Obama's Afghan Speech

Besides the utter hypocrisy in giving a speech that I think Bush or John McCain gave, I really have to give Obama high marks for his speech. I liked it. I have several problems with some of the details, but I think he walked a fine line and walked it well.

I think someone on the radio summed it up best: Obama pissed off the ultra-left and ultra-right and if you can do that you are probably doing something right. Amen.

Full speech

War-Monger: Obama doubles Afghan War

President Obama will outline Tuesday his intention to send an additional 34,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials and diplomatic sources briefed Monday as Obama began informing allies of his plan.

The new deployments, along with 22,000 troops he authorized early this year, would bring the total U.S. force in Afghanistan to more than 100,000, more than half of which will have been sent to the war zone by Obama.

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Of all the broken campaign promises this seems to be the most dangerous.

Let's face the facts people: The Iraq War troop surge of 2007 added approx 24,000 troops.

(In 2007 Bush ordered the deployment of more than 20,000 soldiers into Iraq, five additional brigades, and sent the majority of them into Baghdad.^[2] He also extended the tour of 4,000 Marines already in the Anbar Province area.)

In 10 months Obama will have ordered 56,000 troops into a war zone.

Not only has Obama double the size of the Afghan War, but he more than doubled The Bush Iraq Surge!!!

An Open Letter to President Obama from Michael Moore

An Open Letter to President Obama from Michael Moore

Dear President Obama,

Do you really want to be the new "war president"? .....

UK Defense Sec: Obama to blame for Afghanistan

Bob Ainsworth, the defence secretary, has blamed Barack Obama and the United States for the decline in British public support for the war in Afghanistan

Mr Ainsworth took the unprecedented step of publicly criticising the US President and his delays in sending more troops to bolster the mission against the Taliban.

A “period of hiatus” in Washington - and a lack of clear direction - had made it harder for ministers to persuade the British public to go on backing the Afghan mission in the face of a rising death toll, he said.Mr Ainsworth took the unprecedented step of publicly criticising the US President and his delays in sending more troops to bolster the mission against the Taliban.

Senior British Government sources have become increasingly frustrated with Mr Obama’s “dithering” on Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph disclosed earlier this month, with several former British defence chiefs echoing the concerns.

“We have suffered a lot of losses," he said. "We have had a period of hiatus while McChrystal's plan and his requested uplift has been looked at in the detail to which it has been looked at over a period of some months, and we have had the Afghan elections, which have been far from perfect let us say.

“All of those things have mitigated against our ability to show progress... put that on the other side of the scales when we are suffering the kind of losses that we are."

Warmonger: Obama's Afghan Plan: About 40K More Troops...

Obama's Afghan Plan: About 40K More Troops...

(from CBS, a real news source)

Tonight, after months of conferences with top advisors, President Obama has settled on a new strategy for Afghanistan. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports that the president will send a lot more troops and plans to keep a large force there, long term.

The president still has more meetings scheduled on Afghanistan, but informed sources tell CBS News he intends to give Gen. Stanley McChrystal most, if not all, the additional troops he is asking for.

Obama: The Vietnam moment...

Obama: The Vietnam moment...

Obama strategy: Marginalize most powerful critics

President Obama is working systematically to marginalize the most powerful forces behind theRepublican Party, setting loose top White Houseofficials to undermine conservatives in the media, business and lobbying worlds.

With a series of private meetings and public taunts, the White House has targeted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest-spending pro-business lobbying group in the country; Rush Limbaugh, the country’s most-listened-to conservative commentator; and now, with a new volley of combative rhetoric in recent days, the insurance industry, Wall Street executives and Fox News.

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This article was highlighted on Meet the Press today.

NBC uber-libs including Joe Scarborough and Tavis Smiley all agreed that:

1. Great presidents aren't born, they are made. They are made by being held accountable. And that is what Fox is doing and that is why other outlets are following their lead.
2. The strategy of marginalization is not working. FoxNews ratings are through the roof.
3. Taking on your critics is nothing new. All Presidents do it. But Obama is doing it very publicly and too directly. Also, Obama promised to be above this and to change the politics of Washington.

The panel continued by saying that he has been wishy washy.

A fascinating final point... Obama's brought on his current health care problems when he bullied through the Stimulus. By passing a $1 trillion stimulus with no bi-partisan support he put his Administrations credibility on the line and there is no results that back up his promises.

Some points on Afghanistan:

1. Obama is "dithering" on troop increases
2. Obama called this war a "war of necessity"
3. Obama removed the commander in Afghanistan and replaced him with McChrystal
4. Obama is publicly not supporting McChrystal (who he appointed as part of his new strategy)
5. Our allies are supporting the McChrystal plan

I have to say Meet the Press was very balanced and the liberals we actually holding him accountable.

After all that apologizing...

After all that apologizing...

Palestinians: Hopes in Obama have 'evaporated'...

RUSSIA: New US missile plan raises 'questions'...

Russia Signals Opposition to New Sanctions Against Iran... --> But I thought they supported sanctions???

China Warns Against Use of Force in Carrying Out Sanctions... --> I thought China supported us too?

Russia says no Iran sanctions in exchange for nuclear deal with Washington...

So what will Barack do when he has exhausted all of his apologizing and rhetoric and intelligence ?

Oh yeah... War Monger: Obama 15,000 More for Afghan War

The bottom line is that Russia, China (and definitely Iran, Venezuela and North Korea) are not going to give a crap about who is in charge, or how much they apologies.

Oh and this is great news!:

Russia to Peek at U.S. Nuke Sites

Plan would allow Russia to count American weapons, in most intrusive inspection progam U.S. has ever accepted

War Monger

War Monger

Obama 15,000 More for Afghan War

In an unannounced move, President Obama is dispatching an additional 13,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan beyond the 21,000 he announced in March, according to a published report.

The troop increase approved by Obama brought the level of U.S. forces deployed in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters to a total greater than during the peak of the surge in Iraq in late 2007 and early 2008.

Obama: Stuck between himself and a hard place

The war in Afghanistan:

Notice the dramatic increase in casualties when

Obama started vacillating on America's commitment?

Obama: "We have seen Afghanistan worsen, deteriorate. We need more troops there. We need more resources there ... I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan."

In Iraq: Effects of the surge on military causalties

In Iraq: Effects of the surge on civilian causalities

GATES SAYS TALIBAN HAS MOMENTUM BECAUSE OF U.S., ALLIES INABILITY TO PUT ENOUGH TROOPS IN...

PAPER: Obama furious at Gen. McChrystal speech on Afghanistan...

Divide in White House on Afghanistan

POLITICS: TROOP BUILD-UP IN AFGHANISTAN MAY BE GAINING FAVOR...

Obama: "So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That is the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: we will defeat you. "

"To achieve our goals, we need a stronger, smarter and comprehensive strategy. To focus on the greatest threat to our people, America must no longer deny resources to Afghanistan because of the war in Iraq. "

"So let me be clear: al Qaeda and its allies - the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks - are in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

"I do not ask for this support lightly. These are challenging times, and resources are stretched. But the American people must understand that this is a down payment on our own future - because the security of our two countries is shared. Pakistan's government must be a stronger partner in destroying these safe-havens, and we must isolate al Qaeda from the Pakistani people."

"There is an uncompromising core of the Taliban. They must be met with force, and they must be defeated."

"But we must never forget. This is not a war of choice," he told the VFW crowd. "This is a war of necessity. Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again."

Update:

Frustration Grows as Obama Seeks Afghanistan Strategy

How Bush-like: Senate Passes Pentagon Budget, War Funding

Reassessing Obama's 'war of necessity'

You heard it here: Obama: No plans for additional troops