Recent Event Highlights: Afghan withdrawal timeline 'irrational', says Taliban, Obama Outlines Afghanistan Withdrawal Timeline, Obama Admin. Delays Afghanistan Withdrawal To 2014, NATO set for end-2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Afghanistan withdrawal date in 2011 de-emphasized, Obama's Foreign Policy in Trouble?, and 39 more...
Created by dipity on Nov 22, 2010
Last updated: 12/03/10 at 09:29 AM
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...said delaying the withdrawal of foreign troops would only lead to more "tragic events and battles". US President Barack Obama, who is due to review his Afghanistan war strategy next month, has already committed to a gradual drawdown of US troops from July...
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TVNZ
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http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/afghan-withdrawal-timeline-irrational-taliban-3906527?ref=rss
NATO nations meeting in Portugal have agreed to start turning over Afghanistan's security to its military next year. The plan would give local forces full control by 2014. (Nov. 20)
According to military and administration officials, the Obama administration has decided to begin publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he'd begin withdrawing US forces in July 2011.
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...refused to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Now in its 10th year, the war has become a political headache for Obama. Foreign casualties have hit record levels. The withdrawal strategy hinges on efforts to build up Afghan forces so they can contain...
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Al Arabiya
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http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/11/19/126656.html
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...the adviser said. Last week's midterm elections also have eased pressure on the Obama administration to begin an early withdrawal. Earlier this year, some Democrats in Congress pressed to cut off funding for Afghanistan operations. With Republicans in control...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10314/1102055-82.stm?cmpid=nationworld.xml
Last night's election results will affect President Obama's foreign policy goals, from having a withdrawal in Afghanistan to closing Guantanamo Bay and ratifying the new START Treaty. Dr. Lawrence Korb explains how the US is already over extended.
The speech that Obama should have delivered to the nation on the eve of the troops withdrawal from Iraq was delivered by Hesham Tillawi on his TV program Current Issues TV
www.youtube.com RTAmerica | August 16, 2010 General Petraeus is making remarks that directly contradict Defense Secretary Gates and President Obama on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Who is really in charge? Is there a political motive at play? RT contributor Wayne Madsen said Petraeus would not be making such comments without permission from the White House, after all... if he were speaking out of turn he would likely have met the same fate as General McChrystal. Petraeus' comments are part of a bigger picture, since Obama needs to pull back from his withdrawal promises and Gates has announced his plans to leave in 2011, argued Madsen.
General Petraeus is making remarks that directly contradict Defense Secretary Gates and President Obama on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Who is really in charge? Is there a political motive at play? RT contributor Wayne Madsen said Petraeus would not be making such comments without permission from the White House, after all... if he were speaking out of turn he would likely have met the same fate as General McChrystal. Petraeus' comments are part of a bigger picture, since Obama needs to pull back from his withdrawal promises and Gates has announced his plans to leave in 2011, argued Madsen.
General Petraeus has said he does not plan to run for President, but he is also making remarks that directly contradict Defense Secretary Gates and President Obama on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Is there a political motive at play? RT contributor Webster Tarpley said yes! He argued that while Petraeus said he has no current plans to run, this does not mean he does not have an agenda. When push comes to shove Petraeus may be on the ballot, argued Tarpley.
At Tuesday's confirmation hearing of General David Petraeus to head ground efforts in the War in Afghanistan Petraeus stated that no one in the military had ever recommended an Afghanistan withdrawal date of July 2011.
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Had enough of this war that's not making us safer and not worth the cost? Join us: facebook.com In a series of last-minute hearings called by "shaken" war supporters, General David Petraeus repeatedly hinted that he wanted wiggle room when it comes to President Obama's July 2011 deadline for the start of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. Don't let him get away with it. Leave a comment at facebook.com to show your support for bringing our troops home.
On April 14, 2010, Rep. Jim McGovern introduced HR 5015, which would require the President to establish a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. The bill does not call for a specific end date for withdrawal, so any Member of Congress who supports a plan for a draw-down of troops should support this bill. Take Action Urge your members of Congress to cosponsor the Feingold-McGovern Bill www.justforeignpolicy.org
On March 10, critics of the Afghanistan war forced a Congressional debate, introducing a resolution requiring a timetable for military withdrawal. Take action: www.justforeignpolicy.org
On March 10, 2010, US Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, delivered the following speech on the House floor in opposition to a liberal resolution that would have mandated the withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year.
US congressman Dennis Kucinich has a message to President Barack Obama -- get out of Afghanistan. He introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that would require the president to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan no later than 30 days from the date of passage.
Learn more at rethinkafghanistan.com. President Obama will give his first State of the Union speech on Wednesday. We need him to use this opportunity to clarify his Afghanistan policy and provide a concrete exit plan for a withdrawal. That way, maybe even his advisers could agree on what it means. Visit http to sign a petition asking the President to provide a concrete exit strategy for our troops in Afghanistan that begins no later than July 2011 and which completes a withdrawal of combat troops no later than July 1, 2012.
Afghan Coalition Soldiers Turning On American Soldiers With American Weapons
Excerpt from the Q&A session of Noam Chomsky's 3 Dec 2009 talk at Columbia University, titled "The Unipolar Moment and the Culture of Imperialism". For the talk itself, see www.youtube.com For the whole Q&A, see www.youtube.com Nir Rosen on Democracy Now: www.democracynow.org
In his recent speech on the future of Afghanistan, Barack Obama set a withdrawal date of July 2011, but many feel that his administration is now backpedaling from this date. Writer Kelley Vlahos says that this date was created to help Obama sell the surge to the American people, but having US personnel out of Afghanistan in about 18 months is unrealistic.
In an interview with Jim Lehrer, Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen discusses President Obama's plan to add troops to the battle in Afghanistan.
MOXNews.com December 07, 2009 MSNBC Rachel Maddow Show
Obama says troop withdrawal will start from Afghanistan by 2011.
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...for Afghanistan, including what the military says could be a roughly 50 percent increase in... On November 19th, Obama praised Muhammad Ali as "a force for reconciliation and peace around the world." On Tuesday, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning president...
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Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/03/obama-afghanistan-timelin_n_378533.html
www.thenoseonyourface.com
President Obama has committed thirty thousand more troops to Afghanistan, but has also announced a withdrawal could begin as early as the middle of 2011. Meanwhile, some in the US are skeptical Obama's new strategy will work.
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...address from West Point, Obama committed 30,000 additional troops to fight terrorism in Afghanistan while pledging adherence to an arbitrary July 2011 withdrawal timetable plainly aimed at assuaging his radical, left-wing political base. As President Obama...
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Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2449126/obama_afghanistan_war_speech_bombs.html
Senator John McCain speaks about why he feels setting a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan is a bad idea.
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...for a withdrawal would merely send the Taliban underground until the Americans began to leave. As a candidate, Obama called Afghanistan a war worth fighting, as opposed to Iraq, a conflict he opposed and has since begun easing out of. A new survey by the Gallup...
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Hampton Roads Daily Press
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hrdailypress/news/~3/sT90tbzdXvg/dp-a1153.us--us-afghanistandec01,0,6236384.story
President Obama speaks about how adding additional troops to Afghanistan will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and be able to transfer forces out of Afghanistan in July, 2011.
President Obama speaks about how adding additional troops to Afghanistan will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and be able to transfer forces out of Afghanistan in July, 2011.
On December 1, 2009, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-05) spoke to the US House about President Obama's announcement that he will begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan in July of 2011.
White House reports indicate that Barack Obama will now send more than 30000 troops to Afghanistan. The implications of this decision will be wide-ranging, not just for Afghnistan itself, but also for the US economy. As Obama prepares to address the nation, Obama's approval ratings and support for the war are in steep decline - can the president convince the American people to get behind his plan?
"It is my sincere hope that [Obama] decides to wind down and end this war ... Yesterday, Larry, that story in the New York Times about how the brother of the President of Afghanistan -- the brother of Karzai -- is suspected of being involved in the opium trade, which funds the Taliban -- and our CIA pays this man? So we're paying the guy who's helping to create the money that's funding the Taliban that's killing our soldiers? Are we, like, an insane country? When is this going to stop? I want this ended. I want these troops home. ... You're either going to go all out and fight a big war that can't be won, or you're going to bring the troops home and focus on the problems that we have right now ..." -- Michael Moore Read more at www.michaelmoore.com Red, China White and Blue at www.michaelmoore.com
STRATFOR : www.stratfor.com US President Barack Obama is still considering whether to increase troop deployments to Afghanistan -- while political support for the war crumbles at home and the international coalition shows signs of splintering.
(Via Susie Madrak, crooksandliars.com ) Yes, even the former Texas congressman who was single-handedly dragged us into our initial entanglement in Afghanistan thinks we should get out
Afghanistan is a place where empires go to die, says American radio host Thom Hartmann. With nearly 800 American servicemen lost, support for the mission in the US is at an all-time low. Hartman told RT why he thinks the war was a mistake from the outset.
It's eight years to the day since the US-led war there began - but there's little sign of a decisive victory over the Taliban. President Obama says he's searching for the middle ground, but has ruled out slashing the number of US troops in Afghanistan.
Gilles Dorronsoro discusses the best use of reinforcements, what's necessary to build a stable Afghan state, and how to define success before withdrawal.
Watch more at www.theyoungturks.com
Is this what you voted for? Is this Change? WE CANT AFFORD THIS!! Its the same old Imperialism, now prepare for war in Pakistan... Commander: 400000 Troops Needed in Afghanistan www.drudge.com Obama= WAR in Pakistan www.youtube.com Obama The Warmonger-17 Bombed In Pakistan...Some "Change" huh? www.youtube.com Obama's Plan for The Draft- MANDATORY SERVICE everyone 18-25 www.youtube.com Alex Jones - RAND/Pentagon/Illuminati want World War to save US Empire and Economy (Pakistan/India?) www.youtube.com Infowars.com
cspanjunkie.org February 27, 2009 CNN
On numerous occasionions during President Obama's campaign he promised to withdraw two brigades per month, with all US combat troops out by 2009. bustedpromises.blogspot.com
LONDON: The government will not necessarily follow suit if US President-elect Barack Obama sends more troops to Afghanistan as part of an Iraq-style 'surge', Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Sunday.Obama indicated during his election campaign that he wanted to increase the US presence in Afghanistan while beginning a phased withdrawal from Iraq.Britain already has 8000 troops in Afghanistan, fighting Taliban extremists in the south of the c ..
Afghan-Pakistan war is now a de facto reality and that the Bush administration has just followed Barack Obama's advice and started fighting the core al Qaeda now given refuge by Islamabad. Hitch: ...[Obama] is committed in advance to a serious projection of American power into the heartland of our deadliest enemy. And that, I think, is another reason why so many people are reluctant to employ truthful descriptions for the emerging Afghan-Pakistan confrontation: American liberals can't quite face the fact that if their man does win in November, and if he has meant a single serious word he's ever said, it means more war, and more bitter and protracted war at that—not less. Yes, it could. The difference is: it would be a war against the real enemy, not one we partly created with the security vacuum we opened up in Iraq. Since I'm not a liberal on these things - despite what today's "conservatives" claim - I can face the idea of a president Obama taking on and finally defeating Osama. In fact, that's the major reason why I favor his candidacy. I want to win the war on terror we are currently losing. And I want all of us in this war - Democrat and Republican. Getting a Democratic president to take responsibility for a war we will have to fight for generations is critical to our long-term success. If it remains a partisan enterprise, used for domestic political points on the Cheney and Rove model, al Qaeda will win. Obama will try to correct the massive strategic error of the ...
Senator Barack Obama spent his first day in Afghanistan yesterday visiting the troops, talking to soldiers, and speaking with their commanders. Today he met privately with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. After talking to both sides, his assessment is that the situation in Afghanistan is both precarious and urgent. He said that the US has to start planning to put more troops in Afghanistan now. Obama: "For at least a year now, I have called for two additional brigades, perhaps three," he said. "I think it's very important that we unify command more effectively to coordinate our military activities. But military alone is not going to be enough. "The Afghan government needs to do more. But we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan. And I believe this has to be our central focus, the central front, on our battle against terrorism." Logan: "Why does it have to be the central focus? What is so critical to US interests here?" Obama: "This is where they can plan attacks. They have sanctuary here. They are gathering huge amounts of money as a consequence of the drug trade in the region. And so that global network is centered in this area. And I think one of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here, focus our attention here. We got distracted by Iraq. "And despite what the Bush Administration has argued, I don't think there's any doubt that we were distracted from our efforts not ...
Barack Obama, July 22, 2008
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