Related: White House Leans Toward Sending More Than 30,000 Troops to Afghanistan
I never took this World lead item seriously, folks. Until I actually see us coming home and boots on American soil....
"Envoy dissents on troop boost; Ambassador to Afghanistan raises concerns" by Greg Jaffe and Scott Wilson, Washington Post | November 12, 2009
WASHINGTON - The US ambassador to Afghanistan sent two classified cables to Washington in the last week expressing deep concerns about sending more US troops to the country until President Hamid Karzai’s government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption and mismanagement that has fueled the Taliban’s rise, said senior US officials.
Karl Eikenberry’s memos were sent in the days leading up to a critical meeting yesterday between President Obama and his national security team to consider several options prepared by military planners for how to proceed in Afghanistan....
The last-minute dissent by Eikenberry, who commanded US troops in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, has rankled his former colleagues in the Pentagon - as well as General Stanley McChrystal, said defense officials.
Yeah, the LAST MINUTE S*** does smell!
McChrystal, the top US military commander in Afghanistan, has stated that without an increase of tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan in the next year, the mission there “will likely result in failure.’’
I have news for you, general: It ALREADY IS a FAILURE and ALWAYS WILL BE as long as WE ARE THERE!
Time to COME HOME and LEAVE THOSE PEOPLE ALONE!
If they want our reparations, fine, but other than that GET OUT!!!!!!
Eikenberry retired from the military in April 2009 as a senior general in NATO and was sworn in as ambassador the next day. His position as a former commander of US troops in Afghanistan probably will give added weight to his concerns.
Yeah, if you are military you are credible -- even though they lie all the time. If you are a concerned patriot who is a thinking person, well.... not credible to the MSM!
It will also likely fan growing doubts about US prospects for Afghanistan among an increasingly pessimistic public.
See?
Btw, MSM, we have gone BEYOND PESSIMISM into OUTRIGHT OPPOSITION!!!!!!
Although Eikenberry’s extensive military experience was one of the main reasons he was chosen by Obama for the top diplomatic job in Afghanistan, the former general had been reluctant as ambassador to weigh in on military issues. Some officials who favor an increase in troops said they were befuddled by last-minute nature of his strongly worded cables.
In his communications with Washington, Eikenberry has expressed deep reservations about Karzai’s erratic behavior and Afghan government corruption, particularly in the senior ranks, said US officials familiar with the cables.
Related: The Kennedy-Karzai Parallel
The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Karzai's Kin
That what and who you were thinking of, or.... ?
US officials were particularly irritated by a interview this week in which Karzai said that the West has little interest in Afghanistan and that its troops are there only for their own reasons. “The West is not here primarily for the sake of Afghanistan,’’ Karzai told PBS. “It is here to fight terrorism. The United States and its allies came to Afghanistan after September 11. Afghanistan was troubled like hell before that, too. Nobody bothered about us.’’
Oh, he's something!
First of all, we are there to BUILD and GUARD oil pipelines and the drug trade!!!!
As for the troubles before, WE were an INTEGRAL PART of that, America!!!!!
Had to give the Soviets their own Vietnam!
In the cables, Eikenberry also expressed frustration with the relative paucity of money set aside for spending on development and reconstruction this year in Afghanistan. Earlier this summer he asked for $2.5 billion in nonmilitary spending for 2010, a 60 percent increase over what Obama had requested from Congress. But the request has languished.
From what I read below, Obama has another $2.7 bil on the way, so....
The ambassador also has worried that sending tens of thousands of additional US troops would increase the Afghan government’s dependence on US support at a time when its security forces should be taking on more responsibility for fighting.
Wouldn't the "rebuilding" money be doing the same thing?
Eikenberry’s cables emerged as Obama huddled with his national security team yesterday in the White House to discuss options for how to proceed in Afghanistan that at a minimum would send 20,000 additional US troops.
Well, you KNOW WHERE the ESCALATING FLOOR is anyway, America.
Each is accompanied by precise troop figures and estimated annual costs of the additional deployments, which run into the tens of billions of dollars.
Which will last until the first boot hits the ground, remember?
That's what they said after the Iraq lies went sour, right?
Obama, who leaves today on a nine-day trip to Asia, has been seeking a middle ground, as his extended review has found his party largely opposed to expanding the eight-year war and revealed a philosophical division within his administration.
Yeah, right, whatever.
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See: Boston Globe Censorship: Troops Outnumber Taliban
Of course, when your REAL PURPOSE is OCCUPATION....
"President sending message with war buildup hesitancy" by Robert Burns and Ben Feller, Associated Press | November 13, 2009
Oh, what do you know, another message!
WASHINGTON - President Obama’s drawn-out decision-making on Afghanistan is sending messages. To the Afghan government: Clean up your act. To the Pentagon: I’m no rubber stamp. To the American public: More troops can’t be the sole answer.... in an increasingly unpopular war....
How about coming home then?
Obama, who is not expected to decide the Afghan matter until after he returns from Asia late next week, is considering options that include adding 30,000 or more US troops to take on the Taliban and associated insurgent groups in key areas of Afghanistan - and to buy time for the Afghan government’s inadequate and ill-equipped fighting forces to prepare to take over defense of their country....
I was just wondering if YOUR KIDS' LIFE and BLOOD was WORTH sending a "MESSAGE" and BUYING TIME, America!
Maybe you ought to be sending one to the warmonger-in-chief!
James Dobbins, who served as special envoy to Afghanistan during the Bush administration, said the Obama review “has gone on long enough and it is starting to create fissures’’ among his advisers....
Yeah, right, whatever!
That the only expert you MSM types could find?
A Bush administration retread? Like he has some credibility?
Update:
"Europe may send 5,000 troops to Afghanistan" by Robert H. Reid, Associated Press | November 14, 2009
But PROBABLY NOT!
The war-promoting, agenda-pushing, AmeriKan MSM reminds me of an adolescent kid wishing and wishing and hoping and hoping over (fill in blank yourself).
KABUL - Europe may send 5,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan, Britain’s prime minister said yesterday - affirming support for the NATO mission as the Obama administration nears a decision on increasing American troop levels.
Related: Gordie's Goofs
The announcement came as the Taliban struck again in the capital. A suicide car bomber blasted a US convoy near an American military base in Kabul, injuring nine American soldiers and 10 contract security guards. Three Afghans were killed in the attack - the biggest in Kabul in the last two weeks.
Oh, right, it's Saturday.
Related: One Day a Week War Report
Brown said the NATO strategy must be to encourage a greater role for Afghan forces so that international troops “can start coming home.’’
LISTEN to HIM!
Yeah TALKING about COMING HOME as he SENDS MORE TROOPS!!!
Oh, HAVEN'T YOU HEARD, Gordo?
Related: Breaking News: AmeriKan MSM Declares Afghanistan War Over
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