Gates: July 2011 Not an Exit Strategy
EmailJust two months ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called “the notion of time lines and exit strategies” from Afghanistan “a strategic mistake.”
So why is President Obama’s decision to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan not that kind of mistake?
That was my first question today on "This Week."
Here’s the exchange:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Secretary Gates, let me begin with you, because there been so much focus since the president's speech on this call to begin an exit strategy in July 2011. I want to show you what Senator McCain said earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: When conditions on the ground have decisively begun to change for the better, that is when our troops should start to return home with honor, not one minute longer, not one
minute sooner, and certainly not on some arbitrary date in July 2011.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANOPOULOS: Just two months ago, you seemed to agree with that sentiment. You called the notion of timelines and exit strategies a strategic mistake. What changed?
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, first of all, I don't consider this an exit strategy. And I try to avoid using that term. I think this is a transition…
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why not?
GATES: This is a transition that's going to take place. And it's not an arbitrary date. It will be two years since the Marines went into southern Helmand and that two years that our military leaders believe will give us time to know that our strategy is working.
They believe that in that time General McChrystal will have the opportunity to demonstrate decisively in certain areas of Afghanistan that the approach we're taking is working. Obviously the transition will
begin in the less contested areas of the country.
But it will be the same kind of gradual conditions-based transition province by province, district by district, that we saw in Iraq.
STEPHANOPOULOS: We've heard that phrase a lot…
GATES: But it begins — but it begins in July 2011.
STEPHANOPOULOS: No, I understand that. But you about this conditions-based decision-making. And I guess that it's fairly vague term. So if the strategy is working, do the troops stay? If it's not working, do they leave? How — how is the decision-making process going to go?
GATES: Well, from my standpoint, the decision in terms of when a district or a cluster of districts or a province is ready to be turned over to the Afghan security forces is a judgment that will be made by
our commanders on the ground, not here in Washington.
And we will do the same thing we did in Iraq, when we transitioned to Afghan security responsibility. We will withdraw first into tactical overwatch, and then a strategic overwatch, if you will, the cavalry over
the hill in case they run into trouble.
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As always from the O.S.L. Dont put anything in writing or on national TV, that you might want to deny at a later date. Nobody in this administration is able to stand on their statements what ever happened to I stand by my statements and convictions.
Posted by: earl | December 6, 2009, 7:11 am 7:11 am
love it… BO administration in full damage control mode- of COURSE its an exit strategy being celebrated by our enemies. how would we react if the taliban said he was sending 30000 more insurgents into battle- at the end of 2 years he would pull them out. would we be scared or celebratory. duh!~
Posted by: relama1963 | December 6, 2009, 8:50 am 8:50 am
YES WE CAN!!
HOPE AND CHANGE!!
FIRED UP, READY TO GO!!
Posted by: Chuck | December 6, 2009, 9:17 am 9:17 am
What’s new here? Wouldn’t we alwave have left when/if things got better? Putting a date on when we start to notice (if they’re better) is just that!
Posted by: Frank Tunk | December 6, 2009, 9:18 am 9:18 am
Boy, these guys know how to tick off everyone. The war opponents are going to be mad because we’re sending more troops and the war supporters are going to be unhappy because Obama put an expiration date on them. When you try to please everyone you wind up pleasing no one. That’s what happens when you have an administration driven by pol(l)s.
Posted by: creeper | December 6, 2009, 9:26 am 9:26 am
“America has no interest in fighting an endless war in Afghanistan.” – President Barack Obama
Remember this quote over the next three years.
Posted by: Justin | December 6, 2009, 9:30 am 9:30 am
Obushma to appease the losers kept there defense secretary, to have a different take than the election winner, why pick Gates instead of someone else? Not enough money to do the things we desperately need at home, our fearless leader minds more about what the opposition, McCain thinks should be done, than what ought to be done, our country going down hill to
waste sons and daughters to appease who?
We of all people should not be even close to world leaders, for instance it cost in money wasted, by the billions trying to tell others how to live, its
a Country breaker. why do we allow IT?
Posted by: THWTCO | December 6, 2009, 9:41 am 9:41 am
Looks like typical Obama strategy…. never mean what you say, just say whatever you need to for the audience you are in front of…This administration is showing us just how unprepared they really are…but what did you expect? No one in this White House has ever really worked outside of government… they don’t know what it takes to create jobs, or raise the standard of living for people… Obama worked for years in Chicago as a “community organizer”… how has that worked out? is there full employment in those neighborhoods? is crime down or up? lots of platitudes from Obama, no results.
Posted by: mike | December 6, 2009, 9:53 am 9:53 am
I do expect that the next thing we hear from President Orator….err, Obama… on this rather important issue is to exercise “executive privilege” or some other nonsense regarding the future of our troops….who are not toy soldiers…in Afghanistan……good grief, is this Administration for real?
Posted by: justj joey | December 6, 2009, 10:02 am 10:02 am
LOL… I have to laugh at all the “right-whiners” complaining about Obama’s “strategy”…of course, they would complain also if Obama did or didn’t pick his nose in public…. hehehe…. doesn’t matter, they’d still complain.
Let’s not forget the wonderful Bush strategy for Afghanistan, and why we’re still there after 7 years. This pretty much sums up the Bush strategy:
(1) Iraq has a land mass of 169,000 square miles, and Bush had 170,000 troops there… 1 soldier per square mile.
(2)Afghanistan has a land mass of 252,000 square miles, and Bush maintained a troop ceiling there of 38,000 for 7 years…… LOL … great “strategy”.
At least now, we’re back focused on where 9-11 started, and we actually do have a strategy.
Ciao!
Posted by: X-Republican Because of Bush | December 6, 2009, 10:11 am 10:11 am
It’s clear, the administration is not focused on winning the war. Everything they do is political manipulation and who suffers? The enemy? No. It’s the troops as usual. We haven’t had a decent military savvy president since Reagan. At least he knew the difference between winning and losing. There are truthfully only two conditions in war, alive or dead. Similarly, the only two possibilities are winning or losing. There is no draw, because as war continues conditions change. That’s where the political game is supposed to be played, not on the battlefield.
Posted by: Luigi | December 6, 2009, 10:48 am 10:48 am
sounds like more spin.
Posted by: LongT | December 6, 2009, 11:15 am 11:15 am
The MOMENT we leave, whether it’s 5 years, 10 years, or 30 years from now, Afghans will resume their 2000 year history of cutting each others throats. No American influence or money will pull Afghanistan out of the 14th CENTURY, because THEY LIKE IT THAT WAY! If you can’t afford to send your son or daughter to college, then consider this: every BILLION DOLLARS wasted in Afghanistan would send 20,000 young Americans to state college on a FULL SCHOLARSHIP!
Posted by: AlChemist | December 6, 2009, 11:38 am 11:38 am
In the aftrmath there seems to be a lot of “clarification” of what obama said or didn’t say and it is extremely obvious an attempt to pose it as not “back peddeling”. Either he said it or he didn’t. All the ling’s horsemen can not put the pig back in the barn. He’s losin it folks!
Posted by: Bob | December 6, 2009, 11:48 am 11:48 am
When your enemy uses the “Repel the Foreign occupier’s” mantra to recruit opposition- It is in the interests of our troops, to change that perception.By announcing our mission as limited in time, and focus, we take away a great amount of the populace’s reason for enemy hostility- Hopefully, we will then be viewed by the average Afghan’s, as a security and training mission, instead of Anti Muslim Imperialists. By the way it was the US strategy under Bush/Cheney(By shifting our objective to Iraq) that left the Afghans unguarded, and allowed the Taliban to regain a stronghold.Their Failure as Commanders In Chief, is what amounted to Failure in Afghanistan after 8 Years of war.
Posted by: brian | December 6, 2009, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
Posted by: earl | Dec 6, 2009 7:11:11 AM
love it… BO administration in full damage control mode- of COURSE its an exit strategy being celebrated by our enemies. how would we react if the taliban said he was sending 30000 more insurgents into battle- at the end of 2 years he would pull them out. would we be scared or celebratory. duh!~
_______________________________________
excellent post!!! i love how we telegraph our moves on national television for the enemy to see. i hope that the plan is a deception plan and NOT the real one.
Posted by: R2RO | December 6, 2009, 12:17 pm 12:17 pm
It’s “Change” untill is ISN’T! It’s a “drawdown” until it’s an escalation… This administration LOVES to talk out of both sides of their mouth… And nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. WHY did we vote for Obama again over McCain. Oh right, McCain was too STUPID to actually tell us what he was going to do… It’s much better to have somebody LIE and do the opposite of what they say. WE deserve pathetic Obama, the men and women in uniform, sure as hell do NOT!!!
Posted by: jafo | December 6, 2009, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm
I want us out now. I want to know what all the troops are doing over there? What’s the strategy? What’s the goal now? Are we just looking for terrorist training camps? Are we really fighting primarily in Pakistan now? If so, I can understand why Obama doesn’t feel the need to come right out and say so. I wish American and Afghan women could communicate. I want to know what they want and need.
Posted by: Marilyn | December 6, 2009, 2:02 pm 2:02 pm
Face it people, we been had by another smooth talking “Slick Willy”, wish we could do like many other countries UK, Israel even Iran, you get a bad apple (Obama) and it’s time for a Snap Election to stop the bleeding before it gets out of hand, typically within 90 days.
Posted by: CC | December 6, 2009, 2:41 pm 2:41 pm
America’s On Again, Off Again Politics
Many of the world’s conflicts were brought about by English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese Empires as they made their quick exits from the countries they ruled and plundered. The vacuum created by these hasty retreat strategies has existed for generations. Although American Forces have been fighting haphazardly in Afghanistan for approx. nine years there is still no firm commitment. I say haphazardly because our Politicians cannot make up their minds while young American’s die for no apparent cause.
America has not fully committed itself to the war in Afghanistan and is yet talking about an exit plan. Afghanistan is not a direct threat to the United States nor do they have natural resources (other than basic ingredients for world wide illicit drug distribution) so why are we there, especially when the U.S. cannot afford the financial burden of being there? One only has to look at the recent history of America’s on Again, Off Again Politics of recent decades, or its cut and run policies during the Viet Nam era to see Afghanistan will meet the same fate.
jjrjon
Posted by: James R. Jones | December 6, 2009, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm
You’re asking the wrong guy Steffy, why not get President O’Babble on to explain himself.
Posted by: Ron | December 6, 2009, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
To keep it honest. You can’t name a date until you pull out. That is silly. LOL. Why not advertise it to the enemy. Has everyone given this any thought at all. I am not for this war but we are in it now and I want our troops home as bad as most Americans. But, to name a date is absolutely bonkers.
Posted by: Steve | December 6, 2009, 6:21 pm 6:21 pm
So what the Defense secretary left over from the Bush years is saying is there is no exit strategy for the quagmire. The US will stay in Afghanistan until the same duration as the Soviets or until they get a boot, whichever comes first. I think what is going to happen is the Taliban will leave Afghanistan and is going to join forces with the other Islamic groups in Pakistan and take it over.
Posted by: gjkotw01 | December 6, 2009, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
A moronic report. The president said we will begin to withdraw our troops July 2011 BASED ON CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND. Gates and Clinton are saying the same thing-withdrawing is based on existing conditions.
So where does the moronic media find a ‘difference’ between what the president said and what Gates and Clinton are saying??? And then one has to question the inability of the mentally challenged to see the effort on the part of the media to create a story out of nothing.
Posted by: Jim | December 6, 2009, 8:27 pm 8:27 pm
How come we can’t have a speech telling us we are going to kick and we are not taking names. How about, We are going to WIN! OR, We are going to be VICTORIOUS!
AND THEN……. Give the Military the Equipment and the Freedom to get the job DONE!
Posted by: ajax | December 6, 2009, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
what i don’t understand is why send the troops risk the people getting killed or badly hurt more when you try to help the people in the villages and give them weapons or food and as soon as we leave the villages they turn around and give the weapons and lodge the enemy. how do we really know they are not also providing intel to the taliban like or base/ post locations and what not.The situation is dire and is deemed for failure trying to help people that are helping the enemy, its a no win for us.No jobs ,no education,but the taliban pays them $10 for each improvised exploding device they bury in the ground that destroys the humvees and other vehicles while killing or injuring our soldiers they have no remorse for their actions .So tell me would you really want to help these people that would do this to your son/ daughter or husband/ wife ???..
Posted by: ghost | December 6, 2009, 9:11 pm 9:11 pm
Seems like there are a lot of arm-chair presidents on this forum. It is so easy for them to critcize the President from the anonimity of their keyboard. How about if instead of criticizing you geniuses tell us your master plan. There are no good options in Afghanistan …. like it or not he is stuck cleaning Bush’s mess.
Posted by: Robert | December 6, 2009, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
So many genius arm-chair president on this forum. It is so easy to criticize from the anonimity of your keyboard. So instead of criticizing the President how about you tell us all how to get out of this no-win situation. There are no good options here. President Obama inherited this mess from the previous administration and he is left to clean up the mess. How about cutting him some slack.
Posted by: Robert | December 6, 2009, 10:27 pm 10:27 pm
That double talking administration undoubtedly believes the American people are a bunch of idiots. The bottom line is they’re lying to the people and their war plan is a sham and a disaster.
Posted by: rplat | December 6, 2009, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
If Osama bin Laden smiles into a drone camera, is the drone jockey authorized to squeeze the trigger?
Posted by: hurleyvision | December 6, 2009, 11:31 pm 11:31 pm
not an ‘exit strategy’- sounds like double speak to me…yet another prime example of alternative definitions offered by libs (remember slikcy willy questioning the definition of ‘no’?).
Posted by: realman1963 | December 7, 2009, 5:09 am 5:09 am
The july 2011 timeline is a campaign strategy- I wonder what is happening that year???? Obama sat in Rev Racist’s church for 20 years listening to the evils of America and of our military. Obama does not like America or our military. Believe me, obama DID NOT want to send troops to afganistan, but he had to appear strong.
He doesn’t care about winning the war, remember when he said “I am uncomfortable with the word victory”?
Obama is the greatest farce to ever grace the American political stage. I think that the time he is discovered as such many more brave men and women will be sent to a war that our leader doesn’t want us to win in the first place.
Posted by: Dave | December 7, 2009, 9:35 am 9:35 am
What I heard from Obama the other night was an exit strategy. Now that America is peeoed at him for what he said he now says its not. The lies go on.
Posted by: Jim Rod | December 7, 2009, 10:18 am 10:18 am
So, let me get this straight, we ask the “General on the ground” to do an assessment. He says he needs a minimum of 40000 troops. Obama gives him 30000. Now, we announce a date for an “exit strategy”, but Gates says it’s not an exit strategy. Gates now says we will pull out when “conditions on the ground” warrant it. So, first they don’t fulfill the Generals’ on the ground request, but we will wait until that same General on the ground determines whether we can pull out or not? We either decide to listen to McChrystal or not. He said what we needed for a desired result. Sounded clear enough to me.
Posted by: lfrichar | December 7, 2009, 11:09 am 11:09 am
“”"”like it or not he is stuck cleaning Bush’s mess.”"”"
Posted by: Robert
Well, Obama spent over 2 years and millions trying to get the position he is in. He made many promises and won the elections. He was STUCK in this position, he wanted it. Let’s make sure this is clear OK?
Posted by: lfrichar | December 7, 2009, 11:12 am 11:12 am
Being a GOPer at heart, Gates can’t say the words “exit strategy”. The word “transition” doesn’t get him into trouble with the Bush’s/Cheneys of the world. The word also translates into many more years in Afghanistan for the poor troops. God help us if the GOP gets into office in 2012.
Posted by: BOb | December 7, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Robert —- he gets no slack when his General he picked asks for at least 40000 troops and he gives him 30000. Obama has zero experience in military matters. He didn’t “inherit” anything. 2 years (and ongoing) campaigning and millions of dollars and he said he “has the winning strategy for Afghanistan” and now that strategy has changed twice. He’s clearly above his head on this.
Posted by: lfrichar | December 8, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
He needs to be on every TV set in this country, 24/7. With a basketball in one hand, Nobel prize in the other and a cigarette hanging from his lip with ash dropped all over the podium.
Posted by: Generic Viagra | October 21, 2010, 9:42 am 9:42 am