McChrystal: ‘I don’t view July 2011 as a deadline’

[unhappycamper]

McChrystal: ‘I don’t view July 2011 as a deadline’
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, December 9, 2009

WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan downplayed the president’s July 2011 goal to begin withdrawing troops and said he wouldn’t rule out delaying that timeline or even adding more troops to the new 100,000 end strength planned for the country.

“I don’t view July 2011 as a deadline,” Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in testimony Tuesday before members of the House Armed Services Committee. “At that time, we’ll evaluate the time and scope of a possible drawdown,” a decision he called the “natural evolution” of the military mission.

Both McChrystal, who also leads the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, leader of U.S. civilian efforts there, told lawmakers they support President Barack Obama’s plan to send about 30,000 more troops into the country to push back the resurgent Taliban and to speed up the training for the fledgling Afghan security forces.

But lawmakers remained divided, with several Democrats skeptical that more troops can solve political corruption there and Republicans convinced the summer 2011 drawdown represents an abandoning of the mission.

“If as a nation we are saying that this is a war of necessity, how can we say we’ll withdraw troops in 18 months even if the mission isn’t complete?” said Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66548

[Duende azul]

1. Why isn't that assclown fired?

And what's up with the timetable defenders?

First it was: "We have a timeline!"
Came down to: "At lest we have a date when the withdrawal will start"
No we are at: "The date means nothing, may even be the beginning of a new surge"

Some chessplaying, indeed. May have the Taliban all confused now.