Serious Question

19 Comments

1. 

   Frank Schnittger on November 30, 2009 at 4:11 pm

   Limited goals, followed by an exit strategy, and an acknowledgement that Afghans deserve better than to be treated as the cannon fodder for a conflict largely not of their making.

2. 

   gideon on November 30, 2009 at 4:11 pm

   (1) Exit strategy.  
   (2) Measurable goals.
   (3) Exit strategy.

   And when it comes to defending escalation of war, a little passion wouldn’t hurt either.  

   • 

     Quentin on November 30, 2009 at 4:13 pm

     Passion? Obama?

3. 

   DaveW on November 30, 2009 at 4:19 pm

   Short term exit strategy.

   Long term switch from military solutions to law enforcement and strategic economic policy designed to weaken the hold of the Taliban and al qaida goons.

   • 

     Errol on November 30, 2009 at 6:50 pm

     sounds good.

4. 

   TarheelDem on November 30, 2009 at 4:34 pm

   1. Explanation of mission and how his decision helps the mission
   2. Explanation of how the number of troops that will be in country after the orders have been fulfilled will constitute an “overwhelming force” capable of doing what they have been tasked to do.
   3. The setting of date certain by which US troops will leave if the Afghan government troops and police are not capable of protecting the people.  The explanation of what the exit strategy will be.
   4. An explanation of the diplomatic framework in which the action will take place, including the involvement of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kirghizstan, Russia, China, India.  An explanation of how this should be read by Iran.

   5. An explanation of how he intends to pay for this surge and where the cuts or tax increases will come.  If he’s going to be a fiscal scold on healthcare and other things, he needs to be a fiscal scold on the spending that really is bankrupting the country.

5. 

   Real History Lisa on November 30, 2009 at 4:58 pm

   WHY WE ARE THERE.

   That was my question to him in this article at Consortium News this morning:
   http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/113009b.html

   Our original reason for being in Afghanistan was all about Osama bin Laden. But he may be dead now, or, if living, he’s believed to be in Pakistan in any case. So WHY ARE WE THERE now???

6. 

   Jan on November 30, 2009 at 5:37 pm

   I want him to tell military families why this is so damn important to send our men and women over there for????

   How he plans to pay for it, considering we are pretty much bankrupt and in hock to China.

   When all of our troops can come home from the hell holes of Iraq AND Afghanistan

   And I would bet if there was talk of the draft being reinstated this war would be over by Saturday.

   And what are his employment plans are come Jan. 20, 2013 since he won’t be president anymore.

7. 

   forus50 on November 30, 2009 at 6:11 pm

   1. Why our new enemy, that we must engage 40,000 of our men and women to fight, is the Taliban. (Since all the military experts claim that al-Qaeda is holed up “in the tough mountainous terrain over the border in Pakistan”).  
   2. When will nation building include building our own nation?

   We are like crazy drug addicts for war.  We go into Iraq for WMD and don’t find it so every year we invent another reason for being there.  Now this same addiction afflicts us in Afghanistan.  

8. 

   Oscar In Dallas on November 30, 2009 at 6:23 pm

   “F*** it, we’re leaving!”

   • 

     forus50 on November 30, 2009 at 8:22 pm

     For sure.  The only words between his “Hello and good evening” and “Thank you and may God bless America”.  The most memorable speech ever.

9. 

   robertdsc on November 30, 2009 at 6:47 pm

   Total withdrawal.

10. 

    Jan on November 30, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    Keith is doing a special comment tonight on Afghanistan.

11. 

    Ed J on November 30, 2009 at 8:07 pm

    the names of some of the dead and then explain what they died for.

12. 

    QueerReader on November 30, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    “I caved to the military brass on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ on (not) closing Guantanamo, on (not) releasing all the Abu Ghraib photos and on the Land Mines Treaty.  But no more.  I am the commander-in-chief, not Timmy McChrystal.  It’s time for an orderly phased withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan.

13. 

    supersoling on November 30, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    Immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan,

    or as A href=httpwww.boomantribune.comstory2006751458128345DuctapeFatwaA used to bluntly say,

    BLOCKQUOTErepatriate your gunmenBLOCKQUOTE

    This is all he should say, but as a U.S. politician, will never say, nor ever intended to say, no matter how many of his supporters somehow believed he would end what he never intended to end.

    DuctFatwa,

    BLOCKQUOTEI know we all like to make jokes about the stupidity of the various inhabitants of Washington and their various henchmen, but in reality they are not stupid and they have been quite candid about their intentions. BLOCKQUOTE  

    • 

      supersoling on November 30, 2009 at 11:00 pm

      Immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan,

      or as DuctapeFatwa  used to bluntly say,

      “repatriate your gunmen”

      This is all he should say, but as a U.S. politician, will never say, nor ever intended to say, no matter how many of his supporters somehow believed he would end what he never intended to end.

      DuctFatwa,

      “I know we all like to make jokes about the stupidity of the various inhabitants of Washington and their various henchmen, but in reality they are not stupid and they have been quite candid about their intentions. “

14. 

    sbj on November 30, 2009 at 11:56 pm

    “I would rather serve as a one-term president and stand firm in my support for the important changes we need to make as a nation than to be a two-term president who compromised away those essential changes for the sake of that second term.

    With that in mind, we will not be escalating our armed presence in Afghanistan and will seek instead to deal with those who might use terrorist threats and acts against us as criminals rather than elevating them to warrior status.”

15. 

    Arthur Gilroy on December 1, 2009 at 12:00 am

    What do I want to hear?

    Upon further consideration, I am ordering the troops of the United States out of every country in the world, bringing them back behind our own borders and redirecting the massive might of our government to:

    A-Rebuilding the nation from the ground up.

    and

    B-Remaining ready, willing and able to exact the most severe consequences on anyone who fucks with us in any manner whatsoever. Nuclear consequences if necessary. Go fight your own fucking battles. All of you.

    As proof of my seriousness in this matter, I am directing Attorney General Holder to begin proceedings that will result in war crimes, corruption and treason prosecutions at the highest levels of the both the federal government and the corporate system of this country.

    Thank you and goodnight.

    Barack Obama

    P.S. If you don’t like it…lump it until you can vote me out.

    Shoulda been said in his inauguration speech. By the time the media recovered and began their counterattack he would have had a 90% majority of the population agreeing with him and the media would have been powerless to change things.

    What do I expect to hear?

    The usual compromising bullshit, of course.

    Business as usual, and so it goes.

    Ever downward with brief periods of relief until the country eventually bottoms out.

    Watch.

    AG