Watch the speech here. Here’s a transcript.
Does he want to pull out too fast? Too slow? Just right? Discuss.
President Obama charted a middle course Wednesday for ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, outlining a departure plan that will remove troops faster than his commanders had requested but more slowly than many of his political allies would like.
In a prime-time address from the White House, Obama said he will bring home 10,000 U.S. troops by the end of the year and 23,000 more by next summer, a withdrawal window that will conclude two months before voters decide whether to give him a second term. The first troops will leave Afghanistan next month.
What did the Republican candidates think?
There is no good time to pull out. So do it tonight.
Every day we are there, the worse we make it for some good person there.
The US motto should be, “First do no evil”.
And how many private contractors will be replacing all these troops?
It is time to admit that our 9/11 temper tantrum is over, and we made some bad decisions during that time.
If another attack happens, we shall be surgical in our precision, and we should extract the conspiritors without killing anyone (if possible).
If we can’t follow our own laws, which are the written expression of our principals, then we’ve sunk to the moral low ground.
Thats some powerful kool aid.
If only the USA could practice abstinence, they wouldn’t need to worry about pulling out at the right time.
What are there, 100,000 troops currently in Afghanistan?
~70,000 left after the “withdrawal”??
So when are the rest leaving??
Sounds more like Bush’s timeline…
Oh wait, I know!
They may be leaving Afghanistan by way of PAKISTAN!! (With a little stop-over. Just some “Sight seeing”.)
OB’s dead. The Taliban are reduced to running social media campaigns. I’d say that was a big “mission accomplished”. Time to saddle up and ride outta town.
Where was Ron Paul and the tea baggers when we initially went into Afghanistan? Oh that’s right. They were cheering and waving the flag. Where were they when Bush decided to go after Iraq? Weren’t they still cheering and waving the flag, calling those who disagreed traitor’s? My my, how things have changed.
Right Mr. Fusion. Paul was never for going into Iraq. Bringing the real conspirators to justice? Yes. That wasn’t Saddam. http://lewrockwell.com/orig/paul7.html
The country’s broke, yet we’re cutting maybe 20-30% expenses for our biggest “project”, and that estimation I’m sure is very generous. Fail. People don’t need to be accountants to see where this is going, and has been for some time.
I wish his father had “pulled out.”
Who cares what Obama says in a speech? Has he ever done what he says he would? No. Just ignore whatever this guy says and just see what he does.
Fusion being a hypocritical Moron again.
First, he criticizes others for saying ObamaCare, yet he cannot stop saying Teabagger.
Hypocritical Moron.
Second, the Tea Party didn’t start till 2009, not “when we initially went into Afghanistan”.
Moron’s Moron.
BTW, Moron Fusion, did you know the name for the Tea Party was created by The Atlantic and NPR? Of course not! Why? Because you’re a MORON.
Also, Moron Fusion, did you know the Tea Party started as a protest to overtaxation in New York State? That the Tea Party is all about Taxation?
No? That’s because YOU ARE A MORON!
Trying to do things with compromise is a bad idea. He should either withdraw all troops, or stay the plan. Large portions of two provinces have been stabilized, and lowering troops now risks those gains, and also makes it highly unlikely that they can successfully take the Eastern provinces on the border with Pakistan. They needed the extra year of troops.
“Last year, as President, I sent 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan. Next year, they will be removed. Leaving the remaining 70,000. But I’m the anti-war President, so it’s ok.” – Barack Obama.
I’ve read that 90+% of the Afghanistan economy is our money. We don’t seem to be able to fix this place. There is never going to be a good time to leave and we can’t cover the bills for staying.
We will betray people who trusted us when we leave but the bottom line is sooner or later our forces have to leave.
Just leave.
I believe, deowll, if we leave we won’t be betraying anyone.
We came in and got rid of the Taliban, established a government that’s heads and shoulders better than what they had, rebuilt their economy, etc.
Now the question is, do the Afghan people want these benefits enough to fight for them? The Taliban would NEVER be able to get a toehold in Afghanistan if the people fought to keep them out.
It’s now up to the Afghans.
Progress! Pulling out of Bush’s 2nd war and trillion dollar shithole. I suppose unemployment will go up by that much, which naturally the sheeple won;t be able to put two and two together.
pedro, please excuse Fusion. He’s a moron.
#24 What war in Libya?
The problem with all these wars is how we go in so light handedly and tippy toe around so gently. Nukes are just a tool and much cheaper than 100K troops and everything it takes to support them. “shock and awe” my ass – a few hundred megatons will create some shock and awe ( in a much more economical manner as well.)
Ok, I’ll follow up.
Definition of WAR
(1) a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations.
2: a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism: a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end.
(Sounds like Libya??)
3: Idiot, see Dallas.
Here is the best explanation of why we are in Libya!
“During his eight years in office, George Bush had ordered 45 drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas. In his less than three years in office, Obama, who is the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, has ordered more than two hundred. Kicking off his presidency, he ordered two drone strikes right on his third day in the White House. One of them killed a pro-government tribal elder and his extended family in Fata, including minor children. …
On June 12, speaking over Progressive Radio’s News Hour, McKinney said she witnessed non-military sites, such as hospitals, schools and homes bombed, which caused innumerable civilian casualties. Is destroying hospitals and universities part of the “humanitarian intervention” that the Nato forces have launched in Libya?
Evidently, the first phase of the invasion is to completely decimate Libya’s infrastructure, because only then could the second phase begin—the phase of the country’s reconstruction by Western companies, with the use of Libyan oil money. What we witness in Libya is a replay of the invasion of Iraq, minus the hoax of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction.”
http://thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=54097&Cat=9&dt=6/23/2011
YES! That’s it! Bomb the crap out of Libya and make them pay for the reconstruction!
Maybe Obama will get another peace prize…
#26 No troops, no guns, no war. I also surveyed most all the hot military boys at DFW where they were going. Nobody was heading to Libya. Stop watching Fox News.
We are not at war with Libya. We have never been at war with Libya.
Bush got a 70% approval for getting us IN TO this needless, bloody mess.
Obama should be getting a 90% approval rating from a grateful and relieved nation for getting us OUT of this quagmire.
Instead, he gets bickered to pieces by BOTH sides of the aisle.
We are not at war with West Libya, we are not at war with East Libya. We have always not been at war with East Libya.
Wow, the liberal stupidity on this blog is getting tiresome.
Fusion is a Moron.
Dallas is an idiot, and now
GregAllen is an imbecile.
For example:
“Obama should be getting a 90% approval rating … for getting us OUT of this quagmire.”
What an imbecilic thing to say.
First, Obama is simply withdrawing the troops HE PUT IN. No net change from when Bush was in charge. No real reduction AT ALL.
Second, did his “Surge” accomplish anything?
“In the 18 months Obama has been president, 557 Americans have died. That compares to 655 U.S. deaths in the eight years of the Bush administration. Compared another way, an average of 6.8 deaths occurred per month during the Bush years; the monthly average during Obama’s tenure is 30.9, more than four times higher.”
So, yes. Obama did accomplish having more good Americans die.
http://lakelandtimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&
Second, Obama is bombing the crap out of Libya for what reason?? See #28 above.
Third, he is only following Bush’s timeline!
http://politicsdaily.com/2009/12/03/afghanistan-the-obama-bush-exit-strategy/SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=11703
I don’t know which is more tiring, Obama and his corrupt dictatorial ways, or the Morons, Idiots, and Imbeciles who follow him.
#33 The surge avoided a Martian invasion. DO you see any Martians around? No.
#35 You simpletons need to have things explained in simple terms so you jay go away.
Like I said, Dallas is an idiot. See #34 for proof.
I have come to the inescapable conclusion that the vast majority of Liberals are Morons, Idiots, and Imbeciles.
The rest of the Liberals are those who take advantage of said Morons, Idiots, and Imbeciles for their political and economic advantage.