Pirate Smile (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-29-09 11:55 AM
Original message
Obama calls Afghanistan 'America's war'
Edited on Sun Mar-29-09 12:08 PM by Pirate Smile
Source: The Hill
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3805753
-snip-
Schieffer, calling Obama’s plan “hugely ambitious,” asked the President if it was now his war.
“I think this is America’s war,” Obama responded.
Obama, who criticized the Iraq war during the presidential campaign as distracting from the battle against terrorism, said the conflict in Afghanistan was the same war the country inherited after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He said, “the focus over the last seven years I think has been lost.”
Obama made it clear his strategy is not centered around the number of troops in the region, a contrast from President Bush’s “surge” strategy in Iraq, which Obama opposed
Mindful of history’s lessons in the region, where armies have become dangerously “overextended,” Obama stressed his most recent decision to send primarily troop to train Afghan forces.
“The central part of our strategy is to train the Afghan National Army,” Obama said. “That has been one of the recent success stories.”
“This is going to be hard, Bob. I’m under no illusions,” Obama said of the Afghanistan conflict as a whole. “If it was easy it would have already been completed. And so we’re going to have to go with a strategy that is focused, that is narrowly targeted on defeating al-Qaeda.”
"We think that if you combine military, civilian, diplomatic, development approaches, if we are doing a much better job coordination with our allies, that we can be successful."
As he recommits efforts in Afghanistan, Obama also said, though, that he would not seek to accelerate planned troop withdraws in Iraq.
“I think the plan we put forward in Iraq is the right one,” Obama said.
Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-calls-afghani...
We've been training the Afghans since...oh...2003 or so...
avaistheone1 (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-29-09 12:06 PM
Response to Original message
2. Oh puke!
America's War!
No, this is Obama's War. America will go down just like Russia did in Afghanistan, despite Obama's hubris.
Runcible Spoon (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-29-09 05:09 PM
Response to Reply #2
49. Dude, that was my exact response...
Oh puke is right!
It's not MY ****ING WAR, MR. OBAMA!
March in protest April 4th, multiple cities
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
mike_c (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-29-09 12:14 PM
Response to Original message
4. not in my name....
I reject this war. Obama and the war pigs can have it.
the bugman speaketh.
unhappycamper (1000+ posts) 
Sun Mar-29-09 12:25 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. or mine either.
I said it both before the election and after the election - I'll be out on the streets to end the occupations.
unhappy camper is the dude who keeps the vetern's forum alive on DU, btw. Wonder where he got his bronze star?
cali (1000+ posts) Sun Mar-29-09 12:38 PM
Response to Original message
10. nope. this is your war, Mr. President. You bought it, you own it.
well, cali, really
you did vote for him...
earcandle (397 posts) Sun Mar-29-09 01:19 PM
Response to Original message
21. Pull the plug on both funds and our willingness to let our children die.
Don't let your sons and daughters die for this foolishness.
And pull investments out of those stocks and funds that fund
weapons and wars.
We got to find the root and pull it out.
Obama, making declarations like this, just shows that he is
more of the same.
There is no reason for us to be killing people anywhere. This
is not the way.
We have no money for war. We need to educate, and invest in
our own. IMNSHO.
I am appalled at the rhetoric. It sickens me.
ear canal tries it's hand at Hi-COOOO
antimatter98 (442 posts) Sun Mar-29-09 01:34 PM
Response to Original message
26. He's echoing the Military Industrial Complex and Neocon propaganda. n/t
ALL YOUR PRESIDENTS ARE BELONGING TO US
Brucie Kibbutz (601 posts) Sun Mar-29-09 07:35 PM
Response to Reply #47
55. Our military has already found Blackwater trianing certificates*
on enemies that they captured or killed in Afghanistan. We are paying mercenaries six figure salaries to train them how to fight alongside us. Then, after their training is done, they link back up with the enemy and resume attacking us.
Like you, I wonder why some people aren't thrilled that we're going to do more of the same.
*no we haven't.
Slight edit to fix quote tag-asdf2231.
