Jon Huntsman Criticizes Heavy U.S. Presence In Afghanistan: It's Not 'How We Ought To Be Responding'

[AndiMer]

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- Jon Huntsman may be stepping into the shoes of Haley Barbour and Mike Huckabee, becoming a top-tier candidate skeptical of current U.S. foreign policy and calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"In terms of foreign policy, we have a generational opportunity, George, to reset our position in the world," Huntsman said in an interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Friday on "Good Morning America." "And it must be done based upon our deployments in all corners of the world, wherever we find ourselves, how affordable those deployments are, whether it's a good use of our young men and women. Whether it's in our core national security and interest. We're fighting an enemy that is far different than any we have got before. It's a nontraditional kind of war, and I think we need to step back, recalibrate how we go about protecting our borders and protecting our people, and resetting our position in the world."

On Afghanistan, Huntsman did not specify an exact withdrawal date, although he expressed skepticism that having 100,000 U.S. troops on the ground there was the best decision.

"I would tell you that we have to evaluate very carefully our presence in Afghanistan," he said. "And my inclination would be to say that it is a heavy and very expensive presence we have on the ground. That at a point in time where we need to be looking at our asymmetrical threats, what we have in Afghanistan today is not consistent with how we ought to be responding."




Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/20/jon-huntsman-a...

---

And this guy knows what he's talking about, cuz he could SEE Afghanistan from the front porch of our embassy in Beijing!

[randr]

1. Withdrawal from Afganistan will weigh heavy in the next election

Obama needs to come through with some promises soon.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Does this qualify as LBN?

That some Republicon would-be candidate ran his mouth on TV to criticise the President?

I think it's pretty damn thin gruel to be labeled as 'news.'

[Keith Bee]

4. I disagree

When a likely GOP contender speaks on a major issue less than a year before primary season, how isn't it news?

[SpiralHawk]

6. "Yuppers. Our utterances is totally news." - The Newtie (R)

"I did not have wanton exorbitance with that jewlery store. Tiffany's. Oh yeah, and another thing, Obama is totally a socialist muslin wanker dude. Any news outlet that FAILS to report my important & relevant pre-election trashing of the Demo-Lib Prexy is obviously bi-assed."

- The Newtie (R)

[Keith Bee]

8. If Randy Savage's death is news,

then so is this.

[provis99]

3. dandy.

So once again, I agree with a Republican on foreign policy in Afghanistan, and disagree with our Democratic president. When will the world make sense?

[AtomicKitten]

5. Huntsman is desperately trying to get some distance between himself and Pres O.

Huntsman also came out fully in support of ending Medicare.

So there's that.

[Iliyah]

7. Remember the last election

in 2010? People who vote against their own interest y'think would learn.

These wars are ending, maybe not as fast as some would want. I trust this president, I do not trust gopers. Leave it up to them we will at war forever, y'know, unfortunately war is a profit maker.