Afghanistan July 2011 withdrawl date "was little more than a gesture to assuage anti-war liberals"

[Better Believe It]

Barack Obama’s deadline to bring troops home from Afghanistan starts to slip
Tim Reid in Washington
From The Times
December 7, 2009

President Obama’s July 2011 date to begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan appeared to be slipping yesterday after senior US officials conceded that the deadline was not to be set in stone and that American and Nato forces will remain there for at least five more years.

The comments by Robert Gates, Mr Obama’s Defence Secretary, and Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, followed criticism last week by Bob Ainsworth in an interview with The Times that setting a date to start withdrawing forces was unwise.

Mr Obama, when he announced last week a date to begin bringing US forces home within 18 months of his surge of 30,000 additional troops, also said that withdrawal would be conditional on how things looked on the ground.

Yet that caveat was buried in the larger message of the withdrawal date. Mr Gates and Mrs Clinton focused much more on how conditional the withdrawal date is, suggesting that the deadline was little more than a gesture to assuage anti-war liberals in Mr Obama’s own Democratic Party.

Read the full article at:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6946509.ece

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. Surely even the strongest supporter of the policy recognizes that the presentation was Bravo-Sierra

[atreides1]

8. One would think so

But the extra nastiness I've seen here since his speech, from his fanatical supporters, against those who questioned it, just tells me that they don't care.

The greater majority of us want him to succeed, but not at any cost!

[Arctic Dave]

2. Duuuuuhhhhh, ya think?

[peacebird]

3. unfortunately progressives saw thru that little charade, hence were outraged, not "assuaged"

[polichick]

4. True - we're not so easily fooled. nt

[impik]

20. Yea, you're very smart. And always right too.

I wish i was you.

[polichick]

25. Why, thank-you! ;)

[impik]

5. So the president went on national TV

Said clearly and loudly that troops start to come back in July 2011, and he did it only to silent the "Anti-war-Liberals"? Don;t you think people are going to remember this commitment?

You are all so smart!

[polichick]

6. Probably figures he can make another pretty speech when it looks...

...like a draw down isn't happening.

That's called having your pie and eating it too - an Obama specialty.

[truedelphi]

10. Remember all the other pie -ties he threw our way

Remember "We are the ones we have been waiting for."

Funny thing was, when he said that, I really had no idea he meant himself, Rahm and Rahm's brother!

[polichick]

11. Yeah, three peas in a pod. Ya know what was funny about that quote?

It's a Hopi saying that Maria Shriver had used in the appearance she made with Caroline and Oprah.

Obama very opportunistically picked it up and ran with it, never mentioning that it was a Hopi saying.

[bigjohn16]

7. A President that says one thing and does another, never! nt

[MissDeeds]

9. Welcome to the new world order

Hope and change are just campaign slogans, it appears.

[marshall]

12. That date was referring to troops in Iraq

Obama was wisely vague about withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[tekisui]

14. So you think the withdrawal date is for real?

:rofl:

[moodforaday]

15. Oh, we'll remember

"Don't you think people are going to remember this commitment?"

We sure will remember. And when we do, we will be called Obama haters, just as we are now. We will be "irrational", "egotistic", "a circular firing squad" and obsessed with "purity". But yeah, we'll remember.

[Craftsman]

13. If you think that timeline will happen I have bridge to seel you

[Better Believe It]

16. U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan at least 5 more years. The age of permanent, unending wars

A change we can't afford, a change that leads to economic and political disaster.

[rug]

17. The Mayan calendar is more reliable than this bullshit.

[ClarkUSA]

18. "White House: July 2011 Is Locked In for Afghanistan Withdrawal" (sourced CBS News link -->)

Source: CBS News

During the Senate Armed Services hearing today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was pressed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. on whether the July 2011 date for beginning to withdrawal troops is "locked in."

Gates seemed to suggest there was some flexibility, that "it was a clear statement of his strong intent" and that "the president always has the freedom to re-evaluate his decisions." After the hearing Graham said he took that to mean the date is "not locked in" and will depend on conditions on the ground.

It was a point of contention at the White House briefing today – I asked White House spokesman Robert Gibbs if senators were incorrect calling the date a "target."

After the briefing, Gibbs went to the president for clarification. Gibbs then called me to his office to relate what the president said. The president told him it IS locked in – there is no flexibility. Troops WILL start coming home in July 2011. Period. It's etched in stone. Gibbs said he even had the chisel.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=34070&mesg_id=35662

BTW, I wouldn't trust a word Hillary says, either. She's been a gaffe machine since she became SoS.

[bigjohn16]

21. What's etched in stone?

One man comes home in July 2011? 2? 3? 50,000?

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bigjohn16]

23. The President is just placating the left with his public statements.

Then he's letting his cabinet do the dirty work for him.

[ClarkUSA]

24. lol! All you've got is anti-Obama rhetoric. Blah, blah, blah...

:rofl:

[krawhitham]

19. so claims Venus Flytrap

It is just one man's opinion, Tim Reid



















To bad it is not the same Tim Reid that played Venus Flytrap

[Better Believe It]

26. Actually it's more than simply "one man's opinion, Tim Reid"

US Liberals Express Anger over Obama's Decision to Raise Troop Levels
Deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan causes most ardent supporters to become disillusioned
by Ewen MacAskill in Washington
December 2, 2009

The White House is extremely conscious that part of the base that helped get Obama elected last year is in danger of being eroded. The decision to put in a date for the beginning of withdrawal of US troops was primarily a political one, designed to try to placate not only a US public sceptical about the war but the liberal, anti-war wing of the coalition that Obama built. It did not appear to have worked, with some liberal commentators noting that it was only the start of the process and large numbers of US troops come remain in Afghanistan for years to come.

Public opinion polls show that support for the war has gradually waned since the start of the year, with hostility higher among Democratic supporters than Republicans.

The anti-war protests that were a feature of the Bush presidency have been in little evidence this year but that could change. A new coalition has been formed in response to Obama's decision, the Emergency Anti-Escalation Rally, and announced today it is to protest in front of the White House on 12 December.

Read the full article at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/02/obama-afghanistan-liberal-backlash