Seeking Benchmarks and “Off-ramps,” President Obama Sends Pentagon Officials Back to their Desks
EmailThe president sent war council officials back to their desks to answer specific questions to which he has yet to hear the answers, senior administration officials tell ABC News.
For Pentagon officials, one official said, that meant "not just how many young men and women they want to go into Afghanistan — but when they can go home."
The president has not yet heard "sufficient explanation of how we get out of Afghanistan and not simply just be signing up for another eight years, the official said. He wants to know where the "off-ramps" are.
The president is well aware that there is no easy answer about the way forward in Afghanistan, an official said, but before making any decision he is pressing for all planners to set benchmarks of what can realistically be achieved by US troops, by US civilians, and by the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai — and plans for what to do next if those benchmarks are met, or if they are not.
The commitment of US troops in Afghanistan is not open-ended, the president has emphasized, and everyone involve needs to know that.
The president's eighth war council meeting, held on Wednesday, will almost certainly not be the last one, officials said.
Officials are now working on answering questions he has about all four of the possible strategies being debated — two from Gen. Stanley McChrystal and two other strategies.
Another senior administration official says the President was greatly impacted by two classified cables sent by the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Gen. Karl Eikenberry (Ret.), who expressed in urgent terms his concerns about sending any more US troops until Karzai can be viewed as a credible partner.
Said one official, "Karl has warned throughout this process about the limits of what we can expect out of the Karzai government," but these cables were significant.
The lack of faith the Obama administration has in Karzai's government's ability to clean up corruption and provide basic services for its people is a major source of concern for the president, officials said. Officials are working on a compact to lay out benchmarks for the Karzai government to meet in those areas, as well as in training Afghan police and Afghan army forces.
Eikenberry arguably "knows Afghanistan better than anyone else in the US government," a senior administration official said. "He's basically been there non-stop since 2003 in a range of capabilities, at a range of times, and in range of assignments," having served as United States Security Coordinator for Afghanistan, Chief of the Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan and Commander of the Combined Forces Command.
As leader of the civilian diplomatic corps as Ambassador, Eikenberry is "lead civilian Big Dog in this fight," another official said. "The President really wants his unvarnished opinion."
The force structure in Afghanistan has already essentially been doubled since the president took office, with 13,000 troops already in the pipeline and 21,000 troops added by the President in March. There is no talk of withdrawing these forces as of now, but the president does not want to add more to their number without clear benchmarks and a timeline — he wants to know "not just how to get in there, but how to get out," an official said.
The recent advice of Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.) for the president to "take (his) time," was important, officials said, and squared with advice given by others who had made major military decisions to get it right, and not to get it done quickly.
Senior administration officials rejected accusations that this process was "dithering," as Vice President Cheney called it, or anything other than constructive. Military sources have said that regardless of the strategy the first new troops won't arrive in Afghanistan until January 2010, so more time for the president to make his decision will not necessarily impact that timeline$
One official argued that "this process makes the decision more informed. We will make a better decision because of this process."
The president is taking very seriously, an official said, the fact that he is the "sole person who can order these young people into harm's way," in conjunction with the grave "situation in the world in the moment" regarding extremism.
- jpt
Rick Santorum Sweeps 3 States 
Pentagon to Open Additional Jobs to Women
Obama wants to know how he can get wait until Obamacare passes, send enough troops to make it look like he’s not a wuss.
But not enough to anger the left.
Then exit Afghanistan as quickly as possible and find someone else to blame when the Taliban gets nukes.
Posted by: mick | November 12, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
Thank you Jake for getting some answers, even if it is just an update. At least it is something.
Posted by: Mjim | November 12, 2009, 4:59 pm 4:59 pm
He called Afghanistan the war of necessity.
How can Obama do anything other than try to win there? Or at least fulfill his promise of sending the troops all the help they need?
Posted by: tyler | November 12, 2009, 5:02 pm 5:02 pm
All of that macho talk before the election of killing Osama
and making Afghanistan his priority.
It was all to get the Independents and naive Republicans to vote for him.
They bought it hook line and sinker.
Obama wants out.
Posted by: cal | November 12, 2009, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
The American electorate is seeking ‘off ramps’for this presidency in 2012.
Posted by: J House | November 12, 2009, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
Imagine Lincoln or Roosevelt asking their generals- ” I need to know the return dates and ‘off ramps’ for each of our troops”
What we would expect from a ‘law professor’ and ‘community organizer’…
Posted by: J House | November 12, 2009, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
dither dither dither
Cheney was right.
Posted by: Huh? | November 12, 2009, 5:11 pm 5:11 pm
Obama wants to wait until ‘Karzai becomes a credible partner’?
We’re there….deal the hand your dealt with and make it work!
Did you hear Bush whine that Malaki wasn’t credible, honest, etc.?
This WH is setting it up to make it look as if it was ‘Karzai who let us all down’ (and the NYT played ball with them today on its front page)
Posted by: J House | November 12, 2009, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
President Leaky McDithers really, really needs to get on the ball. Maybe McCChrystal should just quit and permit Gen. Eikenberry (Ret.) to preside over the withdrawl.
Posted by: mesquito | November 12, 2009, 5:20 pm 5:20 pm
A professor not a President. Why did so many people want to elect a Commander in Chief that had never commanded anything. The American people got what they asked for. Sad.
Posted by: Aaron | November 12, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Giant Sand lyrics:
Standing there by
the side of the road…
It’s the off ramp man.
Hanging out with way
too little a load…
It’s the off ramp man,
and a little horny toad…
Don’t know why but this tune popped in my head.
Posted by: WhereWasThePress? | November 12, 2009, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
How refreshing to have a President who actually thinks throught the consequences of sending our young men and women into harm’s way and who actually takes the time to question what the objectives and end-game are.
Posted by: Ron | November 12, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
The only opinion that doesn’t seem urgent and substantial to the President is that of McChrystal, the man he personally chose to lead the war effort in Afghanistan.
The Emperor has no clothes. He is an organizer. Someone to whom politics is much more important than the right decision.
Posted by: Aaron | November 12, 2009, 5:26 pm 5:26 pm
He called Afghanistan the war of necessity.
How can Obama do anything other than try to win there? Or at least fulfill his promise of sending the troops all the help they need?
Posted by: tyler | Nov 12, 2009 5:02:32 PM
________________________________
That is exactly what so many of us don’t understand.
Posted by: wow | November 12, 2009, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Obama is a comple embarrassmentment.
Posted by: bobmac | November 12, 2009, 5:39 pm 5:39 pm
I can not believe this guy, he is asking everyone else to define his strategy for him. The president decides the goals and the policy, defines the off ramps. Un-freaking-believable. Perhaps Obama should have got a detailed job description BEFORE he ran for office.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 12, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
Ron, don’t you think 12 months is enough time to come up with a strategy? Didn’t he claim that Afghanistan was the necessary war and that he would divert our resources to the prosecution of that war?Didn’t he say that he would send the necessary resources to Afghanistan? Didn’ he say that in June,July and August of last year?The fact is that this “Instructor”(he was never a professor) doesn’t have the first clue what to do. He reminds me of the guy in “Catch Me If You Can” when he fakes being a doctor- a resident comes to him with a question and the guy runs into the bathroom to vomit-he realized that he didn’t have a clue.God help us.
Posted by: Nephron | November 12, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
Embarrassment.
Posted by: bobmac | November 12, 2009, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
Our mission was never dependent on what the Afghan gov. does or doesn’t do nor should it be because that is just stupid. Every president before this one seemed to be able to define US interests without waiting to test the wind.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 12, 2009, 5:47 pm 5:47 pm
Okay Mr president pee or get off the pot. Do something. Either get all of our troops out and leave afganastan on its own or give the commander you choose what he is asking for to complete the task you set before him(although im not sure people know excatly what that task is now because you supposedly had a new stragey back in march when you sent about 20,000 more troops.) Can’t straddle the fence forever.
Posted by: rachel | November 12, 2009, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
I think it may be time to bring the troops back. Obama is clearly so incompetent that his poliices will get them all killed. Once we get this dope out of office and get a real president, we can send the troops back over to finish the job.
Posted by: jonny | November 12, 2009, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
So in other words, he is waiting for someone to tell him what to do. He is not a president, he just plays one on tv.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 12, 2009, 5:53 pm 5:53 pm
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | Nov 12, 2009 5:47:26 PM posted “Our mission was never dependent on what the Afghan gov. does or doesn’t do nor should it be because that is just stupid. Every president before this one seemed to be able to define US interests without waiting to test the wind.
Well Ferrari, Americans also wish that Bush & Company had “tested the wind” before jumping into 2 preemptive wars.
Have you read anything about the history of wars in Afghanistan? It’s not “stupid” to carefully evaluate all the issues before throwing away more of our nation’s lives and treasure.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 12, 2009, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
Thank G_d for a President who thinks through the consequences of his decisions. It’s imperative to define strategies, objectives and end-games before sending Americans to put their lives on the line. If a strategy isn’t working, it is not only foolish but immoral to just push more troops into the situation. The one in charge of making such decisions, the President, should take the time to get all the relevant information and look years ahead strategically before taking such a step. If only Bush/Cheney had done so…
Posted by: Ron | November 12, 2009, 6:06 pm 6:06 pm
It’s not rather amusing that a civilian if you want to call him that is smarter than his Armed forces commanders when he has 0 experiences. He has never heard or been shot at even going to a service station. Wear the shoes those poor proud Americans that are living in hell to fight for what??? I am glad my Dad has passed away as this surely would have caused the end of his life. Anyone supporting O just wait till your 65 and then you will find out what everybody has been trying to tell you. What I don’t understand is that Americans are going to wait till they can vote these folks out and what ever happened to kicking then out before their term was over?????
Posted by: General | November 12, 2009, 6:07 pm 6:07 pm
Heaven help us. This is beyond dithering…
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 12, 2009, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm
Let’s see… Bush took 7 mins too long before exiting the room whilst reading to school children (not too mention a national news cam was filming) so as not to create a panic on the morning of 9/11. THAT wasn’t a quick enough of a response time for the left…
Yet, Obama takes 7 months and still can’t formulate a decision (ignoring the recomendation of the man he put in charge to make those calls) on pending troop levels in Afghanistan and IT ISN’t dithering…?…
How can that be?
Posted by: mmurray | November 12, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
Aaron | Nov 12, 2009 5:26:16 PM posted: “The only opinion that doesn’t seem urgent and substantial to the President is that of McChrystal, the man he personally chose to lead the war effort in Afghanistan.”
Yes, President Obama nominated Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal to command U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. He was certainly the most experienced. But McChrystal also came packaged with a credibility problem.
Remember Pat Tillman and the cover up of his death by friendly fire? McChrystal, then a 1 star general, participated with other officers in an elaborate campaign to suppress the truth and persuade both the Tillman family and the public that Pat was killed by enemy fire.
Rumsfield loved McChrystal because he didn’t suffer from “the slows,” what Rumsfeld called risk-averse.
Now the hawks are gone from the White House and those who are risk-adverse are deciding the best way to clean up the mess they inherited.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 12, 2009, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
Ron, Congress voted to send troops to Afghanistan if you will recall. There was this terror attack on the US and EVERYONE was up in arms. It was one of those rare times when bi-partisanship was actually working. We all felt the need to lash out at those who had the audacity to assault us. Flash forward to the here and now; our young men and women are in harm’s way and it seems like he is only interested in getting more and more opinions, until he finds one that will not kill him politically. You see there is no perfect answer, we are talking about WAR! It is an ugly business and when you get involved in it, you are going to get dirty. Bush knew this and allowed himself to get soiled. His popularity was decimated by our involvement in this conflict and the Iraq war. Again, congress had the same intel as Bush and they once again voted for the wars. Take care of the troops, quit worrying about your popularity, do the job!
Posted by: War919 | November 12, 2009, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
So when it comes to deploying troops, Barry wants to take his time and think it through. No problem with that as long as that is what is happening and he is not just delaying because of his lack of decsiveness or experience making executive decisions.
But he does not want Congress to take their time in reconstructing 15% of the economy with a health care bill or when he pushed through a liberal’s wish list of spending masked as a stimulus. In those cases he didn’t want the ink to dry on the bill before it was voted on.
So save the crock about the thoughtful nature of Barry. Just realize we don’t need time to think when it’s something he’s trying to ram through before we know what it is. We only need time when he doesn’t want to make a politically tough decision.
Posted by: Ed W | November 12, 2009, 6:20 pm 6:20 pm
Well at least Bush was smart enough to know that freedom in Afghanistan and the middle east was the only long term solution to keeping us safe. Only freedom promotes long lasting and far reaching peace and the road to getting there might be difficult but it shouldn’t take a genius to know that it is the only thing that is ever going to keep Afghanistan from becoming a terrorist haven again, the only thing that would keep Iran and Iraq from using WMD, the only thing that will keep Israel from being annihilated and bring about a Palestinian state.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 12, 2009, 6:24 pm 6:24 pm
General | Nov 12, 2009 6:07:41 PM posted: “Anyone supporting O just wait till your 65 and then you will find out what everybody has been trying to tell you.”
Sorry for the loss of your Dad. My 89 year old father is not a “General”, but he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for 50 missions during WWII, so I listen to his perspective.
He says war is the definition of hell, and it’s not dithering for our President to take time and advice from people outside the military to determine the best strategy for what he calls “that sand pit”.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 12, 2009, 6:28 pm 6:28 pm
Ferrari5858 | Nov 12, 2009 6:24:15 PM posted “At least Bush was smart enough to know that freedom in Afghanistan and the middle east was the only long term solution to keeping us safe.”
The question is HOW to achieve freedom and peace in this completely different culture. I encourage anyone concerned about our future in Afghanistan to read “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson. The Pentagon has.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 12, 2009, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
General wrote: “What I don’t understand is that Americans are going to wait till they can vote these folks out and what ever happened to kicking then out before their term was over????”
There’s a little thing called “The Constitution” that many of us happen to be quite fond of. President Obama won the election last year and thus has the authority to make these decisions. I understand many of you who didn’t vote for him are upset that you side lost the election last year but that’s how our system of government works. If you are not happy with things, work harder to get someone of your choice elected in the next election. Until then, President Obama is our one and only President.
Posted by: Ron | November 12, 2009, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm
Well you could start by making sure the kids had an education and the women weren’t being slaughtered. And we could have done a lot more to ensure a fair election. I know it is hard to remember how we created (and sustain) this country since no one gets taught that in school anymore but freedom does need a certain amount of conditions to be met to take hold.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 12, 2009, 6:44 pm 6:44 pm
“Let’s see… Bush took 7 mins too long before exiting the room whilst reading to school children (not too mention a national news cam was filming) so as not to create a panic on the morning of 9/11. THAT wasn’t a quick enough of a response time for the left…”
Bush did not appear in public until that evening.
A simple “excuse me children I have some business to attend to” and leaving the room was apparently too hard for Bush to do. He had to wait for a handler to collect him.
Its one reason so many people saw Guliani as a hero because he was the ONLY one at the mike seeking to reassure people as Bush was MIA.
Posted by: Ryan C | November 12, 2009, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
He says war is the definition of hell, and it’s not dithering for our President to take time and advice from people outside the military to determine the best strategy for what he calls “that sand pit”.
Posted by: CenterOne | Nov 12, 2009 6:28:16 PM
***
I agree with your dad, and thank him for his service to our country.
Posted by: Allycat 521 | November 12, 2009, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
Let’s see. Obama tells his ambassador to sent him a message which is intentionally leaked to give him an excuse to dither for who knows how many more months. Great leadership!
Posted by: jshie | November 12, 2009, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
The president would be serving our country well to exit Afghanistan in an orderly fashion, over a year or eighteen month. If we win the war we will have a dependent state for many generations. Afghanistan is not like Iraq; it will never be self-supporting except as an exporter of opium poppies.
Posted by: KIETH | November 12, 2009, 7:53 pm 7:53 pm
No leadership. Our top elected official has no meaningful experience running anything. Doesn’t seem to understand that leaders nearly always have to make decisions on less than 100% certain information. True leaders make their decisions, take ownership of the results, and move on. Seems the man in the top spot is more concerned about spinning and positioning so he’ll feel (at least in his own mind) that if things don’t go quite as well as he would like – he’ll be able to blame someone or something else. Again, no leadership.
Posted by: Sunshine Future | November 12, 2009, 8:43 pm 8:43 pm
Democrat Colin Powell should be ashamed of himself, putting politics ahead of troop morale and troop lives. The Ditherer-in-Chief doesn’t need another yes man. He has more of those than you can shake a stick at.
Posted by: Paulie | November 12, 2009, 8:45 pm 8:45 pm
Big talkin Obama- He is smart! He can say “Dad Dad” and he is not even 50 years old,. “WOW” In another 50 years he might even be smart enough to say “MOM Ma” He talked the big talk bashing Bush when he ran for President, now he can only say “DAD DAD”"
Posted by: John Demeter | November 12, 2009, 8:59 pm 8:59 pm
It is clear as it possibly can be that endless dithering is all that’s going on with Obama’s series of seminars on what to do in Afghanistan.
Now, Obama suddenly “discovers” that his ambassador to Afghanistan strongly objects to more troops? After nine months in office, including three months of “seminars” to figure out what to do, Obama is “just now” learning of his own ambassador’s views on troops?
If anyone in America believes Obama’s new “my-ambassador-just-told-me” excuse for more dithering, then they will have noe trouble at all readily believing Obama’s next excuse that his dog ate his copy of the general’s report that requests more troops three months ago.
And also already believes Obama’s claim that he has “saved or created” more than a million jobs.
Sure thing. When pigs fly.
Posted by: TParty4USA | November 12, 2009, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
Remember, Obama has been contemplating Afghan strategy since his election over a year ago.If he doesn’t know what to do now, he never will.I find it amazing that someone who is supposedly so intelligent still doesn’t know what to do. And folks, he doesn’t have a clue.He is a classic affirmative action case- advanced repeated because of what he is,not because of what he knows.Let’s face it, despite the press continuously spouting out nonsense about his brilliance the truth is coming out, if people are willing to look.For instance, last week claiming that an individual was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor when he actually received the Medal of Freedom. Even worse was that Mr. Obama PERSONALLY awarded it to him!Talk about dense-if Bush had done that the press would still be talking about how dumb he is.Or believing that the citizens of Austria speak “Austrian”. Or believing that American soldiers liberated Auschwitz.Or claiming that Martin Luther King learned nonviolence from Gandhi on a trip to India in 1959.It is becoming abundantly clear why he will not release his transcripts from Occidental and Columbia-they stink.
Posted by: Nephron | November 12, 2009, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
“Let’s see… Bush took 7 mins too long before exiting the room whilst reading to school children (not too mention a national news cam was filming) so as not to create a panic on the morning of 9/11.”
I never have quite understood what else he was supposed to have done during that seven minutes, nor how the “delay” affected national security at all.
On the other hand, the consequences of Obama’s paralysis are palpable, and are revealed to us every day. The most recent heart-rending event was the mother of the fallen soldier, tearfully pleading with the president to for God’s sake make a decision. (He really doesn’t know how. He never has.)
Small wonder that the only goofball cheerleaders who bother to show up on this topic are the very dumbest among them.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 12, 2009, 10:15 pm 10:15 pm
I never have quite understood what else he was supposed to have done during that seven minutes, nor how the “delay” affected national security at all.
—————————-
He’s the Commander in Chief – the United States was under attack.
When you’re under attack, minutes can make a huge difference. You don’t sit there reading a goat book.
Posted by: Billy Davenport | November 12, 2009, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
IF I HAD A SON, DAUGHTER, HUSBAND, FATHR, MOTHER THERE IN Afghanistan, I would be writing and phoning 24/7, demanding they be relieved of duty immediately, and sent home to Safety, at least until the Top Brass figured out what the plan was.
One extra minute for our troops to be hung out to dry in harm’s way is ABSOLUTELY UNCONSCIENABLE…The Commander-In-Chief is responsible for the WELFARE OF THE NATION AND OUR TROOPS. Period.
REMEMBER HARRY TRUMAN? He could make a decision–and not only that, he could call a SPADE a SPADE, and the sign on his desk said, “THE BUCK STOPS HERE”.
Imagine That!!!
Posted by: Geez Louise | November 12, 2009, 10:38 pm 10:38 pm
Seven minutes. How about 7 hours, 7 days,7 weeks, 7 months.Also Sprach Obama.
Posted by: Nephron | November 12, 2009, 10:40 pm 10:40 pm
“When you’re under attack, minutes can make a huge difference.”
I’ll repeat the question, since this poor fellow has gone to such great lengths to avoid it: what, exactly, should the president have done differently in those seven minutes? And what difference would have been made if he had done whatever it is you think he should have done?
On the other hand, anyone with a shred of human compassion can think of much that should have been done in lieu of a two-minute “shout-out” to a “Congressional Medal of Honor winner” who in fact had not received that award.
The troops know. Brother, do the troops ever know.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 12, 2009, 11:09 pm 11:09 pm
The troops know. Brother, do the troops ever know.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena
especially the ones in Afghanistan, abandoned by Bush and the republicans these 8 years waiting for a cogent policy and plan…..
too many died waiting…… too many wounded, and then the denial of support for more troops by Bush.. shameful..
but hey…. the Iraq war will pay for itself….
Posted by: exGov Moose from Alaska | November 13, 2009, 12:31 am 12:31 am
One extra minute for our troops to be hung out to dry in harm’s way is ABSOLUTELY UNCONSCIENABLE…The Commander-In-Chief is responsible for the WELFARE OF THE NATION AND OUR TROOPS. Period.
Posted by: Geez Louise
which makes the wasted 8 years in afghanistan due to Bush/Cheney all the more remarkable in that it didn’t make a bit of difference to the right or republicans while while they held the White House.
Posted by: exGov Moose from Alaska | November 13, 2009, 12:34 am 12:34 am
“especially the ones in Afghanistan, abandoned by Bush and the republicans these 8 years”
Of course, the “abandonment” was such that in April, 2005 Nancy Pelosi was able to declare that “the war in Afghanistan is over.”
and it was not George Bush who sent those additional 17,000 troops there this year. It was not George Bush under whom the three bloodiest months of the war have just occurred.
And it is not George Bush who is now the commander-in-chief, with troops in the field effecting the grand new strategy that he himself announced on March 27, sitting for more than three months on his hand-picked commander’s plea for reinforcements.
The troops understand. Ultimately, this man will pay dearly for this.
Posted by: Fascist Hyena | November 13, 2009, 1:08 am 1:08 am
Obama is a Child-king.
He was probably angling to garner a name-recognition in 2008 election cycle so that he can mount serious run for 2012 or 2016.
Combination of factors – such as Media’s desire to witness historic first of a black President, Disdain for Hillary in some Democratic quarters, hatred for Bush, and weak Republican Presidential ticket – put Obama on a Presidential throne.
A child from a broken family, a product of affirmative action quotas, groomed by a bunch of Chicago radicals and trained by Chicago machine politics, the only thing Obama knew well was grievance mongering – basically a polished Jesse Jackson / Al Sharpton.
Devoid of any real life experience – not experienced to run even a corner gas station – he learned quickly how to avoid hard decisions by voting “present”.
Sadly, that option is not available to US President. Hence, he is flailing, hoping for a way out from the current mess in Afghanistan. Not after he made Afghanistan “a war of necessity” and installed hand-picked General to guide him!
By the way, has anyone seen / read the brilliance Obama demonstrated during his college years? Any project papers, any thesis, any literary gems comparable to two best sellers he wrote in his adult life? I wonder why not? I have heard many great speakers – who graduated from non ivy-league colleges – spread magical spell with mesmerizing words. With Obama, he can not utter two coherent sentences without a teleprompter! Still he is a boy -genious! More appropriate label for Obama would be “proficient parrot”
Posted by: harry | November 13, 2009, 1:21 am 1:21 am
Seriously though, can he sink the moral of the troops any lower after a week like this? First they find out that nobody gave a rat’s #### about their safety in their own base. That diversity and the fear of being insensitive was more important than protecting them. That the FBI, who apparently is in charge of homeland security now failed to investigate a terror threat because they were looking at it like a bunch of lawyers instead of a security issue and a possible threat. And on top of that a commander in chief who doesn’t seem to know what our benchmark is or even that he is the one that is supposed to define them but never fear, he is going to stay at a Holiday Inn during his Asia trip.
Posted by: Ferrari5858 | November 13, 2009, 1:54 am 1:54 am
With Obama, he can not utter two coherent sentences without a teleprompter!
___________________________________
Right away you reveal your lack of credibility. Many, many televised interviews with experienced journalists prove the current President is very bright, very mentally focused,very well spoken, has a very impressive grasp on any issue he’s asked to address – NO TELEPROMPTER.
What a pathetic right wing lie – you oughta be ashamed.
Posted by: tierra | November 13, 2009, 2:15 am 2:15 am
Of course, the “abandonment” was such
Posted by: Fascist Hyena
of course, nothing you’ve said disproves the fact that ‘W’s policy failure continued in Afghanistan for 8+ years, until the very second he left office.
Pelosi wasn’t making strategic war policy decisions for Bush in Afghanistan, maybe Bush didn’t make them either… where’s Cheney? lest ask him.
Posted by: exGov Moose from Alaska | November 13, 2009, 3:36 am 3:36 am
A child from a broken family, a product of affirmative action quotas, groomed by a bunch of Chicago radicals and trained by Chicago machine politics, the only thing Obama knew well was grievance mongering – basically a polished Jesse Jackson / Al Sharpton. Posted by: harry
Bush, product of a political family, they bought his way in and through everything, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, never started a biz on his own without family intervention, and foreign nationals economic support….. alcoholic, drug abuser, cheerleader, would have ended up in an alley if not for the wealth of his family. Enjoyed making fun of inmates on death row. Cardboard cowboy, all hat and no cow as ‘they’ say. Liked to start wars without planning how to win them so he could look tough and talk tough. A perfect example of a puppet on a string, and the neo-cons were the ones pulling the strings.
the outcome: near collapse for America
now there’s a mission accomplished if there ever was one
Posted by: Ouch | November 13, 2009, 3:47 am 3:47 am
Wait- Obama said all through the campaign, after the election in March and then again in August that Afghanistan was the good war and he’ll never let the Taliban and al-Qaeda triumph.
Buy now he only wants to triumph if it can be done by a certain date?
Clearly everything he said up until August were just liberal talking points (Guantanamo, Iraq= bad, Afghanistan= good) that he accepted as fact with no actual thought or strategy required.
Posted by: treeamigo | November 13, 2009, 7:04 am 7:04 am
Buy now he only wants to triumph if it can be done by a certain date?
__________________________________
You would prefer the war went on forever in Afghanistan? You don’t think it’s smart to have an exit strategy?
Posted by: tierra | November 13, 2009, 10:34 am 10:34 am
Sunshine Future | Nov 12, 2009 8:43:37 PM posted: “True leaders make their decisions, take ownership of the results, and move on.”
So, what about the “leadership” decisions that put Afghanistan on the back burner for the past 7 years?
Even before President Obama took office, previous “leadership” decisions about Afghan policy either failed or were overtaken by changes on the ground.
Violence by militants in Afghanistan rose by 30 % in 2008. And the Bush Administration admitted that any policy in Afghanistan must consider the security and economic conditions in neighboring Pakistan.
This isn’t about making “decisions on less than 100% certain information”. It’s a complex quagmire that involves more than Military action.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 13, 2009, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
TParty4USA | Nov 12, 2009 9:33:16 PM posted “Obama is “just now” learning of his own ambassador’s views on troops?”
Just in case you hadn’t been keeping up with current events, Afghanistan recently had an election saturated with fraud.
For almost a decade the United States has propped up Hamid Karzai in a position that enriches himself and his warlords. It is a perfect example of George Washington’s warning about “entangling alliances” in his farewell address.
Just because President Bush’s administration embarked on a preemptive war in Afghanistan, then basically ignored funding it properly under a puppet government, doesn’t mean US involvement must continue on the same path.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 13, 2009, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
Posted by: harry | Nov 13, 2009 1:21:03 AM: “ By the way, has anyone seen / read the brilliance Obama demonstrated during his college years? Any project papers, any thesis, any literary gems comparable to two best sellers he wrote in his adult life?”
So, Harry, you think Obama should be judged on the basis of his college writings? How about a comparison: drag out good ole GW’s college work for us – LOL. Or better yet ! How about Sarah Palin or bottom-of-his-class Senator McCain’s college work?
How old are you? People grow and their thinking evolves AFTER college! Take off your hate blinders.
Posted by: CenterOne | November 13, 2009, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm
Isn’t this the guy who said that the
Bush Administration
“took it’s eye off the ball(Afganistan)
and wrongly pursued the Iraq War?
President Obama has done nothing to
improve the situation in Afganistan
since he took office and he’s already
looking to get out?
Sounds like he won’t even take the
time to look at the ball no less keep
his eye on it!
If Mr Obama wants to “cut and run”
which is the usual foreign policy
option offered by the Democrats then he
should stop wasting time and pull our
troops out now before another of our
brave soldiers loses his or her life!
All of this nonsense about the Afgan
elections appears to be an excuse for
a pull-out.
So please Mr President make a decision.
Either give your hand-picked
General, McCrystal, the troops he needs
to start winning the war or pull-out
before we lose more lives for nothing!
Posted by: reaganfan | November 13, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm