Gen. Petraeus will replace Gen. McChrystal June 23, 2010 Ed Lasky AP writes that "sources" tell it that General David Petraeus will replace Gen. McChrystal as commender of US forces in Afghanistan, in the wake of his nbeing relieved from duty by the President. How ironic that "General Betray Us." as Obama's pals in Moveon.Org called him, is coming to Obama's rescue. Cliff Thier adds: At least Obama didn't appoint a high-ranking commission of exceptionally well-regarded and nonpartisan human resources experts to analyze all of the possible options and then recommend to him what course of action he might first soberly consider before embarking on a thorough and complete decision-making process to reach the end-game regarding the possible ass-kicking of General McChrystal.
Does anyone seriously think that anything good, lasting or solvent will blossom from the war in Afghanistan at this point? Show of hands!!
Huh? Obama was a MAJOR advocate of the Afghan invasion. Are you unaware of his comments during his 2004 Senate race? When he said if Musharraf doesn't get serious fighting al Queda then we should bomb areas of Pakistan?
He ran on a foreign policy platform that called for the expansion of the war in Afghanistan President Obama has argued the troop surge in Iraq has caused the situation in Afghanistan to deteriorate.He says the United States should redeploy troops from Iraq to Afghanistan. He has said he would send at least two more combat brigades to Afghanistan and will "use this commitment to seek greater contributionsâwith fewer restrictionsâfrom NATO allies." He has also proposed an additional billion dollars in nonmilitary assistance per year, "with meaningful safeguards to prevent corruption and to make sure investments are madeânot just in Kabulâbut out in Afghanistan's provinces." Obama said in an October 2008 interview with TIME magazine that opportunities to negotiate with the Taliban should be "explored http://www.cfr.org/bios/11603/barack_obama.html#4
Obama owned it on 1/20/09. He knew what it was when he ran for office. They all do! GW Bush owned terrorism run amuck that he inherited from Clinton. Clinton owned what he inherited from daddy Bush, who I blame for all of it. He had the chance to destroy Saddam, and would have had world support to do it. Instead, he pussed out. Can anyone deny the region would have been a different place has we taken out Saddam and Iraq 20 years ago? The message would have been sent loud and clear to those countries which support terrorism, or the threat of terrorism. Leaving Iraq with nothing more than a bloody nose gave the green light to OSB, and the rest is history.
Better opium crops, now if we could just work on decriminalizing drugs we wouldn't be indirectly supporting the taliban on both sides of the world.
Bush and company should have finished what they started. Instead he allowed himself to get distracted and (I believe) cajoled into the Iraq mess (see Wolfowitz et al.). We should have pursued them into those hills, and short of that, leveled those hills to finish the job, using the same vigor and energy we used in Iraq. For all you deficit hawks, that's 1T we pissed away and added to our debt. That being said, man-up Obama and start being Presidential and stop pissing and moaning about all you inherited. It doesn't become you (never did).
Nonsense... CO. Since when is the time requirement for the incoming President to "own" his predecessors policies on inauguration day? Press generated? When did that foolish notion begin? It's a silly concept that I reject completely. Further, I know Barry was pro-war Afghanistan in his campaign. As was I at one point before Bush "the Dumber," ignored it for 3years while he dallied in Iraq and allowed the stupenous gains made by our boys to be lost in vain with another retreat, rearm and regroup by the Taliban. Now not only have we given then time cultivate their poppies and replenish their coffers but we given them time reeducate the villager to let them know what's what. McCrystal's impudence forced his resignation of his commission to Congress. The fact is that Barry owns Afghanistan now.