DeMint: Obama ‘Puts Our Troops At Risk’ By Working On Health Reform

[cynatnite]

The Washington Post reported this week that Gen. Stanley McChyrstal, the top commander in Afghanistan, has recommended that more U.S. troops be sent there or the conflict will “likely result in failure.” However, the Obama administration is currently reviewing its overall Afghanistan strategy before anymore troops are deployed.

On ABC’s Top Line today, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) attacked Obama. “A lot of us are concerned that the President is putting off listening to the recommendations from his generals because he’s getting so much pressure from the left,” DeMint complained. When host David Chalian noted that Obama simply “wants to make sure that the resources are there to fit the strategy,” DeMint accused Obama of abandoning Afghanistan to focus on health care, which DeMint suggested is not a priority for the country:

DEMINT: The problem is, the war in Afghanistan and our economy are our two biggest issues. But he’s working on other issues such as health care and he’s putting off the decision on Afghanistan which I think puts our troops at risk. So he needs to focus on priorities right now and not try to ram so many things down our throat here in Congress. He needs to address the issue of Afghanistan quickly.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/23/demint-health-care-afghanistan/

[mike_c]

1. "our troops" will remain at risk as long as a single federal dollar remains...

...that the Pentagon has not hoovered up and converted into weapons or mayhem. Warmongers of every political stripe-- on both sides of the aisle-- won't rest until every possible resource has been poured onto the killing fields.

We have always been at war with Eastasia!

[stuball111]

4. Right on! Never occured to Demint that...

WAR is what the danger is to the troops! And he basically is saying, send more cannon fodder over "there", and ignore the dying and sick over "here". so in a nutshell, "let's have more death everywhere" is what he wants?

[bluestateguy]

2. President Obama is a WAR PRESIDENT

And we don't criticize the president in a time of war when we have troops in the field.

[stuball111]

5. Amen to that!

and to use the health care issue as an excuse that he is endangering troops? Another lie that the rw base will suck up and run with.

[Deja Q]

10. +1,000,000,000,067,004^893

[Canuckistanian]

3. More distractions

Obama can easily handle both Afghanistan AND health care reform.

[abbeyco]

6. I'm so glad DeMint can prioritize Presidential priorities

In the event that his sorry ass were ever to get elected, then he'd at least have that experience.

I think he's too dense to understand the Obama is taking the long view of the Afghan war, something that was never done during the Little Boot regime.

Screw DeMint - whenever he ascends to the role of President, he can then prioritize HIS presidential duties. Until then, he can just shut the hell up.

[cloudbase]

7. Unlike some others,

El Jefe can keep more than one ball in the air at a time.

[iceman66]

8. Demint needs to shut up and do his fucking job!

His "priorities" consist of politicizing every conceivable issue so as to try and deny Obama a second term, rather than try and work together to solve our common problems. Is that what he was elected to do?

His party's tactics are putting the health and safety of MILLIONS of Americans at risk.

The single best thing Obama can do to help the economy is to fix our ailing health care system, and these treasonous bastards know it. that is why they are determined to stop health care reform at all costs.

[Deja Q]

9. Yup. Make 'em sick but don't heal 'em. DeMint is DeDork.

[applegrove]

11. America already pays 8% of government spending on health care (VA, Medicare,

Medicaid, etc). It is expected to rise to at least 10% in the next few years. The British have a public health care system and they currently pay 10% of government spending on health care...and they cover everyone.

Fact is that the defense budget will be gutted if America doesn't reform health care and get ahold of costs.

[spanone]

12. dear mr demint, you insult the intelligence of every american citizen