Obama, national security team finalize Afghanistan troop plan

[laststeamtrain]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Obama, national security team finalize Afghanistan troop plan

By Jonathan S. Landay, John Walcott and Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers 1 hr 14 mins ago

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan , U.S. officials told McClatchy .

Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1 , followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.

The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn't originate in the White House .

They said the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan , Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal , could arrive in Washington as early as Sunday to participate in the rollout of the new plan, including testifying before Congress toward the end of next week. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry also are expected to appear before congressional committees.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20091124/wl_mcclatchy/3363833

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. should be pulling troops out

[Libertas1776]

2. Get ready for

a huge disappointment aka Vietnam 2

[napi21]

3. I don't like it, but I'm willing to wait to hear his end game plan.

He said that's what he wanted from the Generals and I assume he got it. I also hope the Dems in Congress push for higher taxes to pay for it! That's how we got into this mess! If we had taxed people higher to pay for both Afghan & Iraq, my guess is that neither war would be still going on!

[placton]

43. seriously?

what are you waiting to "hear"? My god, take off the pom poms and recognize this guy as what he is - Bush Lite. Really, are you for more war as our economy goes down the drain?

[kenny blankenship]

4. When's the march?

Or is it scheduled yet?

[tom_paine]

5. I love that Cheney's personal assassin and very likelythe man who made possible Pat Tillman's murder

is Obama's Top Guy in Bushistan.

makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over with feelings of change.

[earcandle]

6. ouch.

[pjt7]

7. Game over US.

eom

[boppers]

8. /facepalm

You don't like the guy whose policy was killing less people?

Firing less bullets?

Treating people with respect?

Read up:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/216237/

I'd also appreciate counter links, sounds like you might have some other perspectives for me to think about.

[ronnie624]

45. That article doesn't even mention Camp Nama

and McChrystal’s central role in the torture scandal. It's a fawning piece of propaganda designed to manufacture support for an escalation of U.S. military intervention.

Progressives see through the "war on terror" wrapping of what is really a war for strategic advantage and control over energy resources.

[boppers]

46. Links?

Camp Nama wasn't even on my radar, though I do know McChrystal was in black ops....

I'm not sure what a True Scotsman would think, but I know the logical fallacy when I see it.

[tom_paine]

47. The logical fallacy that Bush-Loyal Officers and Henchpersons still control

the military from top to bottom?

Or are you asserting that Tillman, murdered with 3 American bullets to the forehead in a tight pattern that emails revealed during investigation (several years after their initial suppression by authorities) were far too tight to have been accidental? Maybe it was the gleefully crowing emails, also revealed (as usual) many years too late, that showed McChrystal's staff exulting over the successful suppression of the investigation (at least long enough for it to fall down the memory hole of irrelevance).

Or are you asserting that his journal and body armor weren't burned within something like 48 hrs.? Destruction of evidence bythose in authority, of course, is NEVER a cause for raised suspicions, since people in authority, especially Bush-Loyal Courtiers-and Retainers, ALWAYS behave with 100% probity.

As for links, they are all over...I'm tired of doing people's reserach for them. Do your own research.

[boppers]

52. Henchpersons?

Is every military officer suspect? You want them to swear a loyalty oath to Obama or something?

As far as the Tillman fuckup, it looks like a damn shame, with McChrystal taking steps to reduce it.

[laststeamtrain]

48. McChrystal was Cheney's Chief Assassin

Published on Saturday, May 16, 2009 by Press TV
McChrystal was Cheney's Chief Assassin
by Press TV

Seymour Hersh says that Dick Cheney headed a secret assassination wing and the head of the wing has just been named as the new commander in Afghanistan.


In an interview with GulfNews, (the Persian Gulf's largest daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates) on May 12, 2009 Pulitzer prize-winning American investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh, said that there is a special unit called the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) that does high-value targeting of men that are known to be involved in anti-American activities, or are believed to be planning such activities.

According to Hersh, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) was headed by former US vice president Dick Cheney and the former head of JSOC, Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal who has just been named the new commander in charge of the war in Afghanistan.

McChrystal, a West Pointer who became a Green Beret not long after graduation, following a stint as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, is currently director of Staff at the Pentagon, the executive to Joint staff to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Most of what General McChrystal has done over a 33-year career remains classified, including service between 2003 and 2008 as commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, an elite unit so clandestine that the Pentagon for years refused to acknowledge its existence. ... http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/05/16

[boppers]

50. Oh, JSOC.

*shrug*

Sorry, old news is not worth being ruffled about. It's so "secret" now that it's in Wikipedia!

[cali]

9. Obama plans to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan

Source: McClatchy




WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy.

Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.

The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn't originate in the White House.

They said the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, could arrive in Washington as early as Sunday to participate in the rollout of the new plan, including testifying before Congress toward the end of next week. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry also are expected to appear before congressional committees.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/79380.html

[NC_Nurse]

10. I hope it's not true.

:(

[DesertDiamond]

12. By coincidence, just 3 minutes ago I posted a letter to the Pres telling him about the rumor

that he was leaning toward sending more troops to Afghanistan, and that it must surely be a false rumor. I continue to hope it is a false rumor. Absolutely this MUST not happen!

[No Elephants]

11. Change we can bereave in. (Phrase stolen from TexasObserver).

"Changiness" works, too.

If our goal were crushing the damned Taliban, I'd feel a bit better about this, but, as it turns out, we're partnering with the Taliban.

And how about Pakistan? Or Bayonne, NJ?


Al Qaida here, Al Quaida there, Al Qaida everywhere.


Bush Cheney infuriated me. Obama Biden make me weep for my country. So much for hope.

[theHandpuppet]

34. Poverty and ignorance right here at home...

... are the greatest threats this nation is facing. But rather than invest the necessary monies in eduction, housing and jobs, it's being sent overseas to fund endless wars.

[clixtox]

13. More "Chains you can believe in"!

Vietghanistan! War crimes are us! Mass murder of innocents. No finite, concrete goals or timetable for exiting.

Follow the money, as always!

Oil pipeline construction, secret profits from heroin wholesaling, and gross profiteering by the Military-Industrial-Banking Fascists are the only sensible explanations for this horrendous folly.

$400/gallon for gasoline in Vietghanistan might indicate to everyone why we aren't ever leaving until we are eventually driven out inch by inch.

There is a lot of profit built into $400/gallon gasoline, obviously.

Our USA government is a criminal enterprise, no more, no less!

[midnight]

14. This better not be true!

[NeoConsSuck]

15. I'm sure

the Nobel Peace Prize committee is having buyer's remorse.

[bluestateguy]

16. I suspect that my days at DU are numbered

because I am inclined to support this, and I suspect that I will be chased out of here by critics for doing so.

One forgets that Obama never promised to disengage from Afghanistan in the campaign, and troop increases were hinted at all last year if you read between the lines of his campaign speeches.

[shotten99]

17. I'm inclined to agree with you.

There is no surprise by this decision. Quite frankly, had Cheney not dithered in Afghanistan for nearly a decade, this wouldn't be necessary.
We broke it. We bought it.

[katkat]

20. bluestateguy

Where do you suggest we get the money to pay for this?

And what do you expect the US to accomplish there that's as important as paying for healthcare of US citizens and creating jobs here and helping people here keep their homes?

I didn't buy it. I ain't paying to fix previous administrations disastrous foreign policy mistakes.

[bluestateguy]

26. I would fully support David Obey's idea of a war tax on the rich

nt

[pjt7]

31. Why should the top-earners pay for this?

Tax the miltary industrial complex.

Halliburton has changed their HQ to Dubai, to avoid paying their share of taxes.

[shotten99]

37. We as Americans bought it, whether or not we supported Bush

Whether or not we supported Bush isn't the point. We can't simply untangle ourselves from all of his mistakes by snapping our fingers.

[katkat]

41. no, I didn't buy it

I protested against it, let BushCo pay for it.

[katkat]

40. war tax on the rich

Still waiting to hear the answers to my other questions.

And i would prefer to tax the rich for healthcare.

[saigon68]

22. Don't fret

The marching won't happen right away. The Upcoming Depression will run the Fascist War mongers from office.

[shadowknows69]

18. No surprise. Met two soldiers recently that said it was already written in stone.

Before the whole "will he, won't he" parlor game we've been viewing. Congrats Mr. President. You just became LBJ.

[Kshasty]

19. He seems to forget about his Nobel peace prize

[dhpgetsit]

21. I'm not surprised. Just disappointed.

I fear it will be the factor that finally pushes the US into third world status.

[KillCapitalism]

23. This will not end for a LONG time!

What will eventually happen is that we will have to leave just like the Soviets did without accomplishing much.

They could only last 10 years there because the way their economy was, they could not massive deficits for years. There will come a time when we cannot afford to stay in Afghanistan, but I'd venture to say that won't be until 15 or 20 years from now. Nice to know that our president's #1 agenda is this BS instead of jobs. When it comes to Afghanistan we got more of the same instead of change.

[saigon68]

24. Camp Lejeune gets a $3 billion revamp

The there's This



http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/11/marine_lejeune_112109w/


CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — It’s easy to look around this base and find buildings that date to the early 1940s.

At that time, the Corps’ premiere East Coast base was abuzz with construction. Crop fields and forests thick with pine trees were being replaced by office buildings, barracks, chow halls and training facilities. The base hasn’t seen another building boom like it — until now.

More than $1 billion worth of construction is underway at Lejeune, and soon several modern facilities will exist among the base’s more than 188 historic buildings. All told, the base has received $3 billion for construction that’s funded through 2012. An overview of current and future projects:

Barracks
About two-thirds of Lejeune’s 94 barracks were built at least 20 years ago. Through 2012, several will be renovated, and new ones will be built, including five at Camp Geiger. By 2015, the base will have about 150 barracks, according to Nina McBroom, director of Lejeune’s Bachelor Housing Division.

Chow halls
About 5.6 million meals are served each year at Lejeune’s 12 chow halls. Plans call for consolidating dining rooms by closing older chow halls and building at least two new ones that are more centrally locate

[AzDar]

25. If this were to be true, when do we start to chant ?

"Hey, Hey... BHO, How Many More Will Have To Go?"


By the way, according to John Krakauer's new book "Where Men Win Glory", Gen. McChrystal is a loyal Cheney-bot. :puke:

[Demit]

27. Mr. Split-the-Difference.

The plan adopted by Obama would fall well short of the 80,000 troops McChrystal suggested in August as a "low-risk option" that would offer the best chance to contain the Taliban-led insurgency and stabilize Afghanistan.

It splits the difference between two other McChrystal options: a "high-risk" approach that called for 20,000 additional troops and a "medium-risk" option that would add 40,000 to 45,000 troops.

There are 68,000 U.S. troops and 42,000 from other countries in Afghanistan. The U.S. Army's recently revised counterinsurgency manual estimates that an all-out counterinsurgency campaign in a country with Afghanistan's population would require about 600,000 troops.



Seems like the worst of all possible worlds. And why not the full 40,000 troops? Does he think that subtracting 6,000 accomplishes something? Or maybe that's a reflection of how overstretched our military is. Maybe they're hoping the lousy economy forces 6,000 more suckers into the service. This doesn't bode well.

[bdamomma]

28. oh crap, I hope this is not true, this is a big mistake.

and four more soldiers died yesterday, what a waste of life.

[Steerpike]

29. How is this needed?

What are our goals? A "War of necessity?"...Please Mr. President explain to the country what you expect to accomplish?

This can't be real.

[beyond cynical]

30. Just doing what he said he would do...

"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."

http://www.barackobama.com/2007/08/01/the_war_we_need_t...

[pjt7]

33. This is a proud

day for the Heroin king-pins.

[nyc 4 Biden]

32. I hope Obama watched Bill Moyers Journal this week.

The show aired audio of LBJ contemplating his dilemma in Vietnam.

I would think this might lead Obama to second guess a decision to escalate in Afghanistan.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

35. I'll give Pres. Obama the benefit of the doubt until he actually makes his decision known.

However, I'm already prepared to be disappointed by the announcement.

I don't see this ending well for anyone other than the ones making a profit from continuous war.

I really do wish that justice would prevail and that Cheney, Rumsfeld, the Chimp and all of the other people responsible for this disaster would actually be facing trial at some point in the not too distant future.

It'll never happen though.

[RDANGELO]

36. We need a war tax and a draft.

Sending the same young men into combat over and over again is a human rights violation. It's wrong plain and simple.

[katkat]

42. draft

If you're advocating a draft (which I oppose under that what if they gave a war and nobody came theory) you can;t just draft "young men." Also draft women and middle aged people, the latter as they finally had to do in WWII. Spread the draft around and see how fast a war mongering Pres gets tossed out of office. First up Jenna et al.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

53. The first round of the draft should always be family of the congress critters

who voted "Aye."

Always.

[zelta gaisma]

38. I'm hoping ...

he pulls all the troops out of Iraq if he's sending more to Afghanistan, and I hope the Whitehouse goes after this leak they *admitted* they were doing wrong.

[marshall]

39. The middle path?

34,000 is not a small number, though it is significantly less than the 40,000 the general asked for (though he likely padded his request knowing he wouldn't get it all, just like somebody making an offer on a house).

It's fewer enough that Obama can point to a lessening of the build up, but it's a big enough number that the war mongering right can't say he's not doing anything.

[showpan]

44. Same policies, same people

He's obviously part of the new deal. Look at what he's done so far and tell me he's not an advocate of the New World Order. Corporate welfare, corporate health care, corporate trade agreements, Patriot Act, perpetual war, amnesty is coming and half of GW's people are still there directing him on the same old failed policies. More layoffs are coming because We've been punked again. The New Deal (collapse) is just on the horizon, just a little more push, it's almost there.

[martymar64]

49. More meat for the grinder

We'll remember this is 2012 when we're still in Afghanistan and you're requesting yet another troop increase.

I smell a one-termer.

[excess_3]

51. a surge ........ of death /nt