________________
It doesn’t matter where the talking points come from if they’re lies and distortions. Same posters on here day in and day out with their personal political agenda to smear the President.
It doesn’t matter if he takes his kids out for an ice cream, or provides money to extend unemployment benefits for those laid off work – they attack. Boringly predictable and repetitive.
Posted by: tierra | September 30, 2009, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
This is heartbreaking – source: Registan.net
Several months ago, reports surfaced in Kandahar that Canadian troops were so disturbed by seeing rampant child abuse they had to enter counseling. Now directives have been issued,ordering Canadian troops to “stop or report” instances of child-rape (the story limited the discussion to boys, but I think reporting the rape of little girls is implicit). While it would be one thing to witness this kind of thing out in the boonies, the incidents that inspired this new directive apparently took place on Kandahar Air Field itself. On at least two separate occasions, people witnessed little boys, sometimes dressed up in wigs and makeup, being escorted into the tents of Afghan interpreters and soldiers.
“Man-love Thursdays” is a running American joke across the whole country. Friday is the day of atonement for Muslims, so the joke goes, so they act extra depraved the day before. Sometimes you’d see this very explicitly: a young Tajik man winking at you as he handed you a flower, or my friend Henry becoming the most popular guy on base by playing soccer shirtless. But even in America, large numbers of people have a difficult time coming to groups with distinguishing homosexuality, which is surprisingly widespread in Afghanistan, and raping children… which is also depressingly widespread. The distinction matters tremendously.
Posted by: SjB | September 30, 2009, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
-My guess is that you will pretend it never happened.-
What happened?
Posted by: Schultz | September 30, 2009, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
-I hope they do not leave allies in Afghans high and dry like they did those in Viet Nam.-
What do you think?
Posted by: Isfahan | September 30, 2009, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
Oops… I forgot to complete the paste of the article in my previous combox:
What’s interesting—and especially distressing—about Afghanistan is the prevalence of child rape among the U.S.-funded Afghan National Security Forces. Worse still is new information indicating that the Canadian military knew of these reports and buried them for fear of a media feeding frenzy.
So we’re left with reporting it now, at least among the Canadians, in the South. I’m unaware of the U.S. having any explicit policy regarding child abuse, beyond a general opposition to it (natch). So what do you do? Our new Big Idea is to dramatically and rapidly expand the numbers of ANSF in the country… yet they are also the biggest culprits when it comes to sexually abusing children.
It’s no small matter. In the hagiography of Mullah Omar, he swept through Kandahar, and established the Taliban as a legitimate force in Afghanistan, by attacking the leftover mujahidin commanders raping and pillaging the city. He lynched one commander who had raped a 16-year old girl, so the story goes, hanging by the neck from his own tank. Then, when he hear of little boys being snatched off the streets for the powerful men to have some bacha bazi, he gathered a small coterie and chased the mujahidin out of town, to cheers.
Posted by: SjB | September 30, 2009, 5:55 pm 5:55 pm