Obama Looking for ‘Off-Ramps’ Out of Afghanistan

The bottom line is that Afghanistan is not as important, politically, as health care. There is no problem in the president slowing down the process for the war in order to deal with getting reform done by the end of the year.

But I thought this was ” a war of necessity”–Obama’s own words
This weak kneeded, double speaking, code pink type has no fortitude or courage. Unless you consider endlessly campaigning as fortitude.
Let’s not forget Al Qaeda and the rest of our enemies must be laughing at the American people for electing a pacifist. And a junior senator with no
record of ever standing up to anything.
Voting present doesn’t count when it comes to war.
Typical liberal wimp

JR JAKE
Well stated.
Unfortunately, Obama is an apologist and way too inexperienced to stand up to the UN and NATO and say, “this is the line in the sand. Join us, in this “war of necessity” or don’t expect anymore American tax dollars.”
More than likely he is looking for a scapegoat. Someone else to throw under the bus.
Some leader, huh?

The U.S. wears many coats, and some view us as war-mongers, but what they fail to realize is we are the most charitable nation on earth. When there is a catastrophe, the US is the first to step up in helping others. We are steeped in charity and that is a belief/mantra we have held for a long time.
Whatever the decision, we need to establish a business relationship with this part of the world that will benefit them (people) and our business community as well. They lack in the basic necessities, their infrastructure is extremely poor from roadways, to water systems, to crop production, to distribution, to education, to medical needs abound everywhere.
There will be resistance of some of the extremists in that part of the world who oppose changing of the guard when it comes to helping the people. We cannot change their way of life unless there is willingness on their part to create change. That has to come from the government themselves, their military and their allies. Diplomacy has to be the mindset in creating this change.
The people want change and it is up to them to create change in the mid and long range. The government leadership is crucial for short term change because they can negotiate with their enemies in the field to the strife in that region so that new programs can be started.
From a military perspective I believe that should always be the last resort to settle differences. One of the problems in this region is the ideology, but history is steeped in distrust of others interfering in their affairs. The problem when you deal with ideologies is you never know who your friend and your enemy is because perception is clouded by the moment.
The bottom line is just who are we fighting, history, ideology, religion, a physical body, or are we chasing a ‘ghost’? With nuclear warheads and the threat of in this region, we need to be very careful in our approach. Work smart, profitably for both sides, and not necessarily hard in our approach.

“Intellectual energy?” The rest of us want him to expend some energy doing SOMETHING. Anything other than campaigning. Poor Obama — he has to actually make a decision that will cost him something politically. And that’s not a decision he’ll ever make.
He had his reports. He’s had them for months. In the meantime, how many Americans have died while he vacillates, unable to make up his stupid mind?

He’s had 10 freekin’ months to contemplate our actions in Afghanistan. It’s 3AM Mr. President and you need to answer the call.

parrothead ——- If I was screaming, I would capitalize my words. I would back Obama whether he withdraws or commits, but this is silly. We pay him to make decisions, he should make one.

Obama has no idea, of any solution to the Afghan problem.
He is not willing to have a major expansion of the war (nor can the country afford to), and yet, to withdraw, will make everything done so far, a total waste.
It is a catch-22, and everyone knows it, who understands the situation.
Even the UN wants no part of it.
The only solution, really, is to move all the people who want a better life, elsewhere, and allow the Taliban to have the country, with a total blockade, of nothing in or out. If they survive, fine, if they don’t, that’s their problem.
Getting other countries to do their part, in enforcing the blockade, will of course, be the hard part. Most haven’t got the gumption to do so. They would rather condone the behavior of the Taliban.

“The only solution, really, is to move all the people who want a better life, elsewhere”–Rick MacDaniel
How about your neighborhood?
Personally, I think we import enough 3rd worlders.

enough already — Good call. I have 2 nephews there now and lost one there last year. it tends to make you passionate when your 21 year old nephew made the sacrifice. Thanks for your post.

hkdakota
That is the best plan I’ve seen yet.
I don’t know if you saw the article on ABC last week, but African nations are saying that the U.S. is extending their misery by helping them get food to their inhabitants.
Some gratitude. I stopped giving to these ingrates long ago. If only our goverment leaders had any cajones.

“Obama “wants to see more intellectual energy” focused on how this mission ends”
Uh, how about winning?

Sometimes there are no clear answers.
You have to go and DO and adjust your
plans along the way. I am sure when D-Day
was planned, there was no guarantee that
things would turn out the way they did.
The libs are always looking for the
sure thing before committing. There is no
such animal.

folks, how about wait until he announces his actual intentions? How about giving the office of the President of the United States of America a bit of respect, and stop the arm-chair quarterbacking?

Is his new “intelligent” compromise going to save the lives of our men and women in the field – NOW….. What a warm fuzzy he is. He has the right idea sometimes, but he doesn’t know how to back it up. He seems to be able to fight FOX pretty dirty here in the USA but can’t seem to do the same overseas where we need to fight with all we have and bring these wonderful soldiers home.

Stop with the “intellectual” nonsense. This is nothing more than Obama frantically trying to find a way to quit the fight. If you’re going to run away at least muster up the gut to admit it.

“”"”"folks, how about wait until he announces his actual intentions? How about giving the office of the President of the United States of America a bit of respect,”"”"”
Posted by: indithinker
Actual intentions? He’s had 10 months to think about Afghanistan. Talk about disrespecting the office, Obama is the only one doing that right now. I didn’t vote for him, but I would respect “a decision” to stay or go. If we stay, it should be with an overwhelming force. If we go, go quickly.

“”"”what exactly does he even mean by “intellectual energy”?”"”"
Posted by: davidfrat21
That’s a college word and he has to put $1 in the coffee can!

Enough: and I don’t want to hear that Congress overode Bush and he wasn’t to blame, etc. If it is the president’s job, then that’s it. The buck stops here..right? and of course Pres. Obama should have cleaned it all up, all the huge messes, in 9 months? I want to see if NJ Gov. Christie does want he says and lowers our property taxes and fixes our health care in nine months. He promised to do this, said Corzine was no good. Let’s see what happens there.

Obama encouraged the congress to NOT WORRY about their political futures during the house vote on health care,,,,but that is ALL he worries about. Narcissist_in_Chief.

NOBAMA 2012

enough already —- Good post. Obama asked McChrystal for an assessment and he was provided that assessment. 10 weeks waiting for a decision on what Obama labelled “America’s War” is too long. One of my nephews will return next week to Pendleton and that party is going to be a big one!

Obama is one of those in theory types without any real world experience. Real life is unpredictable, complicated and uncontrollable. Right now Obama is stuck in analysis paralysis and is terrified of making the wrong decision. Not a good quality in a leader.

Head’s up, buddy, YOU’RE the Commander In Chief now! Oh, by the way, here’s the oath you made:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

I can not believe some of you people on here thinking that this is such a easy decision. It has to be the most hardest decisionj that a president can make. Whatever decision that he makes he wants to make sure that we are going to be successful at that and not just throw in troops and tell them to have at it. These troops need a mission and not just have the leaders say “we are not sure what the mission for you guys is but oh well” ( you know kind of like the last admin did) I am a military wife of a active military member and I would rather have the President take his time and get this right then rush just because people think that he needs too. It is my husbands life and many others who’s lives are on the line here and we want this done right. If the ones who are saying on here that he should just rush, rush, rush then why don’t you go to your nearest recruiter and sign up. It is really that simple, if not them watch how this is done the right way. I would like to get Bin Laden as much as all of you would I think that we can all agree on that but I don’t like the corrupt afghan government because all they want is our money and not do anything for themselves (in my opinion)and I believe that that has to stop right now.

The men and women who signed up for the military knew they could be coming back in body bags by involving themselves in warfare with no foreseeable end. In my view, a few more dead soldiers in Afghanistan is “small potatoes” compared to the scale of larger national security issues like healthcare, the economy, and climate change.
Posted by: ytorch
You must be unaware of Obama’s CiC requirement to protect outr troops also. He’s only setting the record for deaths in Afghanistan. I guess dead soldiers isn’t a “natinal issue” for you.

“In my view, a few more dead soldiers in Afghanistan is “small potatoes” compared to the scale of larger national security issues like healthcare, the economy, and climate change.”–ytorch
I’d like to hear you say that to anyone involved in the military.
This is the mind of a typical liberal. Smoke some more pot dude.

Lets go 5 years into the future, Karzai will rig the next election and country will enter civil war. The fact the election and withdrawal in 5 years are on the same time line, means we would not be able to leave or the country would breakout into civil war. Mission failure. So people that say that we have to work with Karzai and accept the corruption, don’t understand the implications. The COIN strategy is also similar to a staged withdrawal, closing outpost, consolidatiing force structure in populated areas, logistically important. That is why I was against the war between Georgia and Russia. We need the Russia logistic lines to withdraw. To withdraw safely we need to increase troop numbers, that is why the troops were to go incountry in 20,000 blocks. All the requirements for a staged withdrawal were put in place last year under the Bush review. It is only no one was told that it was a dual strategy and the withdrawal was hidden inside of it. We did not lose the war Karzai did. So we cannot win unless a civilian administrator is put in charge and the timeline for elections is changed and that the next elections before we decamp are free and fair, run by the UN and not the Afghan’s. As does the anti-corrpution commission with a foreign head and foreign in investigators. A foreign police commissioner. The current electrol bodies are disbanded and we start from scratch in many of the ministries. Early in 2009 when the US wanted to get rid of Karzai and place an administrator in place we would have appear as colonials, blowback now he has discredited himself and the election was not fair and in reality not legal. So there is no President of Afghanistan, that was planned also so he could be removed without blowback. Bypassing Karzai via implementing civilian programs does not fix what will happen in five years or that if services improve he gets political credit for it, because in the long-term good governance and anti-corrpution will again destory the country. Mission failure. Also Iran is going to be bombed and they will lift their activity in that proxy battlefield in Afghanistan, another reasons for troops to be sent in 20,000 blocks the limiting the footprint. Part of the reason the Iraqi surge worked was that Iran limited their involvement or they would have been bombed into the stoneage in 2007. That and the surge was done so US forces could pull back to bases and then decamp the country so Iran could not hit back by killing Americans in Iraq, when they get hit by Israel. Iran complain about the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the restarted their program not out of fear but they were using the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan as human shields to prevent a strike on their program. It got to the point through 2005 and 06 that to win in Iraq, Iran would have to be hit and the war expanded during 2007. Nancy thinks Amhadi stopped kill US soldiers because he is a nice guy, lowering the level of their activities in Iraq to prevent OP Thor’s Hammer turing his country back to the Stoneage, Barney Rubble. And the deconstruction of their nuclear program via the military option. As always everything is interconneted and Afghanistan is just one aspect, that needs to be balanced.

Commander in No Experience, muffs up again. 1 term is too Long!

I love some of these silly plans about just withdrawing. It reminds me of Al Gore’s opinion and some other moonbats , that it was a “police” action.
A little ancient history for some of those who seem to have forgotten why we are there. The taliban took over afganistan. Using it as a base they launched an attack on the US.
We went over to deprive them of their base. If we leave, and they overcome the new government we are back at square one.

For all the Obama haters…
Your arguments make no sense. Do you think American lives will not be lost if troop level increase to McChrystal’s levels? Ok, let’s say no more American soldiers lose their lives. Then what?
W’s initial plan for Afghanistan was simple; get Bin Laden, put AQ on the run, and destroy terrorist training camps. He then distracted the mission, and went into Iraq. Then it became nation building and democracy in a land that has had tribal rule for zillions of years. You Republicans didn’t call the past eight years dithering….you didn’t seem to mind the loss of life during those years, why the change now?
I want this war to end. Quit using “winning” and “losing” as though this is a game. I am glad we have a president who realizes “winning” in Afghanistan will not be done by military force alone.

Like Vietnam the commanders gave their recomendations and like Vietnam the President took over

FunInChicago — Did you copy and paste that from last week? What do you think, diplomacy will win the war? The only thing they understand is force. And YES, more troops, an overwhelming force will ensure less deaths on our side and many more on theirs. How do you know what Obama is thinking if he won’t even make the decision? I am not a hater of Obama, but he’s been in 10 months and is only now trying to figure out a strategy, eventhough he told us he had one! I am mad he hasn’t made ANY decision at all. And you would argue with that statement?

Now who gave the Taliban weapons back in the 80′s? We never learn.

tired of the whinning — As I stated before, then pull us out! War is death, but indecisiveness causing those deaths is TREASON! We either go and fight or return home. Unless anyone wishes to withdraw and then turn Afghanistan into a huge drive in theater. Just decide already, is that too much to ask?

justme —– Our troops maintain all of the equipment they use over there when not on a deployment. Also, maybe if we get to immigration reform, we can use some to keep an eye on our borders too.

lfrichar – fundamentally I agree with you. Where we disagree is timeframe. And yes, diplomacy with force. I do believe that nuance should factor in the decision. It’s the 24 hour news cycle, not Obama’s decision making style that is at question here. Right now, how many things do you think the POTUS is making decisions on that we don’t know about? News coverage now is the ultimate reality show.
Finally, if you recall the Soviets didn’t fair well there. I do recall Musharraf making a statement, and I am paraphrasing “All the American bombs will do is shake some rocks and melt a little snow.” Eight years later, there may be some truth to that.

George S., you need to carefully word what you say since you know the alleged Fort Hood incident is not a true story and nobody died Nov. 2009 at Fort Hood. You are sounding like you believe the news story. Use words that show other people are telling you things, but that you don’t believe them. Like working for the Clintons.

W’s initial plan for Afghanistan was simple; get Bin Laden, put Al-Q on the run, and destroy terrorist training camps.—-Yes, I thought that was
our goal also. Not running elections and
fighting with the Taliban, meanwhile
9 years have passed and Al-Q has
grown (outside Afganistan) and built
a larger network. Do some of you military still think they are all in a cave somewhere? How stupid. They are on the internet and how do you think we will find them, they are now virtual.
Are you going to every country? We need a new approach not some old ground war.

jonny wrote: “So this is why Obama is dithering? What a shock! According to Obama this was the right war.
But then again, people say anything to get elected. And people wonder why Obama is not considerd trustworthy.”
Obama has tens of thousands more troops in Afghanistan NOW than Bush ever did. That’s hardly “dithering” – which is what Bush and Cheney did.
The question we all should be asking is why has Afghanistan taken twice as long as World War II? Why didn’t Bush get angry about Karzai’s corrupt government? Why did Pakistan not launch a single attack on the Taliban and al-Qaeda controlled centers during Bush’s term?

This war now echos shades of Vietnam, which the Democrats fully screwed up. Now we not only have a plan, but the plan they DO roll out will handcuff our military because the politicians want to make the ‘strategic’ decisions. Perhaps they forgot the men that came home from Vietnam and said that they were not allowed to fight back….they were just sitting ducks. The President and his fellow politicians are fools just looking for a disaster because they think they know better. Well, they don’t. Either do it right or get out. Don’t send more soldiers over them and then render them ineffective. You can see the train rolling down the track already. What a shame. What happened to men with purpose?

B. O. Has to date failed to articulate his mission in Afghanistan. It is so obvious to most, he is totally unprepared to be CIC.

No matter what the President says there are ditto heads who parrot the Republican line…..”DITHERING”…..WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE….YOU LOST…..THE ECONOMY, INDUSTRY, FINANCE, NATIONAL DEFENSE…..all were screwed up by years of Republican’s catering to the large corporations…..they are damned if any American Citizen should get a dimes worth of benifit for taxes paid….

The US should end all foreign aid and that include foreign aid to Europe. Let them pay for their own national defense. Lets see if they still have nationalized health care after they spend billions protecting themselves. And if they don’t? We should not come running when they scream for help against the Russians and the Chinese and the Muslims.

He needs to be called out and man up to make a decision.m But he is weak unless he has ACORN or the SEIU telling him what to do!

Well, don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him.

I hope President Obama takes as much time as necessary to Set the mission in Afghanistan. In comparison to the unneeded war in Iraq, in which Pres. Bush and VP Cheney lied to the American people and rushed into War. There are many factors that will determine if we have success in Afghanistan. More Americans soldiers are not the only option. I for one would like to see NATO increase their share of Combat troops and not increasing the burden on an already overburden military and their family members.

Why not turn the war over to all the civilians in our so called goverment. Put them over there with our civilian rep in Afghanistan, from the president on down,they can get there security from KBR.Issue them pellet rifles, so as to not kill any one. Bring our Troops home, they can be with their families for Christmas. If you cannot give the military what it takes to win bring’em home. Our civilian gov’t needs to stay with what they know. Screwing the American people…!!!

I’m a retired Army officer who saw action from Viet Nam through Desert Shield and Storm, and I understand, first hand, most of what happens in wars. I’ve sometimes even understood why wars are undertaken – such as the beginning of the War in Afghanistan – we went there to destroy the organization that flew planes into U.S. buildings and killed our citizens. Then we became distracted by a needless fight in Iraq. Now, seven years later the original target in Afghanistan has moved on and is no longer there. Now our mission has become Nation Building – WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN – AND WHY??? First of all, nobody has ever built a nation there, so why do we think that we can or should do so. We blew the original mission in Afghanistan by becoming bogged down in a senseless war in Iraq. We should leave Afghanistan in an orderly fashion as quickly as possible. Leave the Afghanistan fight to unmanned aircraft and special operations forces – when boots on the ground are absolutely required.

you can’t please all the people all the time and it seems these days you can’t even please some of the people some of the time!
Here is something interesting I read though.
http://ketiva.com/Politics_and_Government/obama_isnt_eight_years_in_afghanistan_enough1.html