Obama rebuts Cheney's 'dithering' charge, vows 'no open-ended commitment' on Afghanistan

[sabra]

Source: LA Times

For weeks, critics have been complaining that President Obama is taking too long to make a decision on whether to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Former Vice President Dick Cheney accused him of "dithering."

Today he answered them.

"I recognize that there have been critics of the process," he said. "They tend not to be folks who I think are directly involved in what's happening in Afghanistan. Those who are recognize the gravity of the situation and recognize the importance of us getting this right."

In a news conference in Japan, the first stop on an eight-day trip through Asia, Obama also made clear that the reason he keeps sending military planners back to the drawing board on Afghanistan is that he wants to see a sharper outline of the purpose -- and exit strategy -- for U.S. troops in the region:

It's a matter of making certain that when I send young men and women into war, and I devote billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money, that it's making us safer, and that the strategies that are placed not just on the military side but also on the civilian side are coordinated and effective in our primary goal, which is to make sure that the United States is not subject to attack and its allies are not subject to attack by terrorist networks, and that there is a stability in the region that helps to facilitate that larger goal.

Promising to make the decision soon, Obama said that after eight meetings with his National Security Council, he was pleased with the process. "It has been not a academic exercise, but a necessary process in order to make sure that we're making the best possible decisions," he said.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obam...

[SpiralHawk]

1. Cheney can go pound his Five military deferments up his bloviating butt

with the rest of the gaggle of Republicon Chickenhawks and their "military advice"

[fascisthunter]

2. How I Wish Obama got the troops out of Afghanistan

the soldiers would be safe and CHeney would have his last heart complication, killing two birds with one stone.

[optimator]

3. not encouraged by those words

I expect to be severely disappointed.

[Cha]

8. And, I'm sure you always

will be.

[h9socialist]

4. At least . . .

. . . President Obama is asking the right questions, and trying to think with his brains, rather than his balls. That is at least a measurable improvement over recent warrior kings in the U.S. However, I agree with the sentiment that it's time to get out of there . . .there's no way that we're going to help anyone by propping up the Karzai regime!

[sendero]

5. I wish Obama would say...

.... " the people who turned Iraq into a fiasco of Biblical proportions now wish to offer me advice about Afghanistan. To them I say, no thanks."

[Iowa]

9. Yep... that would be a great response.

Instead he appears to have bought into the Bush doctrine... that continuing this "war about nothing" is necessary to protect us from terrorists. It's as if they (Bush/Cheney/Obama) believe that terrorists are all required to go over there and do push-ups in those training camps... but if we blow enough things up, we'll disrupt their ability to go over there and be trained, and that will make us safe. Jesus! It's absolutely idiotic, but that's essentially what Obama is saying.

[wordpix]

13. +2

[pberq]

6. Why is there no mention of the ongoing human rights catastrophe in Afghanistan?

See these articles:

Human Rights Angst Lingers In Afghanistan


by Rachel Reid

Published in: NPR.

November 4, 2009

As Afghanistan's elections draw to a shambolic finale, it is time for President Obama to end his policy review and breathe hope into Afghanistan's bleak landscape.

Some members of Congress are so appalled by these fraudulent elections, they question the value of continued U.S. engagement. But any politician who followed Afghanistan closely knew that lawlessness and corruption was endemic in the Afghan government. They should have also speculated that the United States helped feed it. . .



For Afghan Women, Rights Again at Risk

by Rachel Reid

Published in: Washington Post.

August 18, 2009

(Kabul) - When the United States and its allies went to war against the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, "liberating the women of Afghanistan" was often cited as one of the reasons to seek "regime change." More than seven years later, however, the situation for Afghan women remains dire.

There have been some bright spots: Women now hold seats in the Afghan parliament, and millions of girls have been able to attend primary school. But educational gains plummet when girls hit secondary school, with just 4 percent of female students reaching 10th grade. Violence against women is endemic; women in public life are regularly threatened, and several have been assassinated.

Things got much worse recently when President Hamid Karzai officially promulgated legislation that would make the Taliban proud. Unfortunately, this is part of a pattern: As Karzai's government has grown weaker he has increasingly turned to some of society's most conservative elements for support. . .

[SlingBlade]

7. WHAT ?

“he wants to see a sharper outline of the purpose -- and exit strategy -- for U.S. troops in the region:”

But. Wha Wha What about the Wars, The Big Board and all ?????

Obama can't overrule the generals like this, His National Security Council !

Who does he think he is ?

Five suggestions for President Obama

1.Don't EVER travel to Texas, For ANY reasons

2.Pack your own parachute on AirForce One

3.Fire McCrytal, Petraouus, Clean out the Neo-Cons from the Pentagon, The National Security
apparatus as well as Justice, Treasury, CIA and other important government agencies ala
Porter Goss

4. Get out of Afghanistan, Iraq and the other 102 countries that the U.S maintains military
bases on. Get domestic and keep it there

5.Watch the Jackals, Cause their watching YOU !

[husky92]

10. CHAIN-e!

Dick Cheney is an asshole who should not even be given a platform to offer his opinions. Fortunately, he's got the Foxies to take care of him as well as his daughter. All those neo-cons know is one thing -- War! They could care less about the safety and well being of our troops. If we can go out and create a mess somewhere with soldiers and the whole bang-bang thing, these people have thewir woodies. I'm sure if Bush and Cheney were still in charge we already would have sent the 40k troops and promised more if some general asked. Generals always want wore troops, ammo and guns. That is what they do for a living. It's like being a GM of a sports team; you want more money to sign more players. I give Barack credit. He is thinking everything through instead of just giving the okay on everything. He may "dither" on things, but you know damned well he is thinking everything through. The righties may not like it, but at least he's given everything a thorough thought process instead of just jumping in with both feet. Unfortunately, we have too many brain-dead people who don't realize it and understand him. To them, he's just a socialist. I hope he's right on whatever he decides, but I think it is a dead-end street. The Russians learned the hard way. I hope we don't do the same.

[notadmblnd]

11. Thanks for this.

I was able to use it with one of those freeper types that sent me his rant on how Obama just keeps sending more troops to die.


I told him that just the opposite was true and that the president was being criticized by the pukes for not sending more of our kids to die without hesitation.

Then I shoved the article down his throat and told him that he was mis-informed by his sources. I haven't heard back from him yet. I suspect I wont.

[wordpix]

12. I say, Mr. President, dither some more before you send in one more troop

We don't need another Vietnam or Iraq, thank you, Darth Vader

[Mari333]

14. Cheney: Dithering, Doddering, Drooling old FOOL

scumsucking worm, that man.

[liberalpragmatist]

15. Cheney can go fuck himself - nt

[eppur_se_muova]

16. He's not dithering, he's deferring. DDDDDick should understand that concept.

I wish the WH would always word their statements to say BO is "deferring a decision" or "deferring judgment" and point out that "sometimes deferment is a good thing" occasionally.