A VERY POLITICAL White House is fiddling around with the lives of American soldiers making them sitting ducks while they try to stall whatever decision they are going to make about increasing troop levels in the Afghanistan theatre, in the hopes of not pissing anybody else off while they are trying to get dems elected, the socialist takeover of healthcare, and whatever else is on their fascist agenda without political complications from the war.
Robert Gates has gone to NATO to pressure Bambi into a decision before this war goes anymore sideways, and now Obama really does look like a politically motivated and marketed, choking coward, (again!).
SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 22, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he’s headed to a NATO defense ministers meeting in Slovakia confident there’s enough to discuss about Afghanistan even without a U.S. decision on the strategy there.
Gates also said he’s close to making his own decision about the best way forward. “I am moving into my personal decision phase,” he said, borrowing a phrase from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
The secretary spoke during a joint news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae Young, after which he boarded a plane for a NATO defense ministers meeting in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.
The discussions in Bratislava will focus on far more than just troop numbers, Gates said, noting that the assessment provided recently by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, dealt with other issues as well.
“General McChrystal has identified a number of needs in his assessment on which there is agreement,” Gates said. These range from civilian development to governance to training support for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.
“So I think there is ample for us to discuss, going forward, that is completely independent of how many additional troops the president — and frankly, other members of the alliance — may decide to send,” he said.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — NATO defense ministers gave their broad endorsement Friday to the counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan laid out by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, increasing pressure on the Obama administration and on their own governments to commit more military and civilian resources to the mission.
General McChrystal, the senior American and allied commander in Afghanistan, landed here early Friday to brief NATO defense ministers on his strategic review of an eight-year war in which the American-led effort has lost momentum to a tenacious insurgency. The closed-door session — which had not been disclosed in advance — added a note of drama to the sort of NATO ministerial meeting that is often mundane.
“What we did today was to discuss General McChrystal’s overall assessment, his overall approach, and I have noted a broad support from all ministers of this overall counterinsurgency approach,” said NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Although the broad acceptance by NATO defense ministers of General McChrystal’s strategic review included no decision on new troops, it was another in a series of judgments that success there cannot be achieved by a narrower effort that calls for not increasing troop levels substantially and focuses more on capturing and killing terrorists linked to Al Qaeda. That counterterrorism strategy is identified with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
So the question that has been rolling around everybody’s head and is completely unspoken is this; “When is the military going to step up?”
(P.S. Please keep your comments clean and intelligent – no ranting – remember who reads this site!)
Obama doesn’t give a damn about our troops, he is only worried about saving the lives of his Muslim brothers and sisters. Obama is going to do everything he can to weaken or destroy our military and disarm the citzenry of America. Obama’s goal is the Communist takeover of America with himself installed as dictator. Unfortunately he is geting very close to accomplishing his goal while patriotic Americans continue to do nothing. In our haste to avoid confrontation, we are gaining a master.
Keep your powder dry!
Robin in Texas on October 23, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Leaping Spark, Those that would oppose a communist takeover of America already have a Master and it is His retribution that Obama should fear above all.
no-nonsence-nancy on October 23, 2009 at 5:59 pm
It’s a shame that Obama is so unfeeling and uninterested in our military and their safety. He truly has no loyalty to the US. It is a shame when the military leaders are so disrespected by the president.
Leaping Spark, with due respect, I disagree that patriots are doing nothing. We are doing all that we can to stop this train wreck of a government takeover. We will prevail but time is getting very short. It has to happen very soon.
People remember there was a GREEN President in the White House back in 1993, with no Military Background either.
We are presently in two theaters Iraq and Afghanistan. What could go wrong with the current President ignoring precedent.
While the White House goes to War with a News Network. We have Americans in Harms way, waiting for him to make a decision on Troop deployment build up in Afghanistan.
Lest we forget, we have people fighting for us on the front lines of Afghanistan. It was later determined that Al Qaeda and Bin Laden, trained and funded the people who shot the Black Hawks Down, 3 Oct 1993 Mogadishu.
What is the President waiting for? An International Incident to give him political cover..al la Joe Biden. Gird Your Loins?
I am a Vietnam Era veteran… this reminds me of LBJ and the advisors back then… talk about deja vu. When I think of our young men and women over there now and the fact that they really no longer have a Commander-in-Chief, I am reminded of how I felt back then.
It has a devastating effect on morale. When your life is on the line, it gives you an awful, sickening feeling in your gut. It is easy to despair when you feel you are no longer supported and are not receiving what you need to accomplish your mission.
As a veteran, I find all this just completely nauseating.
I am a retired soldier with 27 years of service dating back to the tail end of Viet Nam, and I served in the 1st Gulf war(1991) and I am 100% disabled. My son is presently in Afghanistan, and the old soldier in me is NOT happy with “Alibama’s” cowardice views. I think he needs to be sent over there with a weapon and assigned to a grunt unit on the front lines, and get a taste of combat. Then, and only then he might understand what is needed to win the war….But I really doubt it…Most facist, maxist a-holes don’t get it! “I LOVE MY COUNTRY, BUT FEAR MY GOVERNMENT”
Robin in Texas on October 24, 2009 at 2:26 pm
A qualified executive knows that if you do not personally have experience in any area, the first thing to do is find someone that does! War is no exception, Obama needs to listen to the military experts. They are the ones that know how to fight and win a war. When will people learn not to hire “elect” a rookie. Pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform.
letty aka granny gripes on October 24, 2009 at 4:17 pm
sniff sniff sniff, hand me another box of tissue, obama sobs, because of FOX news, I had to spend an hour with Olbermann and Maddow to GE bring good things to light
and because of FOX RUSh, GLENN BECK, Hannity I could only spend 15 minuts with the General, not even enough time for a beer.
sniff, sniff sniff, besides, I could have had another 35,000 per couple dinner party and or another Hollywood gala at the white house while I don’t make up my mind and let more troops die. Oh sniff, sniff, sniff, this is just so above my pay grade, dealing with that FOX !
letty aka granny gripes on October 24, 2009 at 4:49 pm
1sgboom
gawd, do not send him over into the theatre, he will get all of our troops killed.
there is something seriously wrong with this dude, mentally, brain fried druggie you think or ?
I read a reality piece somewhere this week, called CHINA gets the OIL from Iraq from the blood of the USA.
WELL, Afghanistan has loads of natural gas, GUESS WHAT ? Russia you think ? or ??
he is spending stimulus money counting bug splats on the bumpers of our cars, putting sand on the beaches of the rich and famous, and thousands of other such obscene waste, and calling it “saved” jobs! The dude is mentally ill.
King Ludiwig you think ?
He spends his time talking about socialist mops, worried that Fox News is not a news channel, thinks Rush is part of Fox news, and on and on back to his 57 states? He contradicts himself in the same sentence now. Perhaps one of his switches has become disconected.
I contend that any high school drop out is smarter than he is and could do a better job. And that wife, a giggle a minute.
Pelosi on the other hand you know that the botox leaked into her brain.
YOU could not write fiction like this that would sound credible.
NoTingles on October 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm
What is, deep down and honestly, the REAL reason the continuance of war was picked up by the USA (mostly) in the first place (after the Russians dropped the ball there)?
Is the enemy there, deep down and honestly, a credible enemy, not withstanding everything we’ve seen in the press. IOW, what is the true origin of this enemy?
When all is said and done, are the deep down and honest objectives actually going to be met by killing even one more person, or rather, are they truly WORTH the killing of even one more person, on any side?
Until we get the deep down, honest answers to these questions, what to do with Afghanistan will continue to be a problem. Whatever the government has said, stands in crying need of verification. Whatever the press has reported is not to be trusted in any event. Aside from having the military step up, are the international powers-that-be going to step up and make the decision appropriate to the deep down and honest reality of what’s happening in Afghanistan? And the same goes for Iraq, and since Iran is back on the menu, for Iran as well. If all these shenanigans and killing that have been going on have OIL as their basis, there is absolutely no excuse for it, especially since the United States has all the oil it needs (but won’t tap) for a long time to come- and at a far more reasonable price than we are currently paying.
Obama doesn’t give a damn about our troops, he is only worried about saving the lives of his Muslim brothers and sisters. Obama is going to do everything he can to weaken or destroy our military and disarm the citzenry of America. Obama’s goal is the Communist takeover of America with himself installed as dictator. Unfortunately he is geting very close to accomplishing his goal while patriotic Americans continue to do nothing. In our haste to avoid confrontation, we are gaining a master.
Keep your powder dry!
Leaping Spark,
Those that would oppose a communist takeover of America already have a Master and it is His retribution that Obama should fear above all.
It’s a shame that Obama is so unfeeling and uninterested in our military and their safety. He truly has no loyalty to the US. It is a shame when the military leaders are so disrespected by the president.
Leaping Spark, with due respect, I disagree that patriots are doing nothing. We are doing all that we can to stop this train wreck of a government takeover. We will prevail but time is getting very short. It has to happen very soon.
Bill Clinton was distracted too.
Black Hawk Down 16 years ago this Month.
People remember there was a GREEN President in the White House back in 1993, with no Military Background either.
We are presently in two theaters Iraq and Afghanistan. What could go wrong with the current President ignoring precedent.
While the White House goes to War with a News Network. We have Americans in Harms way, waiting for him to make a decision on Troop deployment build up in Afghanistan.
Lest we forget, we have people fighting for us on the front lines of Afghanistan. It was later determined that Al Qaeda and Bin Laden, trained and funded the people who shot the Black Hawks Down, 3 Oct 1993 Mogadishu.
What is the President waiting for? An International Incident to give him political cover..al la Joe Biden. Gird Your Loins?
http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/10/black-hawk-down-somalia-3rd-october.html
I am a Vietnam Era veteran… this reminds me of LBJ and the advisors back then… talk about deja vu. When I think of our young men and women over there now and the fact that they really no longer have a Commander-in-Chief, I am reminded of how I felt back then.
It has a devastating effect on morale. When your life is on the line, it gives you an awful, sickening feeling in your gut. It is easy to despair when you feel you are no longer supported and are not receiving what you need to accomplish your mission.
As a veteran, I find all this just completely nauseating.
I am a retired soldier with 27 years of service dating back to the tail end of Viet Nam, and I served in the 1st Gulf war(1991) and I am 100% disabled. My son is presently in Afghanistan, and the old soldier in me is NOT happy with “Alibama’s” cowardice views. I think he needs to be sent over there with a weapon and assigned to a grunt unit on the front lines, and get a taste of combat. Then, and only then he might understand what is needed to win the war….But I really doubt it…Most facist, maxist a-holes don’t get it!
“I LOVE MY COUNTRY, BUT FEAR MY GOVERNMENT”
A qualified executive knows that if you do not personally have experience in any area, the first thing to do is find someone that does!
War is no exception, Obama needs to listen to the military experts. They are the ones that know how to fight and win a war.
When will people learn not to hire “elect” a rookie.
Pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform.
sniff sniff sniff, hand me another box of tissue, obama sobs,
because of FOX news, I had to spend an hour with Olbermann and Maddow to GE bring good things to light
and because of FOX RUSh, GLENN BECK, Hannity I could only spend 15 minuts with the General, not even enough time for a beer.
sniff, sniff sniff, besides, I could have had another 35,000 per couple dinner party and or another Hollywood gala at the white house while I don’t make up my mind and let more troops die. Oh sniff, sniff, sniff, this is just so above my pay grade, dealing with that FOX !
1sgboom
gawd, do not send him over into the theatre, he will get all of our troops killed.
there is something seriously wrong with this dude, mentally, brain fried druggie you think or ?
I read a reality piece somewhere this week, called CHINA gets the OIL from Iraq from the blood of the USA.
WELL, Afghanistan has loads of natural gas, GUESS WHAT ?
Russia you think ? or ??
he is spending stimulus money counting bug splats on the bumpers of our cars, putting sand on the beaches of the rich and famous, and thousands of other such obscene waste,
and calling it “saved” jobs! The dude is mentally ill.
King Ludiwig you think ?
He spends his time talking about socialist mops, worried that Fox News is not a news channel, thinks Rush is part of Fox news, and on and on back to his 57 states? He contradicts himself in the same sentence now.
Perhaps one of his switches has become disconected.
I contend that any high school drop out is smarter than he is and could do a better job. And that wife, a giggle a minute.
Pelosi on the other hand you know that the botox leaked into her brain.
YOU could not write fiction like this that would sound credible.
What is, deep down and honestly, the REAL reason the continuance of war was picked up by the USA (mostly) in the first place (after the Russians dropped the ball there)?
Is the enemy there, deep down and honestly, a credible enemy, not withstanding everything we’ve seen in the press. IOW, what is the true origin of this enemy?
When all is said and done, are the deep down and honest objectives actually going to be met by killing even one more person, or rather, are they truly WORTH the killing of even one more person, on any side?
Until we get the deep down, honest answers to these questions, what to do with Afghanistan will continue to be a problem. Whatever the government has said, stands in crying need of verification. Whatever the press has reported is not to be trusted in any event. Aside from having the military step up, are the international powers-that-be going to step up and make the decision appropriate to the deep down and honest reality of what’s happening in Afghanistan? And the same goes for Iraq, and since Iran is back on the menu, for Iran as well. If all these shenanigans and killing that have been going on have OIL as their basis, there is absolutely no excuse for it, especially since the United States has all the oil it needs (but won’t tap) for a long time to come- and at a far more reasonable price than we are currently paying.