Obama'" walking away" from Afghan withdrawal deadlines

[pscot]

WASHINGTON — 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 U.S. forces in July 2011, administration and military officials have told McClatchy.

The new policy will be on display next week during a conference of NATO countries in Lisbon, Portugal, where the administration hopes to introduce a timeline that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan by 2014, the year when Afghan President Hamid Karzai once said Afghan troops could provide their own security, three senior officials told McClatchy, along with others speaking anonymously as a matter of policy.

The Pentagon also has decided not to announce specific dates for handing security responsibility for several Afghan provinces to local officials and instead intends to work out a more vague definition of transition when it meets with its NATO allies.

What a year ago had been touted as an extensive December review of the strategy now also will be less expansive and will offer no major changes in strategy, the officials told McClatchy. So far, the U.S. Central Command, the military division that oversees Afghanistan operations, hasn't submitted any kind of withdrawal order for forces for the July deadline, two of those officials told McClatchy.

The shift already has begun privately and came in part because U.S. officials realized that conditions in Afghanistan were unlikely to allow a speedy withdrawal.

more

In a related note defense Secretsry Gates is practically begging the Iraqis to ask us not to withdraw.

[ProSense]

1. "The White House vehemently denies that there is any change in policy."

<...>

The White House vehemently denies that there is any change in policy. "The president has been crystal clear that we will begin drawing down troops in July of 2011. There is absolutely no change to that policy," said Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman.

On Tuesday, a White House official who spoke with reporters in a conference call arranged to discuss the December review, said the administration might withdraw some troops next July and may hand some communities over to Afghan authorities. But he said a withdrawal from Afghanistan could take "years," depending on the capability of the Afghan national security forces.

<...>

What the hell is with all these media reports?

[pscot]

10. I admire your lightning reflexes

How do you do it?

[KittyWampus]

12. Your reflexes are pretty sad- posting a story from LAST YEAR? A story with zero named sources?

[PurityOfEssence]

22. It's five months old, if you want to be precise

I'm surprised you didn't say it was from the LAST DECADE.

To anticipate the usual retort of his having said during the campaign that he'd engage in Afghanistan, let's remember that he didn't say he'd escalate action in Pakistan and he did say that the Afghanistan folly would be predicated on a draw-down in the near future.

[ProSense]

14. Disingenuous much? n/t

[bluestate10]

15. Why do you post stuff that is wrong, or is that "accidentally" misquoted. nt

[Angry Dragon]

2. I wonder if another Peace Prize might be in the offering............

[robdogbucky]

3. "to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge"

Seems like the current Modus Operandi for many items.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. He's "walking away" from admitting that the war is Afghanistan is lost.

[howaboutme]

21. Exactly

It was un-winnable in the first place just as were every other absurd war that we've been involved in since WW2. Wars should be fought prudently and only when attacked, not irrationally to support corruption, dictators and as nation builder or for other countries.

[shanti]

5. oh, i see....

he got caught in a lie and now he's backpedaling. nice :(

[Baclava]

6. Save the poppies!

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/05/18/svPOPPIES_wideweb__470x319,0.jpg

[subterranean]

11. Now they'll sleep...

[subterranean]

7. Three more years? Hey, no problem! It's only an extra $300 billion.

I'm sure plenty of money will be found in the budget for Afghanistan. We'll just cut spending on luxuries like Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start and school lunches. :sarcasm:

[howaboutme]

8. Who or what country benefited from these wars - Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya?

The really outrageous part is that the one country (meaning the citizenry) that has paid a very dear price for these wars, and has not benefited at all is the USA.

So the question that needs answered is who or what group or what lobby or what country has benefited from these costly wars?

We could have cured cancer, had a national health care program, made Social Security and Medicare much stronger if not for these wars.

The bastards that got us into these wars need purged from government and society never to have influence again.

[KittyWampus]

9. Why are you posting a story from NOVEMBER 2010? Jeez DU'ers, go to the links before you start

your usual reactionary screaming.

[bluestate10]

16. The article reinforced the political positions of some on DU.

I have noticed a tendency of some DUERs to draw a rock solid conclusion then use arguments to "prove" that conclusion right. Upon closer examination, analytical minds will find information taken out of context, outright omissions that changes the tone of information, and virulent caricaturing. IMO, there is not much difference between the tactics used by hate entangled Freepers and those used by radical Progres.

[pscot]

18. Hate entangled Freepers

is good, but what's a radical progree?

[bluestate10]

13. In the beginning, President Obama made it clear that conditions

on the ground would dictate the withdrawal deadline. He repeated that position a number of times.

[Vinnie From Indy]

23. I guess we have not sufficiently chased enough tribesman around

the mountains and dusty plains of Afghanistan yet.

It appears the only thing we have accomplished is to install ex-oil executive Hamid Karzai as the Mayor of Kabul.

[somone]

17. The MIC gods demand more blood

Veronica Ortiz Rivera kneels beside the casket of her husband U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Javier Ortiz Rivera during his funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery on December 2, 2010. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

[pscot]

19. Why are you posting a picture from December 2010

That's so yesterday. I'm sure our recent successes in Afghanistan have provide fresh examples, though perhaps none so bitterly evocative.

[amborin]

20. and Iraq withdrawals, also

[Javaman]

24. We. Are. Never. Leaving. nt

[Gravel Democrat]

25. They keep lying because they get away with it

Just remember, if you pay Uncle Sam $20,000 on the 15th, you're "helping" the war effort for 10-15 seconds or so.
It's a stickup without masks during broad daylight. No conspiracy needed. Be sure you sign your return.

http://costofwar.com

[The Northerner]

26. Let's hope this isn't true...