Related: McChrystal apologizes for article
"Remarks put general’s job in peril; McChrystal ordered to White House following criticism of top officials" by Bryan Bender and Susan Milligan, Globe Staff | June 23, 2010
WASHINGTON — Army General Stanley A. McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, returns to the White House today with his job in jeopardy, as he faces a grilling from President Obama over disparaging comments he and his aides made about the president, vice president, and other political leaders.
The comments, printed in an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine, were roundly denounced in Washington yesterday as a glaring breach of military protocol, if not outright insubordination by a key commander of US troops abroad.
The distracting drama — at the height of a crucial summer campaign against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan — triggered a number of calls for McChrystal’s immediate removal from command. Names of possible replacements began circulating on Capitol Hill.
But some members of Congress took a more noncommittal approach, including Senator John F. Kerry, even though criticism of him by an unnamed McChrystal aide was included in the article.
A White House spokesman, describing Obama as “angry’’ about the comments, hinted strongly yesterday that McChrystal’s job was on the line, saying “all options are on the table.’’
***********
McChrystal was returning to Washington for today’s meeting amid increasing questions about slow progress in the war, including the possibility that a deadline of July 2011 that Obama set to begin reducing troop levels is unrealistic.
In the Rolling Stone article, McChrystal and his staff, who granted unusual access to Michael Hastings, a freelance reporter, are depicted as openly disdainful of Biden; Richard C. Holbrooke, the special envoy to Afghanistan; and James L. Jones, the president’s national security adviser.
“Are you asking about Vice President Biden,’’ McChrystal said laughing, as described in the article. “Who’s that?’’
“Biden?’’ an aide interjects. “Did you say: Bite me?’’
At another point, McChrystal makes clear his dislike of Holbrooke, a career diplomat. “Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke,’’ he is quoted as saying while checking his BlackBerry. “I don’t want to open it.’’
At another point, an aide refers to Jones, a retired Marine Corps general, as a “clown’’ who is “stuck in 1985.’’
Some of the criticism is also directed at Obama, including comments by an unnamed McChrystal adviser who talks about the first meeting between McChrystal and the president.
“It was a 10-minute photo-op,’’ the adviser is quoted as saying. “Obama clearly didn’t know anything about him. Here’s the guy who’s going to run his [expletive] war, but he didn’t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.’’
Members of Congress, including Kerry, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who has played an influential role in fashioning administration policy, are also criticized by McChrystal’s inner circle. They “turn up, have a meeting with [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows,’’ one aide says. “Frankly, it’s not very helpful.’’
**********McChrystal’s comments, which the magazine’s editor said yesterday were checked with the general before publication, also underscored the divide between the military and diplomats in Afghanistan....
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Related: In Washington, it’s a war of words over top general
"McChrystal out, strategy remains; Obama will nominate Petraeus to take command in Afghanistan" by Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | June 24, 2010
WASHINGTON — President Obama yesterday replaced General Stanley A. McChrystal following the four-star general’s disparaging remarks about the White House leadership. The president turned to General David H. Petraeus, architect of the Iraq war turnaround, to take over the US and NATO command in Afghanistan.
But Obama stressed that the decision would not result in a change of strategy, rejecting criticism from some within his own party who believe the war in Afghanistan is not in American security interests.
Obama’s decision to relieve McChrystal and nominate Petraeus was widely supported by Democrats and Republicans, who agreed that the general overstepped his bounds in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in which he and his aides mocked Vice President Joe Biden and other top officials.
In what he described as a difficult decision, a stern-looking Obama said removing McChrystal was necessary to safeguard the relationship between the military and its civilian superiors....
“I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division,’’ he added....
By moving swiftly, the president showed resolve and a determination to make sure military commanders know who is boss....
Both McChrystal and Petraeus, who have worked together in Iraq and Afghanistan, are leading advocates of counterinsurgency strategy, which rests on using the military to dislodge insurgent groups and build up the capacity of local security forces, while winning over the population with civilian development projects and aid.
Obama said that effort would remain unchanged.
“We have a clear goal,’’ Obama said. “We are going to break the Taliban’s momentum. We are going to build Afghan capacity. We are going to relentlessly apply pressure on Al Qaeda and its leadership, strengthening the ability of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to do the same.’’
The McChrystal controversy brought new attention to questions about whether a large-scale military offensive is necessary. The nine-year-old conflict is already the longest war in US history....
With NO END in SIGHT!
Some Democrats expressed new concern that the war is not winnable. Other Democrats as well as some Republicans expressed worry that Obama — who wants to start withdrawing troops in a year — will not apply the resources needed to succeed or will pull out prematurely.
The rift was on display among members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation.
“I am much more concerned about the direction of our policy in Afghanistan than I am about the general’s comments,’’ said Representative James P. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat and leading critic of Obama’s strategy. “I’m concerned about the corrupt and incompetent [Afghan] government. I’m concerned about the hundreds of billions of dollars we’re spending on ‘nation-building’ in Afghanistan when we need to do some more nation-building here at home.’’
McGovern, who has proposed cutting off funding for a war he insists is not enhancing US security, called for a thorough reexamination of the strategy.
But Senator John F. Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a key architect of the Obama policy, said that progress made in recent months, including in the volatile district of Marjah, is at risk unless the effort is continued. “We’ve already seen in Marjah that impressive military gains cannot be maintained without effective local governance and Afghan ownership,’’ the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement. “This must happen to give the mission a chance to succeed.’’
Let's face it, folks, if this guy had become president we would have had George Bush's second term just as Obama is fulfilling his third.
What a piece of shit for a senator. That's what happens when you sell your soul.
Related: The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Lost Marjah Mojo
And a LIAR, too, Massachusetts!
The removal of McChrystal, a highly respected officer, was nonetheless described by most members of Congress as a legitimate exercise of authority by a commander-in-chief who had clearly lost confidence in his top war commander.
What the general will do next was uncertain, but close observers said the episode was likely to end his military career.
Petraeus, 57, is currently head of US Central Command, responsible for overseeing operations across the Middle East. He has achieved almost cult status as the author of the military’s counterinsurgency handbook who presided over the Bush administration’s surge of forces into Iraq in 2007. He is technically accepting a demotion to take the reins in Kabul at a crucial time.
A major offensive by US and NATO forces is being planned against the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, an operation that commanders have delayed due to setbacks elsewhere in the country. Between January and April of this year, insurgent attacks using improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, increased 94 percent across the country, according to figures compiled by the United Nations.
Oh, the lying U.N., huh?
Meanwhile, US military deaths recently crossed the highly symbolic mark of 1,000 and continue to climb.
As if I give a f*** anymore.
BRING 'EM HOME!
HOW MANY TIMES do I have to TYPE IT?
Obama said Petraeus, who has been intimately involved in the war planning, will maintain the momentum and has “the leadership we need to succeed.’’
And back into the shit pile goes Obomber's head.
Petraeus’s selection was widely hailed on Capitol Hill, where he is expected to easily win Senate confirmation as early as next week....
Said Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who advised McChrystal: “There is pressure to win very quickly from Obama, but it is running up against the fact that counterinsurgency is a long-running project. That is the tension that was boiling over in the Rolling Stone interview.’’
See who is RUNNING our FOREIGN POLICY, America?
That is NO CHANGE, either!
And we are all one big happy family now, huh?
"Petraeus on board, Obama stresses ‘unity of purpose’; Officials reaffirm US confidence in Afghan mission" by Anne Gearan, Associated Press | June 25, 2010
WASHINGTON — No more discord in the Afghanistan war command, President Obama vows. With General David Petraeus in charge, the president said yesterday that he’s assembled the team that will take the United States through the months ahead — by all expectations the make-or-break stage of the conflict.
Again?
“I am going to be insisting on a unity of purpose on the part of all branches of the US government,’’ the president said. “Our team is going to be moving forward in synch.’’
Do I have to the Hitler hand gesture, too, Der Fuhrer?
Obama said he does not anticipate further firings beyond General Stanley McChrystal, the top war commander hired a year ago to turn around a war then sliding into quagmire. He was fired Wednesday for sniping at civilian war bosses in a magazine article....
Yeah, once he starts tossing those guys overboard you know the war is over. Hitler did the same thing when it all came crashing down, and we just saw the first chink in the Obama dictatorship.
The Taliban-led insurgency has dug in for a long fight in crucial southern Afghan provinces where McChrystal focused the conflict.
Well, when you LIVE THERE... sigh.
Petraeus is expected to continue that campaign, but he will have flexibility to make changes as he sees fit, his civilian and military bosses said yesterday. “When he gets on the ground, he will assess the situation for himself, and at some point he will make recommendations to the president,’’ Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. “At the end of the day, the president will decide whether changes are to be made in the strategy.’’
I was told no changes.
WTF?!!!!!!
Both in Washington and Kabul, US officials tried to stay on message, insisting that the sudden sacking of McChrystal does not reveal a crisis of confidence in a war that Gates asserted is no longer a stalemate.
“I do not believe we are bogged down,’’ Gates said. “I believe we are making some progress. It is slower and harder than we anticipated.’’
He is either flat-out wasted, insane, or a top-notch liar.
Obama and his top security advisers also underscored that US forces will begin to come home from Afghanistan next summer, and that the commander taking over for the disgraced McChrystal is pledged to that timetable.
Petraeus told Congress last week that he would recommend delaying the start of a withdrawal planned to begin in July 2011 if conditions in Afghanistan warranted it. He also said then that he supports the pullout plan....
Obama added that the July 2011 date is the start of the withdrawal, not a moment that the US quits the country entirely.
Didn't we go through all this crap the last few years in Iraq?
And we are STILL THERE, right?
“We didn’t say we’d be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us,’’ Obama said.
Translation: WE ARE NEVER LEAVING, America!!!
Obama is only holding this out in front of you so you will remain calm and not get upset and angry at his colossal failure as a president.
The date has always left some wiggle room.
Need I even type it?
The administration says the scope of the drawdown will be determined by how safe Afghanistan is, and how capable the government.
You know, the SAME THING BUSH ALWAYS SAID about IRAQ!!
Some CHANGE, America!!
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Oh, and about that withdrawal:
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration reaffirmed yesterday that it will begin pulling US troops out of Afghanistan next summer, despite reservations among top generals that absolute deadlines are a mistake....
General David Petraeus, the war’s top military boss, said last week that he would recommend delaying the pullout if conditions in Afghanistan warrant it. Days after the date was announced in December, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, pointedly said it was not a deadline....
Gates asked for time and patience to demonstrate that the new strategy is working. He lamented that Americans are too quick to write off the war....
Yeah, and assholes like you are too quick to resort to it, Bob!!!
The man is NOT ONLY INSANE, he is SICK!!!!!!!!!!
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KABUL, Afghanistan — Crouched in a field of opium poppies, a young Marine lieutenant pleaded over the radio for an air strike on a compound where he believed a sniper was firing at his troops. Request denied. Civilians might be inside and the Marines could not see a muzzle flash to be absolutely sure the gunman was there.
The lieutenant’s frustration, witnessed by an Associated Press journalist in February in Marjah in southern Afghanistan, points to a Catch-22 dilemma facing the NATO force: how to protect troops against an enemy that lives — and fights — among the population without killing civilians and turning the people against the US-led mission.
I have news for you, MSM: They are ALREADY AGAINST US and it is GETTING WORSE by the DAY, 'kay?
Yes, world, we AmeriKans are being served this SHIT as NEWS!!!
Those complaints from the ranks are among the issues facing General David Petraeus....
Some troops believe the rules cost American lives and force them to give up the advantage of overwhelming firepower to a foe who shoots and melts back into the civilian population.
At a Pentagon press conference Thursday, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hinted about possible changes in the rules when asked about troops who feel “they’re being asked to fight with one hand tied behind their back.’’
Yeah, the POOR AmeriKan OCCUPIERS, 'eh?
Can't MURDER ENOUGH PEOPLE over LIES!!!!
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"Mullen reassures Afghan president; Says Afghan plan will not be altered" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press | June 27, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — America’s top military officer assured President Hamid Karzai yesterday that newly chosen NATO commander General David Petraeus would pursue the policies of his ousted predecessor, whom the Afghan leader warmly praised for reducing civilian casualties.
Karzai’s emphasis on preventing civilian deaths and injuries could make it difficult for NATO to relax rules of fighting that some US troops say give the battlefield advantage to the Taliban.
Related:
"Senior Obama administration officials say some of [money] may be going to the Taliban, as part of a protection racket in which insurgents and local warlords are paid to allow the trucks unimpeded passage.... “willful blindness’’ on the part of a US military that “likes having its trucks showing up and doesn’t want to get into the details of how they got there.... US military officials say they are satisfied with the results.... regularly paying local warlords and the Taliban"
Sure is a GOOD WAY to keep a WAR GOING, huh?
For now, however, no changes have been proposed, said a spokesman for visiting Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
During a 45-minute meeting with the Afghan leader, Mullen explained the events that surrounded President Obama’s decision to dismiss General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US and NATO forces. McChrystal resigned after he and his aides were quoted in Rolling Stone magazine making disparaging remarks about top Obama administration officials guiding the civilian mission in the war....
Mullen, who spent just a half-day in Kabul, also met with US Embassy officials and had a video teleconference with regional commanders in the field. To both sides, Mullen stressed the importance of a good “lash up’’ between often strained civilian and military efforts to beat back a resurgent Taliban and extend the Karzai government’s control beyond Kabul.
“He stressed to President Karzai that absolutely nothing will change about our commitment to the struggle there, to the strategy,’’ said Captain John Kirby, a spokesman for Mullen.
Well, THERE IT IS!
Mullen then flew to neighboring Pakistan, where he repeated the message to President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
Yeah, I'm sure that made them happy.
Related: Senate panel backs Petraeus confirmation
Petraeus confirmed as Afghan war chief
Well, now that he is officially in charge:
"Petraeus moves to assure NATO of Afghan war gains; New commander will review rules of engagement" by Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press | July 2, 2010
BRUSSELS — General David Petraeus, NATO’s newly appointed commander of Afghanistan, sought to reassure allies yesterday that the war against the Taliban is going well despite rising military casualties and problems regaining control over key parts of the country....
Really, world, what more is there to say about these delusional megalomaniacs?
You can see why I'm sour on my newspaper, huh?
General Stanley McChrystal’s sacking came amid growing European disillusionment with the war, and a spate of bad news from the battlefields.
Related: Afghanistan: The Three Trillion Dollar Prize
That's some GOOD NEWS, huh?
Almost makes you FEEL LIKE STAYING, huh?
Allied deaths have doubled in the first six months of this year, with June the deadliest month on record....
But we are MAKING PROGRESS, blah, blah, blah!
What SICKENING SHITS we have for LEADERS, America!!!
Meanwhile, a widely touted offensive aimed at retaking control of Kandahar, the biggest city in southern Afghanistan, has been repeatedly delayed.
Related: Boston Globe Censorship: Kandahar Offensive On!
How many MORE LIES you gonna tell, MSM?
An earlier campaign to reassert government control in the market town of Marjah, in southwestern Helmand Province, proved inconclusive.
Related: Marines Lose Marjah
Oh, the MSM lied to you again, huh?
NATO’s plans to train and gradually hand over responsibility to the growing Afghan army and police forces have also run into trouble, hobbled by a lack of trainers.
After NINE YEARS?
Related: NATO retools its effort to train Afghan police recruits
So WHERE did all the MONEY go?
A report by the US special inspector general for Afghanistan found that the ability of Afghan security forces to fight on their own has been overestimated....
Also see: US overestimating ability of Afghan military, report says
FULL UP with MSM LIES yet, readers?
Hey, look, we don't run s*** by anyone except Israel for its approval so f*** off!
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Time for a MORALE BOOST!
"Petraeus stresses cooperation in Afghan war; Says all sides must mesh for mission to be successful" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press | July 4, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — America’s top diplomat in Kabul jokingly handed NATO’s new commander General David Petraeus an access badge to the US Embassy yesterday, a symbolic gesture of a new partnership in the troubled US management of the Afghan war.
I find NOTHING FUNNY about MASS MURDER, do you?
The smiles and declarations of synergy came as Petraeus prepared to formally assume command today of a 130,000-strong international force at a time of rising casualties and growing doubt about how much can be achieved before July 2011 when President Obama wants to begin withdrawing US troops....
June was the deadliest month for the allied force since the war began in October 2001, with 102 deaths, more than half of them Americans. Britain’s Ministry of Defense reported that a Royal Marine was killed Thursday in southern Afghanistan — the fifth international service member killed this month.
Later, Petraeus met with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Corruption was one of the issues the two discussed, according to a statement issued by the presidential palace. Karzai used the meeting to complain about what he said were baseless allegations made by US Representative Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, who suggested that Afghan government officials had misused or pocketed donor funds, Karzai’s office said.
Karzai asked Petraeus to review international contracts for private security companies to help keep money from flowing out of the country. According to the statement, Petraeus told the president that he would begin his job by emphasizing “unity, accountability, and transparency.’’
US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry underscored the message of cooperation and said the United States was “committed for the long term’’ because a stable Afghanistan, free of extremist threats, would help ensure security in the United States....
Because of some inside job that originated in the offices of the CIA and Mossad?
And 2011 is looking like BULLSHIT, isn't it?
The gathering was upbeat. A rock band played. Dignitaries sat in tents eating popcorn, hamburgers, fried chicken, cupcakes, and ice cream. Tiny American flags lined the sidewalks of the US Embassy compound, which was adorned in red, white, and blue bunting.
That is JUST GREAT with SO MANY AFGHANS STARVING!!
And WE are looking MORE and MORE like NAZI GERMANY all the time, AmeriKa!!!!!
The positive tone, however, was dampened by talk of Friday’s attack on a four-story house used by an American aid organization in the northern city of Kunduz and the accidental killing of civilians during a raid in the south....
Not a GOOD WAY to START, Dave!
And notice how the MSM QUICKLY MOVES AWAY from SUCH THINGS!!
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So WHEN can we FINALLY LEAVE?
"Petraeus calls victory the goal in Afghanistan; General takes over command of troubled fight against Taliban" by Deb Riechmann, Associated Press | July 5, 2010
As INSANE as Hitler, too!!!!!!
KABUL, Afghanistan — “We are in this to win,’’ General David Petraeus said yesterday as he took the reins of an Afghan war effort troubled by waning support, an emboldened enemy, government corruption, and a looming commitment to withdraw troops even with no sign of violence easing.
You HAD YOUR NINE YEARS and FAILED!!!
Petraeus, who pioneered the counterinsurgency strategy he now oversees in Afghanistan, has just months to show progress in turning back insurgents and to convince both the Afghan people and neighboring countries that the United States is committed to preventing the country from again becoming a haven for Al Qaeda and its terrorist allies....
Oh, Al-CIA-Duh again!!!
Petraeus, widely credited with turning around the US war effort in Iraq, said the Taliban and their allies are killing and maiming civilians, even using “unwitting children to carry out attacks,’’ in an attempt to undermine public confidence in the Afghan government and the international community’s ability to prevail.
“In answer, we must demonstrate to the people and to the Taliban that Afghan and international forces are here to safeguard the Afghan people, and that we are in this to win,’’ Petraeus said.
After a while, the propaganda and bullshit fail to make an impression.
Continual discussion about President Obama’s desire to start withdrawing US forces in July 2011 has blurred the definition of what would constitute victory. That coupled with the abrupt firing of Petraeus’s predecessor, a move that laid bare a rift between civilian and military efforts in the country, has created at least the perception that the NATO mission needs to be righted....
Yup, it is IRAQ ALL OVER AGAIN, America!!!
I sure hope YOUR KIDS' LIFE is WORTH IT!
When announcing the 2011 target, Obama was careful to say that any pullout decisions would be based on improved security. Yet that caveat has often been forgotten.
Only in the MSM PROPAGANDA MACHINE because it sure has not here!!!
June was the deadliest month for the allied force since the war began, with 102 US and international troops killed. Progress in stabilizing Taliban strongholds in the south has been slow, support for the war is waning in America and foreign capitals, and doubts persist about the Afghan government’s willingness and ability to fight corruption.
“After years of war, we have arrived at a critical moment,’’ Petraeus said. “We must demonstrate to the Afghan people — and to the world — that Al Qaeda and its network of extremist allies will not be allowed to once again establish sanctuaries in Afghanistan from which they can launch attacks on the Afghan people and on freedom-loving nations around the world.’’
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"McCain calls Kandahar key to Afghan war" by ASSOCIATED PRESS | July 6, 2010
KABUL, Afghanistan — Senator John McCain, who visited Afghanistan’s largest city in the south yesterday with two other US lawmakers, warned of tough fighting ahead and predicted that casualties will rise in the short term....
McCain, a Republican from Arizona, also reiterated his opposition to President Obama’s plan to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan beginning in July 2011. Obama has said that large numbers of troops will not be pulled out if conditions do not allow, but that caveat has often gotten lost in the discussion over the length of the US commitment to the war.
And WHOSE FAULT would that be, PoS MSM?
