http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/WorldNewsArticle.htm?src=w112475A.xmlWASHINGTON - Signalling an imminent decision on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region.
The president said he would announce his decision on how many additional soldiers to deploy to Afghanistan after Thanksgiving, or Thursday, a national holiday.
The White House is aiming for an announcement by Obama next week, either Tuesday or possibly Wednesday, in a national address. Congressional hearings will follow immediately.
Military officials and others expect Obama to settle on a middle-ground option that would deploy an eventual 32,000 to 35,000 additional U.S. forces to the 8-year-old conflict. That rough figure has stood as the most likely option since before Obama's last large war council meeting early this month, when he told military planners to rearrange the timing and composition of some of the deployments.
This is what he promised in his campaign platform located here:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/foreign_policy/side_by_side_comparison/index.phpBarack Obama will refocus our efforts on Afghanistan. He has a comprehensive strategy to succeed in Afghanistan with at least two more U.S. combat brigades, more resources and training for the Afghan Army, and a comprehensive development strategy.
His address to the nation next week which likely will escalate American involvement in Afghanistan is PRECISELY what he promised to do during the 2008 campaign. Only someone who didn't listen to him would think otherwise. Indeed, one of his basic arguments on foreign policy was that Shrub diverted attention to a needless war on Iraq while he, our president and commander in chief if he were lucky enough to assume those roles, would withdraw from Iraq and focus on winning the war in Afghanistan that should have been the primary focus in the first place because after all, as he hammered Shrub and Mccain over, it was AQ that attacked America on September 11, 2001. Not Saddam Hussein! He promised to make things right in Afghanistan.
Indeed, I remember his August 1, 2007 major foreign policy campaign address well. It is when I solidified my support for him.
In this speech, he promised to win the Afghanistan war:
http://www.barackobama.com/2007/08/01/the_war_we_need_to_win.phpAn extended snippet:
Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan. Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need—and deserve. As a result, parts of Afghanistan are falling into the hands of the Taliban, and a mix of terrorism, drugs, and corruption threatens to overwhelm the country.
As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and support NATO's efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.
We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid, and increased international support to develop the rule of law across the country.
Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan following Soviet withdrawal. As 9/11 showed us, the security of Afghanistan and America is shared. And today, that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan.
Al Qaeda terrorists train, travel, and maintain global communications in this safe-haven. The Taliban pursues a hit and run strategy, striking in Afghanistan, then skulking across the border to safety.
This is the wild frontier of our globalized world. There are wind-swept deserts and cave-dotted mountains. There are tribes that see borders as nothing more than lines on a map, and governments as forces that come and go. There are blood ties deeper than alliances of convenience, and pockets of extremism that follow religion to violence. It's a tough place.
But that is no excuse. There must be no safe-haven for terrorists who threaten America. We cannot fail to act because action is hard.
As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.
I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.
To conclude, President Obama is about to fulfil one of the central tenets of his foreign policy strategy as outlined in the 2007-2008 campaign. I whole-heartedly support him, the commander-in-chief and President of the United States, and the troops that he commands, as they embark on this mission which will hep to make the terrorists even weaker and set the stage for Afghanistan to join the community of democracies.
Further support here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/27/AR2009032700836.htmlPresident Obama introduced his new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday with a threat assessment familiar from the Bush administration. "The terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks," he said, are continuing to devise plots designed to "kill as many of our people as they possibly can."
Elements of the Obama plan to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" al-Qaeda in Pakistan and vanquish its Taliban allies in Afghanistan also struck notes from the past. More U.S. troops, civilian officials and money will be needed, he said. Allies will be asked for additional help, and local forces will be trained to eventually take over the fight. Benchmarks will be set to measure progress.
I say well done and I support you Mr. President! As I support you on so many other things while others waiver. Next week's announcement is simply the culmination of what he has promised to do which is to re-focus the U.S. on the REAL War, not Bush/Cheney's fantasy wars.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
