Petraeus: Yes, I support Obama’s plan to start withdrawing next year
posted at 6:53 pm on June 24, 2010 by Allahpundit
CNN’s touting it as a big scoop but did anyone expect any other answer, especially with his confirmation hearing set to start in a few days? Hence my point yesterday about his appeal to Obama: Whatever resistance to a drawdown that Petraeus may eventually offer, The One can count on him to offer it privately and to endorse his decision publicly. That’s why I suspect he chose him partly with an eye to the political cover he’ll provide if in fact O issues the order to withdraw.
But don’t despair just yet. Dan Foster at NRO flags this eyebrow-raiser from Obama’s presser with Medvedev this afternoon:
Obama was careful not to frame July 2011 as a withdrawal date, but the beginning of a transition.
“We didn’t say we’d be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us. We said we’d begin a transition phase that would allow the Afghan government to take more and more responsibility,” he said.
Translation: I’m not (yet) committed to anything more than a token drawdown. Veteran HA readers may remember that we already danced this waltz about the significance of the 2011 deadline last year, with McChrystal and Gates repeatedly hinting that it doesn’t mean much and receiving some pushback from The One in response. All it is, really, is a political compromise between buying some time for counterinsurgency to work and placating the Democratic base with the promise of some sort of reduction in forces. Obama will look at the battlefield landscape and the electoral landscape next year and forge the next compromise going forward. Since the whole point is to kick the can down the round, it’s pointless to try to divine any sense of further commitment now.
If you missed it in Headlines earlier, the Taliban is reportedly pretty jacked about McChrystal’s fall from grace. Don’t celebrate too hard, though, boys: According to the Telegraph, Petraeus may relax big Mac’s much-maligned restrictive rules of engagement. Exit quotation from an unnamed military analyst: “His approach is to get the troops among the population and build relationships on the ground. If that involves killing while trying to engage the locals then so be it.”
Blowback
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Well y’know… Obama doesn’t tolerate diversity in his groups…
Oh… sorry… divisiveness
Skywise on June 24, 2010 at 6:56 PM
Is Gitmo closed for business?
txag92 on June 24, 2010 at 6:58 PM
did anyone else notice that P has the CIB, McC didn’t?
BIG difference in my view
E9RET on June 24, 2010 at 6:58 PM
The Taliban are about to get jacked up, but not in the way they like.
blatantblue on June 24, 2010 at 6:58 PM
Oh, what a difference is made by a trillion dollars of green-car-fantasy fueling Lithium.
Kafir on June 24, 2010 at 6:58 PM
I’m guessing that Rush is right on this. They’ll continue to call it a withdrawal…but in reality, what we’ll see is some troops head home in July 2011 but no significant troop movement home otherwise.
powerpro on June 24, 2010 at 6:58 PM
The only reason any general would agree to a withdrawel date would be to get our military out of there instead of fighting a war the president wants to lose on purpose.
SouthernGent on June 24, 2010 at 6:59 PM
‘Transition’…like the definition of ‘is’.
HornetSting on June 24, 2010 at 6:59 PM
“Somebody go back and get a shitload of virgins.”
-Allah
Kafir on June 24, 2010 at 7:00 PM
“This is a big f**king deal” – Bite Me.
Electrongod on June 24, 2010 at 7:01 PM
No blood for lithium!/
Disturb the Universe on June 24, 2010 at 7:03 PM
May they all look like Helen Thomas.
bw222 on June 24, 2010 at 7:06 PM
Last time I checked Club Gitmo is still open.
Dire Straits on June 24, 2010 at 7:07 PM
What is the CIB, please?
Let’s hope that Rush is right about this.
I don’t want us to withdraw unless or until we’ve run the Taliban out of the country or 6 feet under!
We owe it to the fallen and those who’ve already sacrificed life and limb and we must continue to deny them Afghanistan as a safe haven for our own security.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 7:08 PM
Petraeus ’12!
*evil grin*
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Remember Rush is right 99.4% of the time. :)
Dire Straits on June 24, 2010 at 7:11 PM
Petraeus is going to throw COIN under the bus? That would be like Gore throwing AGW under the bus or the Pope throwing Catholicism under the bus..
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:13 PM
+1
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:15 PM
They run the Bagram rendition program like clockwork too.
the_nile on June 24, 2010 at 7:17 PM
Maybe you didn’t say it, but the Afghan people, President Karzai and the Taliban sure did hear it. That single statement about July 2011 has done more damage than any other single thing.
The Afghan people aren’t going to help us if they are not certain we are committed. They don’t get the nuance of American politics, they just heard a date we are getting out.
JohnInCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:18 PM
Plus I look for the ROE to get adjusted also.
Dire Straits on June 24, 2010 at 7:20 PM
Combat Infantryman Badge
baldilocks on June 24, 2010 at 7:21 PM
Building “relationships” was what McChrystalmeth was doing! Just how will Petridish do it any differently? Have our troops and the Goat fornicators reading delightful passages from the koran together? Beating woman together? Hang a few gays together? Maybe some of our troops can come home with 9 year old wives?
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:21 PM
I think Obama has already lost Afghanistan… Our guys are being needlessly killed.
What’s the mission as articulated by our dear reader? Anyone know.
tarpon on June 24, 2010 at 7:23 PM
Nope … and what I suspect is the mission is one I can’t get behind… Sad, real sad.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:26 PM
Patraeus has said time and again that withdrawal would be condition based.
Anyone know? Oh please. The idea that we can just run away from this fight and all will be well is absurd. Time and again we have tried that and time and again we have been dragged back in to the fight. Would you prefer we just surrender right now and get it over with?
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:26 PM
If you get your way American troops will be there until the Sun burns out.
How many more must die for such blind madness?
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:26 PM
Just don’t call the Messiah unprepared…
d1carter on June 24, 2010 at 7:27 PM
In other words, you didn’t really answer the question, per usual.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:28 PM
Wheras running away is something you can get behind? We have lost more cops in the inner cities of this country in the last 9 years than we have lost in Afghanistan…think we should abandon that territory as well?
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:28 PM
Next year? Obama’s up for re-election in 2012, not 2011. He’ll wait till 2012 to find a way to bug out of AFG and claim victory.
SlaveDog on June 24, 2010 at 7:29 PM
We need Afghanistan like Tipper needs Al.
Well not totally needlessly. They are dying for a number of people’s vanity.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:30 PM
“My way?”
A bi-partisan Congress voted to go there and stay there.
Does the name Operation Enduring Freedom ring a bell?
Why do you call it “blind madness?”
I call it national security and my own personal preferred version of “national health insurance.”
They found the remains of 72 more victims of 9/11 the other day at Ground Zero and the 9/11 were planned, funded and trained for in Afghanistan by Al Queda under the aegis of the Taliban.
We can win this war and had just about won it when Zerobama announced that we were withdrawing.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Not an answer just you huffing and puffing.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:31 PM
Whatever else Gen. Petraeus is he is a killer with a PhD. I see more “nuanced” ROI ahead with an appropriate balance of attractive carrots and a truly deadly stick. Mr. Obama from here on out cannot disparage the stick. That’s over if he ever wished to dial it back and if it comes to it. I’m guessing that Gen. Petraeus will send a message of moderation but merciless killing of those who need killing.
Mason on June 24, 2010 at 7:31 PM
So I guess the line that “Afghanistan was the right war that must be won” was crapola, huh?
powerpro on June 24, 2010 at 7:31 PM
You don’t really have a solid grasp of…even recent… history, do ya?
powerpro on June 24, 2010 at 7:33 PM
I trust Petraeus. Even if he publicly endorses Obama’s plan, if he feels they need more time he’ll make sure that’s known amongst those in control.
Quoth Thomas PM Barnett, Obama supporter, on Esquire:
amerpundit on June 24, 2010 at 7:33 PM
That an American would equate/value Afghan cities with American cities is simply astounding.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:33 PM
Per usual? Okay, I will just assume that you have been in a cave for the last several decades. I will assume that you have completely forgotten the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and AlQaida in the 90s after the US abandoned the region following the collapse of the Soviet Union. I will assume that it slipped your mind that we just lobbed a few cruise missiles at the country for years and that the refusal of the US to go after the enemy emboldened them and let them feel they could strike with impunity. Which they did. Embassies were destroyed, the World Trade Center was attacked. Khobar Towers was attacked. We were run out of Somalia and that of course inspired even more attacks as well. For years the US looked the other way, ignored the problem, hoped it would go away and it did not. It got worse.
So your solution of running and hiding has been tried and has been proven to be a complete failure.
The mission? To kill the enemy.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:34 PM
You do seem to have a reasonable grasp of vapid liberal debating tactics.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:36 PM
Puff puff puff
Really? Who’s the enemy? How can we kill a man-made disaster?
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:38 PM
No, it is not me just huffing and puffing, it is me reminding you that we went down that road before. I know that people like you think we can run away and nothing will change. Our embassies will not be attacked, our people will be safe abroad, etc. It is not so, if we abandon this we will be safe no where…and the vacuum that we will leave behind will be filled by the likes of Iran and Russia and China..and believe it or not, they don’t really give a damn about our well being..or anyone else’s either.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:38 PM
If there’s no change in the ROEs, and I pray there will be, kiss the AF-PAK campaign and any chance for victory goodbye.
And, ready the body bags.
TXUS on June 24, 2010 at 7:39 PM
Yeah, and I bet that 60 years ago you would have said the same thing about the Nazis and then the communists. Post modern rubbish.
We have a mission in that country that has been decided upon by Congress as well as NATO. It is not as if there is not any history there. You are just bored and assume that if we high tail it out of Afghanistan we will magically revert to 1992 or something. But then again, 1992 sucked too.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:41 PM
That is not Obama’s, McChrystal’s, and now Petraeus’s, mission.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:41 PM
I wouldn’t throw stones at anyone, Mr. Lives-in-a-glass-house.
You still haven’t explained why you toss off the topic of defense of this war as “blind madness.”
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 7:41 PM
Let’s ask the troops if they’d prefer: A) To have a presence in Afghanistan for several more years, or B) Have another 9/11-style attack on American soil.
They’re probably gonna go with “A” considering most didn’t attend the Neville Chamberlain School of International Relations.
amerpundit on June 24, 2010 at 7:41 PM
This might offend you, but F, NATO. Conservatives have always been leery of NATO … and for good reason. The broke Euros are deciding how/if/when they’ll cut some of their NATO budget, because they have to repair their bloated Welfare States. I wonder who will pick up the tab…
Anyway, yes, you know me, Terry. I share a bed with communists and Nazis. I’m evil. puff puff puff…
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:44 PM
You sound rather similar to Al Gore and his equating Global Warming skepticism with Holocaust denial. Hey ! I hear he may be looking for a new wife.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:44 PM
Actually I was equating the number of lives lost. For instance, I have been told that I am huffing and puffing because I actually acknowledge the history of the conflict in Afghanistan instead of pretending we all woke up one morning and discovered our military fighting a war there without any rhyme or reason…whatever. This is the part where the average liberal starts yammering about Viet Nam.
But the larger point is that we are being told that our men are dying needlessly in a protracted war…and I simply pointed out that a lot more of our young men die in the inner cities of this country..usually for drugs or some other ridiculous reason. But somehow a soldier dying in the service of his country is what you guys consider a waste.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:46 PM
You and Meathead have quite a little tag team going here don’t you?
Listen..I know that you want us to bail out on Afghanistan and that you could care less what mess we leave behind or what the long term consequences are. You are heavily invested in defeat. A couple of years ago all these arguments were used in Iraq…but that does not work any longer so it is time to move onto Afghanistan…whatever. I listened to liberals say for years that we took our eye off the ball in Iraq and failed to fight the good war…now of course they do not need to pretend to give a damn anymore.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:50 PM
How pathetic to hear Comrade Obamao refer to WWII as The Great Patriotic War.
Gang-of-One on June 24, 2010 at 7:50 PM
How about adding; or C) Have the sun go super nova?
Frankly you have violated just about every major rule of logic in the book.
BTW, 9/11 was mostly planned in Germany and America, and very few Al Q are still left in Afghanistan. Most are now in Pakistan. There may well be more AlQ in Dearborn than in Afghanistan.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:51 PM
You are not evil. You just do not know what your are talking about.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:51 PM
I ordered him to say that.
PootyPoot on June 24, 2010 at 7:53 PM
Hmmm… as opposed to you, the one that actually believes that Obama, and those that voted for him, really, really want to DESTROY our enemies in Afghanistan versus … at best … setting up a whole bunch of schools (where, no doubt, Jews should be stoned b/c they had it coming) and sending Karzai to rehab.
I know, I’m being over dramatic. The point is, one cannot win a war against Islamic Terrorism, by simply accommodating Islamists (while funding them). It’s by definition, a losing strategy. That’s how we’re fighting this war. Now, if you said, we go in and we totally crush our enemy and never even consider negotiating with the Taliban. Set up a secular Constitution. I might say we have a shot.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 7:55 PM
And why do you think AQ’s in Pakistan?
I don’t suppose it has anything to do with our military chasing them there and out of Afghanistan, huh?
And Pakistan has been working with us to go after them there (somewhat).
But since we’ve pulled back to the cities and declared that we’re withdrawing next summer, the Taliban and AQ, their brothers in arms, are working their way back into Afghanistan and now we must mount an offensive (or several) to kick them back out or ideally, kill them.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 7:55 PM
BTW, it was mostly planned in Afghanistan and if the US had taken out Osama a decade ago history might have been different. But never fear, if you have your way, we will get another chance, because they will be right back in there…after they have killed every Afghan that allied themselves with us.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:55 PM
Centuries? Um, no. Frankly, this same “we’ll be there forever” crap is the same thing I heard about Iraq before the surge. It’s old.
9/11 was carried out utilizing the resources of Al Qaeda, based in Afghanistan. The hijackers didn’t work at 7/11 to raise the funds and then send OBL a quick email in advance.
amerpundit on June 24, 2010 at 7:56 PM
I know President Palin will do this.
All we have to do is get to get Petraeus and our military to execute an effective holding pattern until she gets into office in 2013.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 7:58 PM
Petraeus is protecting our Nation, our People, our Troops and our Mission.
Although he was made to gulp down a pile of >>>>> Obama, he is upholding his Oath and his Duty. I will always respect this man because nothing could have been as difficult as having to stand with a 6 foot human turd. A human turd that insulted him, degraded him, derided him, assaulted him in print and in testimony. Called him a failure, despicable, killer.
Petreaus Stands for our Nation. I’m sure that he realizes that he’s standing in front of a 6’2″ turd, made up of jelly and if the turd heard a pop above his head he’d no doubt run away and Gen Petreaus would cover him.
Thank you, General Petraeus. Your dignity and humility will outlast that human turd that you are “reporting to”. God Bless You, Sir. And Thank You.
Key West Reader on June 24, 2010 at 7:58 PM
What the hell do you care? You don’t want to win it anyway. I remember when Reagan pulled out of Lebanon after our Marines were killed. And I remember Iran taking our people and somehow we let that go by. I can recall hundreds of attacks and thousands of deaths and all you can do is huff and puff and demand withdrawal.
You don’t have any answers.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 7:59 PM
We are heavily invested in victory which will not be found in extending the almost 9 year Afghan clusterfark another 9 years, or 90 years.
You are heavily invested in blind, un-reevaluating obsession.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 7:59 PM
I don’t want to win under your definition of “win.”
Now, if you had actually read what I wrote, you’d see that my definition of “win” is very much acceptable. You don’t have anything to say, so you start talking about your life experiences. Puff puff puff
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:01 PM
Palin would follow the advice of her military people, and I doubt very much if she would force people to adopt any constitution that they did not support or want. The truth is that it will take a long time to bring Afghanistan into the modern world.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:03 PM
Who here would like to crush the Taliban? AQ? Stop pandering to Muslim Extremists (which would include CAIR)? Set up rule of law (non-sharia, thankye very much)? And most importantly, defend the United States?
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:04 PM
Hmmmmmm
Terrye, what did we do with the Japanese?
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:04 PM
I agree.
As much as I dislike Islam in general, I can still live with Afghanistan having it in their constitution as long as they don’t allow shar’ia to be re-instituted as the law of the land.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:05 PM
I saw your definition, but guess what…if we pull out of there your definition means nothing because we will be gone, defeated, no one will trust us or fear us again.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:05 PM
“The entire COIN strategy is a fraud perpetuated on the American people,” says Douglas Macgregor, a retired colonel and leading critic of counterinsurgency who attended West Point with McChrystal. “The idea that we are going to spend a trillion dollars to reshape the culture of the Islamic world is utter nonsense.
Gore and Petraeus – very different but very much alike.
COIN is to Petraeus what AGW and An Inconvenient Truth is to Al Gore. They are both delusional.
For Al Gore it is “See no science, hear no science, speak no science, know no science”.
For David Petraeus it is “See no islam, hear no islam, speak no islam, know no islam”.
The Wrong Men, the Wrong Time, the Wrong War!
Get our troops out of Afghanistan now
We went to war in Afghanistan because the Taliban was providing shelter to al Qaida. But al Qaida’s leaders left long ago, and there’s no reason to suppose they’d ever go back, their current digs in Pakistan and Iran being more comfortable, more secure, and provide better access to international targets.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 8:05 PM
But what if, as Terrye suggests, we allow Afgahnistan to have a Constitution based in Sharia law? Is that winning? I personally hope (and don’t think) a President Palin would allow this.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:07 PM
Didn’t we allow them to set up a democracy under military rule?
Japan was different from Afghanistan because the Emperor did sign a formal surrender, something the Taliban hasn’t done.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:07 PM
Puffing, smoke again. You have no answers, again again again.
Either fight to win the right way or don’t even try, because caving to evil is wrong. Period.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:08 PM
Some of that is the culture. In Iraq they stated that their laws should not run counter to Islam, but then they required that a certain number of women be allowed seats in Parliament. Of course Iraq is a more secular and modern country anyway. We are not going to turn the Afghans into Methodists, but that is no reason to cede the entire country to the Taliban or their enablers in countries like Iran. It is not in our best interests to do that.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:08 PM
Me, either and I say that as a woman and because President-to-be Palin’s a woman.
The ones who get screwed the most under shar’ia are definitely the women.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:08 PM
Terrye is saying we shouldn’t force things on people. Do you believe we never forced things on Japan? I don’t.
MeatHeadinCA on June 24, 2010 at 8:08 PM
Safety`s off boys, watch your asses.
ThePrez on June 24, 2010 at 8:10 PM
Hving so many American troops in Afghanistan is very similar to the drunk looking for his lost car keys where the light is, rather than where the keys actually are.
Tav on June 24, 2010 at 8:10 PM
If I am huffing and puffing smoke, you are inhaling it. At least I acknowledge the fact that we need to win..you are willing to run away. Why bother to fight at all if we can just run away because you don’t like how the brass is doing things? And besides, you don’t have any real answers yourself. You say win…what exactly does that mean? Kill the enemy? When I said that you started yammering about me huffing and puffing.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:11 PM
You know what’s weird?
I think if I say anything on a blog or out loud, my voice will not be heard. So, I stay silent. Apathetic. Tired, but not defeated, but just tired. As if no matter what I do, no matter how loud I yell, no matter what I expose, no matter how hard I fight, nothing matters. It doesn’t matter that i waved flags in the streets, or helped to organize events, or tried to raise funds, or run backgrounds on fake candidates and expose them.
Nothing really matters. No matter what I say, it doesn’t seem to matter.
Bummah.
Key West Reader on June 24, 2010 at 8:11 PM
Interesting comparison, BTW, because Shintoism was their Islam at the time, if you will.
Same scenario with the Confederacy and slavery/states’ rights over federalism.
In both cases, the only way to get them to quit their poisonous ideology was their ignominious defeat and the absolute victory of the avenging forces.
We shouldn’t forget those 2 lessons of history when dealing with an ideologically motivated enemy.
“Winning hearts and minds” isn’t going to get us where we want to go.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:12 PM
Which makes absolutely no sense. After the Soviets left Afghanistan, so did the US. We said to hell with this, who needs it..look how that worked out. And if we just pull out again, it will be even worse.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:13 PM
THANK YOU! I’ll never hear “Biden” again without translating it to Bite Me. You can’t do better than that.
It’s Miller time…
karl9000 on June 24, 2010 at 8:14 PM
Well, we sure as hell did not run off and leave them to their devices did we? And you know what? There were cities to destroy in Japan, there was a military to defeat…it was not exactly the same thing. There is one comparison however, people said they would never change..but they did, didn’t they?
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:16 PM
They forced themselves into being A-bombed (twice).
Once their Emperor got on the radio and told them to surrender, it was all over not just for them but for Shintoism and Emperor-worship, too.
In that they started the war (just like the Taliban and AQ), it behooved us to make them lay down their arms decisively with a clear winner and a clear loser.
Bully on both FDR and Truman for making sure that happened.
It’s the “soft peace” of wars like Vietnam, Korea and WWI that you have to watch out for.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:16 PM
But we did win hearts and minds in Japan. We rebuilt Europe too.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:17 PM
It matters.
You matter.
Only the Devil wants you to think you don’t matter and that nothing you do matters because that’s when his evil can work the best.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:19 PM
I said we should be careful about forcing a particular kind of constitution on people..and in Japan after the war, after the cities were destroyed the Emporer had surrendered we spent years working with the Japanese people to establish a government in that country. And it has survived to this day. But like I said, if we had just given up and run off there would not have any success at all.
Terrye on June 24, 2010 at 8:20 PM
There ya’ go.
Only the Left wants to get everything backwards by winning hearts and minds first…and then victory slips away.
Look at what happened to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia after we left.
Ditto North Korea after the armistice, truce or whatever it was.
Jenfidel on June 24, 2010 at 8:21 PM
The best – still laughing
Tim_CA on June 24, 2010 at 8:58 PM
I respect the hell out of Patraeus, but damn, he can’t possibly think that timeline is a good idea.
B Man on June 24, 2010 at 9:49 PM
…it’s all schematics with Obama anyway….
……he can just do the same thing in Afghanistan that is being done in Iraq after the signing of the SOFA agreement.
…..leave tens of thousands of troops there and just call them “non-combat troops”.
…this is small potatoes compared to all the things his liberal base has given him a pass on.
Baxter Greene on June 24, 2010 at 9:52 PM
We are well beyond the time for despair. Obama is dumbing the military down to his level. The quickest – and only – way to win this war is to announce that we are staying as long as it takes.
Basilsbest on June 24, 2010 at 11:07 PM
If only that were the mission. Sadly, the current mission involves issuing medals for not killing the enemy.
Time to bring the men and women home until someone who takes this mission seriously is in charge. Otherwise, they’re just dying needlessly.
xblade on June 24, 2010 at 11:33 PM
What worries me is that I, nor do I think anyone else, can know for sure what Obama will do come “drawdown” time.
Maybe he is head-faking his base and actually wants a good ending in Afghanistan.
Maybe he is waiting for enough people to want out to give him cover to declare “victory” and leave.
Maybe he doesn’t care at all and is angry he has to deal with this when he really wants to focus on Domestic policy.
I guess we’ll find out, but I think it is significant that we don’t know where he is on this.
Aquateen Hungerforce on June 25, 2010 at 2:35 AM
Today cable news message from Obama Administration “We are drawing down” in July 2011, That doesn’t mean pulling out…..I don’t think we will be leaving Afghanistan any time in the near future. But there is something like 130,000.00 troops in theater right now it’s expensive to keep them in the field for long stretches of time so they will draw some down.
I think The July 2011 withdrawal date was just a political statement for the Obama Administration’s Leftest base. Given the recent article in Rolling Stone magazine, I don’t think they are buying it ;)
Dr Evil on June 25, 2010 at 8:59 AM
Rush could easily be right, but I’m thinking Oblahma is going to start gearing up support for his next Big Success after passing Obamacare. May not happen that soon (at least not the final order to get out of there), but there’s definite support building for ending the wars one way or another…and ending them now.
Yes, we don’t have the overcovered anti-Bushism element, but people are getting flat-out tired of the endless conflicts, and they are far too expensive in blood and money to put on the mental back burner for much longer.
Dark-Star on June 25, 2010 at 10:54 AM