WASHINGTON — The leak of classified documents that suggest the American-backed Pakistani government has been secretly helping the Taliban has intensified scrutiny of the policy of Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, who has pushed for billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan as part of the Afghanistan war strategy.
Related: Kerry's Pakistan Connection
See what a few CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS will do, America?
Kerry, who first rose to prominence as a Vietnam veteran who protested that war, now finds himself increasingly under pressure from antiwar protesters who say his policy on Afghanistan is duplicating some of the same mistakes that led to US disasters in Vietnam.
How far we have fallen, 'eh, John?
Right into the hands of the globalists.
The Massachusetts Democrat was instrumental in developing the Afghan war policy and in securing a $7.5 billion, five-year developmental aid package to Pakistan.
Please REMEMBER THAT for LATER!
The civilian aid was for such things as roads, hospitals, and electric plants.
As yours crumble, taxpayers of AmeriKa.
Maybe if there were no wars Pakistanis could take care of themselves and so could we, huh?
In recent months, Kerry has said he wants safeguards in how the Pakistan aid money was doled out, and warned that some of the parallels to the Vietnam War “are almost eerie.’’ On Sunday night, shortly after the Afghan war documents were posted on websites, he said they raise “serious questions’’ about the policy.
Yesterday, however, as the Obama administration defended its policy and insisted that there was little new in the documents, Kerry sounded a more cautious note, saying the material doesn’t include “some kind of smoking-gun revelation.’’
Why did the image of a FLIP-FLOP just pop into my mind.
He strongly defended his own role in helping to shape the Obama administration’s Afghan war policy and rejected suggestions that a pullout should be considered in light of the documents....
Please REMEMBER THAT, readers.
Oh, so CONGRESS has also been LIED TO, huh?
Well, THAT is a CRIME!
Good luck on the vote.
A prominent antiwar activist, Paul Kawika Martin, political director of Peace Action, said yesterday that he hoped the release of the documents would prompt Kerry and other members of Congress who support the war to rethink their views....
Never heard of 'em, MSM.
Kerry, asked whether the Afghan policy had reached a crisis point that warranted a new direction, said he wants to talk further with ambassadors and take another trip to the region.
In other words, do nothing except continue to let young men and women die for a lie.
If Kerry dropped his support or sharply criticized White House strategy, it would be considered a blow to Obama’s policy....
SO?
His policy DESERVES a BLOW!
Kerry has what is seen as a special relationship with Pakistan; he has welcomed the country’s army chief to his house for dinner and accepted flowers from the country’s president....
But it isn't as special as the one with you-know-who, readers.
The documents were released at a time when members of Congress have grown skeptical of continued involvement in Afghanistan, and the move appeared to put the White House on the defensive yesterday....
Kerry has walked a political tightrope, avoiding criticism of the Obama administration directly on the Afghan war policy while trying to influence strategy.
Umm, yeah, I was TOLD TWICE ABOVE he was an INTEGRAL PART of FORMING the THING!
WTF, MSM?!!
Earlier this month, Kerry expressed doubt about the course of the war in Afghanistan in an opening statement before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing....
Whatever.
Yet he has also not called for a pullout, instead saying the continued involvement of US troops is vital to the nation’s security.
Had he been elected president in 2004 we would have had Bush's second term anyway. And now we have his third in the form of Obomber.
“I support the fact that we have very serious national security concerns in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that we need to be engaged there for the long term,’’ Kerry said yesterday in the interview. “But I believe there may be some calibrations to be made in how we do that.’’
Related: Four More Years in Afghanistan
Yeah, more BS.
--more--"
And why stop there?
WASHINGTON — The White House sought to reassert control over the public debate on the Afghanistan war yesterday as political reaction to the disclosure of a six-year archive of classified military documents increased the pressure on President Obama to defend his war strategy....
Related:
"Dangerous Conspiracy Theories
The sudden and widespread popular reactions to the Wikileaks story which contains proof of US and NATO war crimes, demonstrates the potential powderkeg to be tapped by the right torcher-bearer. Government leaders undoubtably understood the great potential danger risked by allowing the release of the Wiki documents, but, being the practitioners of Nazi mind-science that they are, they fully understood the potential rewards to be reaped by the correct handling of the leaks and Western reporting on them. Popular emphasis upon the Pakistani angle of Wiki revelations could help create a national consensus for attacking Taliban bases in Pakistan.
The Wikileaks were a document dump, intended to overwhelm researchers and to preoccupy they, studying the Empire’s past moves, in order to distract us from our new focus upon the present, looking towards the future. Look for the release of an even greater document dump from Wikileaks in the near future, as they dump their Iraq files onto the Internet. Another effect of the Wiki document dump is that it has flooded search engines with countless new variations on the search for “American war crimes,” or info on important key battles or screw-ups, making it even more impossible to find information on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or anything covered in the leaks. This will muddy the waters for us even more and make it even less likely in the future that we will stumble across important evidence of ongoing criminal activity.
--MORE--"
Interesting perspective -- and quite accurate.
Although congressional and administration officials said the disclosure of the documents probably would not jeopardize the financing bill or Mattis’s expected confirmation, it could complicate how the White House tries to achieves its goals in Afghanistan.
That i$ all they care about.
In recent weeks, Obama administration officials have been stressing the importance of Afghanistan to the United States.
That's when you know it's total waste.
Richard Holbrooke, Obama’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the war effort came down to a matter of American national security.
The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, struck a similar tone yesterday.
“We are in this region of the world because of what happened on 9/11,’’ Gibbs said....
PFFFFT!
Related: My 9/11 Investigation
Why are we there and why haven't we reduced Tel Aviv to rubble?
The White House appeared to be focusing most of its ire toward Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.org, the website that provided access to some 92,000 secret military reports to The New York Times and two other news organizations, Der Spiegel in Germany and The Guardian in Britain. The documents span the period from January 2004 through December 2009.
White House officials e-mailed select transcripts of an interview Assange conducted with Der Spiegel, underlining the quote the White House apparently found most offensive. Among them was Assange’s assertion, “I enjoy crushing bastards.’’
Obama was already facing an uphill battle on the way to a scheduled review of his Afghanistan war strategy in December, and administration officials have been bracing for a political fight as they try to defend the strategy at a time when gains seem limited....
How about NONEXISTENT, NYT, because I can see nothing good coming out of this -- except for the war-profiteers and drug dealers benefiting.
This is all crap, readers -- and we call it a newspaper over here!
--more--"
Yeah, time for me to get moving, too:
"Sharp dissent as $37b OK’d for Afghan war; 102 House Democrats break with president" by Matt Viser, Globe Staff | July 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — A bitterly divided House approved $37 billion in new spending yesterday for the war in Afghanistan after a heated floor debate about whether the conflict is unnecessary and diverting resources from the larger fight against terrorism.
$37 billion more on top of the trillions wasted and looted already -- not to mention the dead.
With a 308-to-114 vote, the House provided the two-thirds needed for approval, an indication that there is still support for President Obama’s war strategy....
Which is odd because the American public opposes the damn thing by roughly the same ratio.
So OUR REPRESENTATIVES are DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED to what the PUBLIC WISHES in this "democracy," huh?
Obama urged Democrats to support the war funding, saying it was vital to keeping the 30,000 additional troops sent to Afghanistan in December.
He is NO DIFFERENT than BUSH!
“We’ve substantially increased our commitment there, insisted upon greater accountability from our partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan, developed a new strategy that can work, and put in place a team, including one of our finest generals, to execute that plan,’’ Obama said in the Rose Garden before the vote. “Now we have to see that strategy through.’’
Sounds just like him, too.
Of course, the same logic does not apply when it comes to sanctions against Iran.
The 102 Democrats who voted against the funding request yesterday compared with 32 Democrats who opposed Afghan war funding last year.
Oooh, big victory!
Senator John F. Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, has been a key proponent of the overall mission in Afghanistan, even as McGovern and other opponents of the Afghan war have seized on new documents to argue anew that Obama should begin withdrawing the troops. The trove of 92,000 classified documents, leaked Sunday night by the organization WikiLeaks, suggests the US-backed Pakistani government has been secretly helping Taliban insurgents US troops are fighting in Afghanistan.
“Wake up, America,’’ said Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat and two-time presidential candidate. “WikiLeaks’ release of secret war documents gave us 92,000 reasons to end the war. Pick one.’’
AmeriKa's response: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
**********
But supporters of the continued funding said it would be wrong to eliminate funding in the middle of the war.
Then it TRULY WILL NEVER END!
Not until the empire goes bankrupt and we are oh, so close!
They argued that the policies were working, and if the US pulled out from the region, it would become a further breeding ground for terrorists.
Have YOU had it with the LIES, America?
The debate juxtaposed Democrats criticizing their party’s president over the war and Republicans defending the policy of a president they hope will fail on many other issues....
What that tells is WARS are the TOP PRIORITY of THIS GOVERNMENT -- regardless of party!
The issue also appeared to galvanize antiwar Democrats, who rose in the House to oppose the continued funding.
When you find a real one other than Dennis let me know.
“It’s time to change direction in Afghanistan, it’s time to vote for jobs in our own country,’’ said Representative Barbara Lee, a California Democrat.
“I believe in this nation and I believe in our soldiers,’’ said Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat. “I salute them. And it is time to bring them home.’’
That is who they give me as an example out of the 102?
The one Democrat that voted against Afghanistan in 2001 and and pseudo-antiwar voice in Jackson?
The war in Afghanistan has been going on for nearly nine years, but was largely overshadowed by the war in Iraq until recently....
Well, WHOSE FAULT IS THAT, MSM?
Certainly NOT MINE!
The $37 billion that was mostly for Afghanistan was part of a larger $59 billion bill that included money for the war in Iraq, as well as $2.8 billion for Haiti relief programs, $68 million for the oil disaster response on the Gulf Coast, and $13.4 billion for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.
Yeah, wait until the depleted uranium bills come due.
The Senate passed the measure last week, but eliminated more than $20 billion in programs that many Democrats had wanted to be included, primarily to protect teachers’ jobs.
See: Slow Saturday Special: U.S. Senate is Racist
The bill now goes to Obama.
Oh, he will sign it.
--more--"
"Leaked documents may endanger operatives, officials say; Concerns raised about reaction from US allies" by Kimberly Dozier, Associated Press | July 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — The WikiLeaks material, which ranges from files documenting Afghan civilian deaths to evidence of US-Pakistani distrust, could reinforce war opponents in Congress. But the leaks did not halt passage in the House yesterday of a war-funding bill.
And that i$ ALL that matter$!
Related:
"Gates warned lawmakers this week that unless the measure is enacted into law before Congress leaves for its August recess, the Pentagon could have to furlough thousands of employees"
Got what he wanted, huh?
We used to call that extortion.
Congress has backed the war so far, and an early test of that support came when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Senator John F. Kerry, opened a hearing on the matter.
At the hearing, few members mentioned the leak of documents, but several expressed frustration at the lack of progress in improving Afghan governance and in drawing more ordinary Afghans away from the Taliban.
I was told we were making progress, dammit!
In a tone of exasperation, Kerry questioned why the Taliban, with fewer resources, is able to field fighters who are more committed than Afghan soldiers.
“What’s going on here?’’ the Massachusetts Democrat asked.
It's like VIETNAM, John!
When you are FIGHTING for HOME and FAMILY it means a hell of a lot more than FIGHTING for a PAYCHECK from the EMPIRE!
What an IDIOT!
In his only reference to the leak, Kerry called the new material “overhyped’’ and said it was released in violation of the law and it largely involves raw intelligence reports from the field.
Yeah, you can't believe anything that covers the senator in s***.
He said he thought the document release could jeopardize the US mission there.
Then let's leave.
Senator Christopher Bond, Republican of Missouri and the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he worried that the leaks won’t stop “until we see someone in an orange jumpsuit.’’
Well, sig heil, Kit!
Related: Obama Defends Dick Cheney
Excuse me, Kit, I CAN NOT HEAR YOU!
Geoff Morrell, Pentagon spokesman, contended that too much was being made of the documents.
Referring to files that detailed American suspicions that some Pakistani intelligence officials were aiding insurgents, Morrell insisted those concerns have abated in recent years and the relationship has improved.
Why the backpedal?
The disclosures, he said, are “clearly out of step with where this relationship is now and has been heading for some time.’’
Morrell was interviewed on CBS’s “The Early Show,’’ and Bond appeared on NBC’s “Today’’ show....
Made the 'rounds, huh?
--more--"
"General optimistic war can be won; Mattis testifies at Senate hearing" by Associated Press | July 28, 2010
WASHINGTON — The general chosen to lead US Central Command declared that victory in Afghanistan was possible and expressed optimism yesterday that troops would start coming home in a year.
Was is the key word there.
General James Mattis, the tough-talking Marine who helped lead the invasion of Iraq, told the Senate Armed Services Committee: “We will have some bad days ahead, but so long as we hold fast and adapt faster than the enemy, the enemy’s situation will continue to worsen.’’
Mattis defined success in Afghanistan as propping up an Afghan government that is stable enough to keep extremists from using the country as a terrorist base....
Mattis also defended the US relationship with Pakistan. Internal military documents leaked this week suggest that US officials have long regarded Pakistan as an untrustworthy partner against militants who use the country as a safe zone.
How about a country that spies on us and has their agents "document the event?"
Calling the leak “grossly irresponsible,’’ he said he believes that cooperation with Pakistan on counterterrorism is at an “all-time high.’’
The US-Pakistan relationship is “trending in the right direction,’’ he said.
Mattis said he is probably most concerned about Iran....
Why does that NOT SURPRISE ME!
He added that Al Qaeda and its affiliates have helped destabilize Yemen to the point where its government is losing control.
Yemen?
I haven't read a word about Yemen since.... a month ago?
Countering “the enemy network’’ requires “an integrated response that applies constant pressure,’’ said Mattis....
In other words, NEVER-ENDING WARS, America!
--more--"
Enjoy 'em, America!
