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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFrom AFGHANISTAN tonight, President Obama will make Mitt Romney look LILLIPUTIAN!
MSNBC (Martin Bashir) just reported that President Obama will address the American people at 7:31pm Eastern Tuesday May 1st. His surprise landing in Kabul occurred at 2:39pm Eastern.
What a way to celebrate the anniversary of his triumph over Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda! If President Obama had taken the easy way out a year ago and just ordered an air strike on bin Laden's suspected compound, the military and CIA would not have obtained crucial intelligence from bin Laden's disk drives.
The main purpose of the President's visit is to finalize 20 months of negotiatiation with President Hamid Karzai over a two-country partnership agreement until 2014.
But an important side effect is to miniaturize Mitt Romney, whose 3-question "press conference" with Giuliani in Manhattan this afternoon began with a statement commemorating bin Laden's death that DID NOT MENTION President Obama!
WHAT'S YOUR OPINION?
Bozita
(26,955 posts)Does Willard know the owner of the pizza shop?
randome
(34,845 posts)Or Jon Stewart will have a seizure!
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)the romney/Giuliani "press conference" began?
Romney abruptly turned and quick-walked away. Giuliani continued speaking, but not even FOX carried it live.
Can you imagine President Obama calling a "press conference" and getting a press flunky to yell "Thank you" after fewer than five minutes? The President answers questions evan at photo-ops.
malaise
(267,784 posts)Rmoney is fugged up again
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)Don't forget the Mission Accomplished banner.
SpencerShay
(72 posts)It doesn't even come close to being "Bush-worthy."
kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)it's like you just switched sides and kept the script.
karynnj
(59,474 posts)nor did he suggest it would be over soon - just that this phase was over and they signed an important agreement.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)And the mission wasn't accomplished by quite a few years. Still isn't. But, hey! Go for it!
kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)Bush and victims in Iraq.
emulatorloo
(43,979 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)From what I have heard so far he has been giving credit to the troops and thanking them for their sacrifices.
kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)"he has been giving credit to the troops"
"thanking them for their sacrifices."
If you think that's somehow a contrast with the previous Emperor, I have to wonder frankly what's in the water you're drinking.
Jesus Christ people, what happened to your memory? Bush never looked more happy and relaxed than when surrounded by enlisted - a photo op setting he contrived whenever possible. He was like a boy in a pile of puppies. And YES they adored him and all the attention he paid them. It was 24x7 televised troop worship with Bush. "Our heroes." "God Bless Murika." "The whole nation honors your sacrifices" bla bla bla.
Cynical political photo-op then is cynical election year photo-op today. Unless of course it isn't because the President is a Democrat, as some say.
DearAbby
(12,461 posts)Obama would be enduring heaps of blame about right now, that is acceptable, taking credit because the mission succeeded is also acceptable. I don't see anything similar to Bush.
kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)It's amazing, but every time someone objects, the parallels just become clearer.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)rufus dog
(8,419 posts)he is going to snap off the lips of Giuliani and McCain.
sad sally
(2,627 posts)the US, so no problem with an extended stay.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)sad sally
(2,627 posts)the US will leave somewhere around 20,000 troops in Afghanistan after the 2014 date, and will fund the 352,000-strong Afghan security forces after 2014.
While there were no specific amounts, US officials have said they expect to pay about $4 billion a year. $4 billion a year times 10 years is such a small chunk of change, besides the Sec of State said they will be fully funded and have all they need until they're fully trained to our liking. Sounds like permanent bases might just be needed for decades to come.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)A 10-year lease of bases the US has built but turned over to the Afghans would allow substantial US military secrecy and air support for counterterror operations.
sad sally
(2,627 posts)in Afghanistan for the next 100 years if it means fighting terror to keep US citizens safe.
Heck, by 2024 US drones operating US drones might be keeping all us rebel-rousers running for cover anyway, which will ease the work of those elite US secret killing operators.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)LOL.
How about this one, Mitt Romney: Even Jimmy Carter could defeat you.
bluedigger
(17,077 posts)ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)the US would go back to its pre-9/11 counterterror capabilities in that region?
Or would you keep a few thousand skilled counterterror spies and Rambos on site just in case al=Qaeda surges again in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Yemen?
bluedigger
(17,077 posts)Special Ops are too valuable to expose in permanent occupation roles. And they don't like being called Rambo's.
jenmito
(37,326 posts)And he'll get them! (I know what you meant-I couldn't resist.)
bluedigger
(17,077 posts)He hasn't done a hell of a lot to get my vote lately. The "lesser evil" argument isn't very inspiring.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)We have to get combat troops out of there. I think they are now beginning to do more harm than good. I think the focus should be on intel and special ops.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)Given Afghanistan's history of unstable governments, IMO it would be foolish to think the US would be safe from another al-Qaeda resurgence without leaving a few thousand spies and Rambos behind for up to ten years.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)lets use it.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Life Long Dem
(8,582 posts)ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)for today. Chuck Todd broadcasts it every morning on MSNBC. Today's chedule had two meetings sith Cabinet officials and a 4pm Jay Carney(sp?) press briefing. I thought, "No public addresses? That's strange, on the anniversary of his biggest triumph". But I had no idea President Obama would show up in Afghanistan soon after the Romney-Giulani "press conference".
jenmito
(37,326 posts)hugging them, etc. I saw it on MSNBC. Chris Matthews LOVED the speech and went on and on about how this is a CIC and he said exactly what the troops and the rest of us needed to hear. Chris said he was "stirred" by that speech.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)to reach the low-information "Reagan Democrats" Romney is counting on.
Even Fox, though, won't be able to avoid covering a prime-time Commander-in-Chief speech to the nation about future military activities in Afghanistan.
jenmito
(37,326 posts)ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)main vehicle for daily visits with ignoramuses such as Kimberly Guilfoyle and Dubya's former press secretary Dana Perino, who'd revealed on live TV she'd never heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
jenmito
(37,326 posts)Obama speaking and watched it.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Daniel537
(1,560 posts)That's actually 2024. I don't care how this makes Romney look, we should have left that place years ago. This was never a "good war".
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)of al-Qaeda's top 30 leaders using the intel on those disk drives?
Can we afford to allow al-Qaeda back into Afghanistan in force, and risk another 9/11? Or should we spend $4 billion or so a year on a kind of insurance policy?
And if I heard correctly, the part of the agreement that happens after 2014 has been left extremely vague, intentionally, with no commitments of specific resources.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)They cannot compete with this.
underpants
(182,270 posts)DCBob
(24,689 posts)Faux?.. not sure.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)DCBob
(24,689 posts)Fox had to show it even if it was painful.
ProgressiveEconomist
(5,818 posts)thier DISinformation. But I predict Mitt Romney will lay low for a few days after the debacle in Mahnattan with Rudy.
The media will want to ask Mitt whether he supports the President's new agreement with and new plan for Afghanistan. So Mitt will have to do one of the things he's excellent at--eluding the press.