Afghan Decision Consensus Coming Into View
EmailTeam NY Times has a well-reported story about the Situation Room deliberations on Afghanistan. My own sources tell me that it’s just plain wrong to conclude that President Obama is even close to a final decision on how many troops would be sent how quickly, but there is an emerging consensus on 5 key points:
- No US troop withdrawal
- New forces will focus on protecting key population centers, especially Kabul and Kandahar.
- Efforts to build up Afghan Army and government will accelerate.
- So will attempts to turn less radical Taliban and potentially friendly tribal warlords.
- Special forces and drones will continue to target Al Qaeda
This tracks with recommendations from top Democrats like John Kerry and Carl Levin. But, again, Obama has not decided how he will phase in new forces or how many he will send.
There is still a debate, also, over when to make the announcement: either right before the President’s trip to Asia and right after Afghan run-off – likely Monday November 9 or Tuesday November 10 – or right after the President returns from Asia – around November 20th.
Here’s my conversation with Diane on GMA:
- George Stephanopoulos
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
C’mon Obama make some kind of decision. Your indecisiveness is costing lives. This is all your war now. You spent $$$ millions to get into the position you’re in, now get to freekin’ work.
Posted by: lfrichar | October 28, 2009, 9:23 am 9:23 am
Mr. President, you are dithering, and the troops morale is plummeting. Everybody involved does not understand why, Mr. President, you are not committed to the strategy that you announced in March.
“This is a war of necessity” (??)
Are we waiting on General Kerry (he was in Vietnam) to tell us when it’s okay?
Posted by: bl | October 28, 2009, 9:30 am 9:30 am
Remember when a lot of the nightly news casts and shows used to close with names and sometimes pictures of the Iraq war casualties? Why don’t they do it with the other war? Maybe it was, no it couldn’t be because who was president. That wouldn’t be fair journalism.
Posted by: jamescbuilder | October 28, 2009, 10:01 am 10:01 am
Mr. President: You are incapable of doing anything on your own! You can not speak without a teleprompter and you can not decide on your own about Afghanistan.It is about time you showed the Americans that you are at least worth the salary if not the title.
Posted by: Jack | October 28, 2009, 10:10 am 10:10 am
Understand Obama got elected ‘last year’. Outgoing WH folks briefed everything to the incoming transition team. Somebody probably mentioned we have warriors in combat in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Obama took office in Jan 09. Are ‘they’ trying to tell me that Obama never had another thought about Iraq or Afghanistan, until a mysterious Army general showed up in Aug with a report. Now Obama began thinking about what to do in Afghanistan after Aug….
Posted by: James L. | October 28, 2009, 10:39 am 10:39 am
Mr President you are about the worst President this country elected.You are the least qualified for the job you are in,You can not make decisions,your judgements are wrong ,you are leading us into communism,why dont you do the country a favor and RESIGN.
Posted by: Joeray | October 28, 2009, 11:32 am 11:32 am
Joeray
I take it you want to send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. When do you sign up?
Posted by: Amy | October 28, 2009, 12:11 pm 12:11 pm
dumBO is a spineless community organizer. Instead of making a decision to go in and support the troops, or pull out, he is golfing, campaigning, or flying to Denmark to have egg thrown in his face.He knew of the troop request before the paper work hit his desk. Months of stalling because he is afraid of the consequences politically. dumBO is for dumBO.
Posted by: Todd | October 28, 2009, 12:42 pm 12:42 pm
Todd
I take it you want to send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. When do you sign up?
Posted by: Amy | October 28, 2009, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm
Amy, I am not for sending troops. I am for the spineless one making a decision before anymore of our troops are k.illed because dumBO is campaigning.
Posted by: Todd | October 28, 2009, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
Amy — I am for sending 60,000 troops. I am on retired reserve and can be called anyday of the week. I have 2 nephews there now and lost one last year. Wanna come with me?
Posted by: lfrichar | October 28, 2009, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
The decision to win or lose is a simple one. If you read McCHrystal’s report, he spells out clearly what needs to be done. He is there, his recommendations are clear, or we will probably fail. What other information could Obama possibly need? That is HIS hand-picked General.
Posted by: lfrichar | October 28, 2009, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
Ifrichar, I don’t even know if you’ll see this but here goes. I will take issue with your “The decision to win or lose is a simple one”. Now are we talking about the same country here? Afghanistan. A country that has never been changed or subjugated in modern history time. A country that helped bring the Russian military and eventually its country to its knees. Just how does McChrystal define this simple “win or lose”? How does Mr. Obama who is responsible for far more than General McChrystal is. I don’t think this is a “simple decision” at all. What it is, however is just another convoluted mess left over from “W” days. So my advice is give our new leader a chance to decide where to take this mess so it doesn’t bleed us to death and bring our country down too. Just because you wear a uniform, it doesn’t mean you are the only “patriot” in this country that has an intelligent opinion on this topic.
Posted by: CND FOX | October 28, 2009, 3:20 pm 3:20 pm
Dear Amy,
Here is one veteran of Vietnam (13 months — I didn’t come home early like Senator Kerry (he requested it twice!), also served in the Gulf War and in the major combat phase (yes, Virginia, there was a Major Combat Phase) so how many times have you put your life on the line, or do you just risk sarcastic remarks about efforts to share democracy, opportunity and security with those in the world who don’t spend most of their time on the trivial aspects of life? Is there anything ‘Liberal’ in standing by while despots and barbarians have their way with women, children and men? Your smugness may sound cute, but it will cost this country all the opportunities that many less arrogant and smug than you have died for — and they obviously died not for themselves, but for others — so quite wasting their sacrifice and make a little of your own for others. Obama’s delays DO COST LIVES — on both sides of the conflict. Your countries military might counts for nothing when our citizens lack the will to effectively employ it in defense of ourselves or others. I know from personal experience that Vietnamese and Iraqi people yearn for freedom, opportunity and prosperity. I very much more value their aspirations than I do your dispersions and ridicule, and noticeably absent informed concern.
Posted by: David Gillis | October 28, 2009, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
Give em h… David.
Posted by: earl | October 28, 2009, 6:52 pm 6:52 pm
I don’t know what the best strategy is, but I prefer throwing everything possible at this Afghan war and take total control. Then we can announce a withdrawal and put their government and leaders on notice that we have succeed and it is time for them to take responsibility for what happens next. Second, I don’t know how much military we can commit to Afghanistan since Obama has already committed 17,000 more troops than Bush ever had in Afghanistan (about 40% increase) and military leaders don’t want to remove the necessary troops out of Iraq.
Posted by: MikeMo1947 | October 28, 2009, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
I think the troops are exhausted from over six years of deployments to these two wars and the heroic sacrifice they have already made. Besides, they are the only ones who have made a sacrifice during these two wars. The rich even got a tax break so they could have more personal income during this time of our troops’ sacrifice and mounting national debt.
Posted by: MikeMo1947 | October 28, 2009, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm
Maybe by Nov. 20 or maybe after the bad winter or maybe after the 2010 elections we have been waiting since march. Fired one general and wont do what the hand picked one says is what we need plain as the nose on your face DO SOMETHING.
Posted by: earl | October 28, 2009, 7:33 pm 7:33 pm
David Gillis and lfrichar
I’m sick of posters who call President Obama dumBO for not jumping at the opportunity to escalate the numbers of troops sent to a country that has been in a civil war for 35 years, where Afghan students are filmed protesting against our presence and the Afghan President’s brother is a drug lord whose product provides the Taliban with its income.
If you choose to take offense at my suggestion that many of these war cheerleaders are armchair heroes, that’s your problem. I’m an American too, and I vote we do not waste more good men protecting people who hate us.
Posted by: Amy in Maine | October 28, 2009, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm
It’s been interesting, and an education to observe the Republican’s try to pressure President Obama into making a quick, uninformed decision about what began as a request by Obama to Gen. McChrystal for his assessment, and a report on a strategy for the war in Afghanistan. His answer included increasing troop levels as only one part of a multi-layered plan with several, alternative, options. The Republicans, true to their nature of Obstructionism, seized on the troop request, portraying it as an urgent, immediate, life threatening situation. I don’t recall any remarks by the General setting a date certain for the troops. Nowhere in my recollection of the facts do I recall a time limit requested by the General. As in the past, President Obama will sort through all of the recommendations, and make the correct decision, much to the dissatisfaction of the Republicans who will have failed again to goad him into a bad decision that they can pounce on. It becomes more apparent with each passing day, that President Obama will survive all attempts by the Republicans to discredit his Presidency, and he will go down in history as asuccessful, two term President, who will not have to resort to obstructionism, in an attempt to discredit his successor in order to weasel out a legacy.
Posted by: Alan | October 29, 2009, 9:28 am 9:28 am
Earl, two relevant points:
1) They don’t all hate us — the media reports the haters — it’s biased. The media leads people to believe the Vietnamese hated us and still do — nothing is further from the truth. Some 300 Vietnamese children, 1-5th grade attend the school mostly funded by my Marine helo squadron in 2006, and many attend the village health clinic we built in 2007. I very much look forward to doing the same in Iraq one day. Mankind lived for thousands of years before America became the first democracy. Wouuld Geo. Wash. accept your argument? We are all the same at heart, except for those who seek despotic power or who blindly worship a concept of God rooted in an obsolete world-view, and are missled by some who are seeking power, using a God-ruse. Aftere 200 years of democracy we still have Chicago corruption — you have been distracted from the incredible fact that after thousands of years the Afghans have VOTED!!! And HALF of the votes were valid. And a commission with international observers have identified the problems and a new balloting will occur. I find that amazing progress compared to the past thousands of years. Don’t be misled by shallow reporting, biased or poorly-informed media. It takes work over time
Posted by: David Gillis | October 29, 2009, 5:15 pm 5:15 pm