Barack Obama enlists Afghan war leaks in support of policy switch

[Poll_Blind]

Source: The Guardian

Material cataloguing blunders justifies decision to deploy 30,000 more US troops, US president says

Barack Obama today said the disclosures about the mishandling of the Afghanistan war contained in leaked US military documents justified his decision to embark on a new strategy.

Speaking on the White House lawn after a meeting with Congressional leaders to discuss funding for the war and other issues, the US president deplored the leak, saying he was concerned the information from the battleground could jeopardise the lives of US soldiers.

But he went on to say that the material, which catalogues a series of blunders, revealed the challenges that led him to announce late last year a change in strategy that involved sending an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.

The tens of thousands of documents were sent to the website Wikileaks and published in the Guardian, the New York Times and Der Spiegel. They deal mainly with the conduct of the war during the Bush administration, which Obama has repeatedly accused of ignoring the Afghanistan war because of its focus on Iraq.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/27/barack-obama-afghan-war-logs

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Really? 30,000 more into the hopper?

[mike_c]

1. lame....

U.S. out of Iraq and Afghanistan NOW!

[zipplewrath]

2. He loves these leaps of faith

The material "justifies" his attempt to embark on a new strategy. It in no way "justifies" the one he chose.

[saigon68]

15. More Gold Star Mothers

And Orphans of US service personnel

Foe Cheney's Halliburton---BP and the rest of the Industrial Criminals

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. How many here would have accepted this explanation if it came from Bush?

[Poll_Blind]

6. Nobody. Honestly, I'm betting nobody here buys it coming from Obama.

If it was anyplace in the world other than Afghanistan, there might be some minority who would probably suspend disbelief long enough to swallow it.

Afghanistan is a black hole.

Afghanistan has been a military black hole for a few thousand years or so.

This does not compute.

Throw in Pakistan's ISI taking money from us with one hand and giving aid and planning attacks with the Taliban with the other and throwing more at Afghanistan is just another hand full of crazy pills to swallow as far as I'm concerned.

PB

[Soylent Brice]

8. no one here, except maybe the freeper trolls. n/t

[hedgehog]

10. So you're suggesting there is no difference between Bush and Obama?

Really?

[Smashcut]

14. No, I think the poster's saying this contortionist logic is worthy of Bush

and I think he's right.

[FiveGoodMen]

19. Is that what I said?

Really?

[Ignis]

24. Why not just ask if he's stopped beating his wife yet?

:dunce:

[sandnsea]

22. Did Obama switch policy? n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

23. Is that in any way responsive to my question?

[sandnsea]

25. Yes. And is that in any way responsive to *my* question? n/t

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[24601]

33. I don't believe so - didn't he campaign on Afghanistan being the

war of necessity? No one should be surprised.

[dflprincess]

34. He said he'd send 15,000 more troops

he's already surpassed that number and he's throwing billions into this fiasco that we could be using to rebuild the U.S.

Besides, if he changed his mind about insurance mandates, he could change his mind about continuing the endless war policy.

[moksha]

37. Switch? No. Escalate? Yes.

[Hawkowl]

5. Obama is captain of the Titanic

Having assumed command of the Titanic, Obama ordered all the lifeboats destroyed, rationalizing that this would make the Titanic lighter and thereby keeping it afloat longer.

[rurallib]

7. "troop surge, can I have a troop surge?"

just yesterday I posted sarcastically that the leak would lead to a call for a surge.
We like surges. They sound strong, tough etc.

[saigon68]

16. Betrayus is in Favor of the Bribes to come

Just like Iraq except he has to figure out WHO ? to bribe

[sandnsea]

9. Do you seriously not remember last year's debate? n/t

[frylock]

12. i remember obama stating that there would be no more supplemental spending for the war..

and here we are with congress voting to chuck another 33B down that rathole. but hey, at least he's steadfast and resolute when it comes to throwing more troops into the meatgrinder.

[sandnsea]

18. There is an Emergency Supplemental every single year

War or no war.

He said he was going to put the war On The Budget, which he did. This $30 billion is an additional request beyond the $130 billion ON BUDGET for 2010,

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/26/war.spending/index.html

and the $160 billion requested to be ON BUDGET for 2011.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/32272.html

Now you can disagree with the spending all you want, but you can't use your own facts to do it.

[Kolesar]

21. Thank you for illuminating that...eom

[frylock]

29. seems like so much sleight of hand to me..

but i'm stupid that way.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

39. dumbfuck progressives..

you have yourself a nice life there, sug.

[sandnsea]

40. no answers, no facts,

Just unending inanity that isn't even entertaining.

[frylock]

41. it's the dumbfuck conservocrats that are fucking things up big time..

someday, hopefully soon, you'll come to that realization. until then, RAH-RAH!!1

[sandnsea]

42. Well most certainly they are, who says otherwise?

But since they are THERE, you have to deal with them. Are you telling me all you brilliant woodchucks can't defeat some backwoods hicks that have the brain the size of an acorn?

You can't let them call this a War Bill if you want local aid in it. You have to call it a Supplemental, which is what it is. But if you choose to make the "war spending" more important than teachers and Pell Grants, then YOU did that and YOU need to take responsibility for your choices.

[dflprincess]

35. 30 billion here, 30 billion there

pretty soon we'll be talking real money. :sarcasm:

[Bette Noir]

11. What a waste;

Even if we "win" this, one of Obama's successors is just going to have to go to war to oust Karzai in 10 or 20 years. It's not like we're supporting a regime that's honest, or popular.

[Poll_Blind]

17. If he Karzai survives at all, it'll be because he switches sides to the Taliban.

I mean, more realistically it won't be as black and white as "switching sides" but that'll basically be what it boils down to.

PB

[slay]

13. No, a real "policy switch" would be - get the fuck out!

Anything less is bullshit. :mad:

[global1]

20. Does Anybody Out There Believe That They Wanted These Leaks To Go Public?........nt

[Turborama]

38. Yes, Rush Limbaugh

Apparently: http://twitter.com/owillis/status/19584525321

[Fearless]

27. Great now he's an opportunist with Republican talking points...

Where is the opportunist with full Congressional control and DEMOCRATIC ideology? Oh right... my bad... "bipartisanship", otherwise entitled "let's do what the Republicans want".

:wtf:

[MilesColtrane]

28. We can all agree that Bush fucked things up in Afghanistan, Mr. President, but...

regardless of what new strategy you implement, you have yet to describe what the end goal looks like.

If it's a stable, democratic government that can police the country and keep Al Quaeda out, you are dreaming.

If it's chasing guys in to the mountains and back over the border of Pakistan while occasionally blowing up civilians for the next 10 years, you are ignorant.

What the hell are we doing there besides creating more orphans and enriching the coffers of the MIC?!!!

[waronbanks]

30. It proves he was right. Yeah riiiiight. How stupid does he think

we are? Jeeze.

[rug]

31. Idiotic.

[dflprincess]

36. No, the released material justifies investigating the Bush administration for war crimes

but it does not justify continuing to commit those crimes.

[saigon68]

43. Looks like scum ball Rahm can continue his wet dream