White House Debate Led To Plan To Widen Effort In Afghanistan

New York Times:

President Obama's plan to widen United States involvement in Afghanistan came after an internal debate in which Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. warned against getting into a political and military quagmire, while military advisers argued that the Afghanistan war effort could be imperiled without even more troops.

All of the president's advisers agreed that the primary goal in the region should be narrow -- taking aim at Al Qaeda, as opposed to the vast attempt at nation-building the Bush administration had sought in Iraq. The question was how to get there.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Countdown09]

So they all want to take the lead in Afghanista­n......oka­y fine. But I'll bet a pay check if it goes sour they'll all be ducking behind Pres. Obama pushing him front and center stage.

[rwe2late]

'NEW" military tactics does NOT constitute a new strategy.
It is the same old strategy of military conquest and occupation, ... supposedly until the conquest and occupation ceases to create new enemies.
The military minds are creative in imagining 'potential threats', and will never find 'security' from all their imagined 'threats' except by force of arms. Of course, in the process, they will ruin whatever chances exist for a peaceful and democratic world.

[godsbreath64]

Is it me, or does Hillary look like she wants to throw a few bullets out on the lawn and lock the doors as Booby Gates fetches them?

[Schoolgirl666]

Bring everyone home immediatel­y......the­n send in Vinny Boombatz and a couple of his boys from the neighborho­od...they'­ll find and take care of Osama and be back before Sunday supper.

[Oakland]

Obama is a fool. First, he is five years too late. Second, he isn't going to accomplish anymore than Russia, England or Peter the Great. Obama needs to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan now. No more blood for oil. While KBR got millions to electrocute our own soldiers in their showers, the Obama administration just gave KBR more millions to go back to fix what they didn't do right in the first place. Add in the WS bailout, and we have a pattern here. Obama is just more of the same.

[pewty]

More of the same , kind of like your whining with no solutions offered. I wonder how Sarah Palin would handle the problems in America? How come she doesnt ever weigh in on world issues? Could it be that she doesnt know anything except how to whine about the media? And you want her in the WH? againalsot­ootherefor­eyoubetcha

[mytewcents]

5 years too late? he has only been in office less than 70 days. Maybe your upset because he is showing your previous administration how it SHOULD have been done five years ago.

To me the decision to do this was well thought out and heavily weighed. President Obama does not believe in fighting for oil, if the Republicans will start participating we will start working ourselves off the dependence of foreign oil.

[kashifsaeed28]

This effort will fail unless Indian activities against Pakistan are curbed in Afghanistan.

My Blog:
http://project-you-are-not-alone.blogspot.com

[morgan1]

This is Vietnam all over again so, once more, the WH has learned nothing from their own history of failed "wars" and intervention. Afghanistan did not ask for our help and repeatedly they have asked us to get out. This is tribal country and warlord run and democracy will never be brought there. We will never be welcome there: NEVER. Obama is a fool to listen to his warmongering advisers and this conflict there, this continued escalation, will doom his Presidency. The poppy fuels the entire economy and has for decades--What? Is corporate agri-business (Monsanto, etc.) going to show these farmers how to do it different? Better? I think not.

[LITU]

True on every count. Add to the equation the contradiction of the Taliban; systematic decimation of the poppy fields when in power, using the resources of poppy production to finance their cause.

Religious, intolerant zealots worldwide have a credibility problem.

[espressobeans]

Ironic. We had a vice president in Cheney who spewed more war nonsense that nobody should have listened to and a vice president in Biden who says enough already that gets ignored.

[lowgear]

JFK vietnam THE FIRST ESCALATION, 1961

+

bho afghanistan THE FIRST ESCALATION, 2009

=

bho's vietnam

[S1m0n]

Learning to tell the difference between al Qaeda and the Taliban(s) would be a start - one wants to demonify the US as part of a war against secural governments in the islamic sphere, and the other just wants to get the US out of Afghanistan. Thos are very different goals, and we should *share* the goal of the latter. It's time to split these two.

[swo68]

How do you identify either? Don't they all just blend in with civilians?

[JXJASON]

A good point, swo68.

If you cannot identify the good guys from the bad guys...and you cannot speak their language..­.then it is time to go home.

We should bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan NOW.

We should use the lives saved and the two billion dollars per month saved ( the cost to keep troops in Afghanistan ) to increase border security in the US.

[several]

Debate and competing ideas within an administration is good. It brings the best results. Another major improvement over the previous administration which systematically weeded out anyone who expressed disagreement with Dick Cheney.

[PressidentDupeDupe]

Gregg Keeps Up Attack on Obama's Budget Request
Sen. Judd Gregg, who was offered the job of President Obama's commerce secretary but withdrew his name, has become one of the toughest critics of Obama's handling of the economy.

[joebloe]

Are you just findiing this out?

[takeyourballandgohome]

Yeah, and where's his lotto winnings on his tax return? Oh, dah, gave 'some' of it to charity...­let's see the returns! Kept that one quiet....w­hat's he doing even buying a lotto ticket?

[TJCole]

Maybe Hillary thinks Secretary of State, is the same as Secretary of War..!

[partyofone]

unfortunately, Hillary may think she is co-president for foreign affairs. Her "pronouncements" extend well beyond her portfolio. It will be interesting to see if she is actually supporting President Obama, or challenging him non-constructive ways.

Hillary is not an experienced diplomat, has few credentials beyond her ceremonial duties as First Lady, and has a personal style that seems far more self-centered and dogmatic rather than service-minded and collaborative. She also tends to be inconsistent, a "politician" who takes all sides on issues, contradicting herself and denying past positions. ITime will tell if Hillary can survive in the SoS position.

[yman2]

Only in the minds of the few remaining CDSers.

[PressidentDupeDupe]

the big 0 is a clever political strategist and he is doing cllinton in as expected. and wont be long now before bill starts to criticize him publicly

[TJCole]

Control of what Afghanista­n...? LOL...!

You can't make this stuff up...good luck with that...!

[PressidentDupeDupe]

Afghanistan is starting to look like another Viet-namm

[partyofone]

Starting? It was Russia's Vietnam before us.

[PressidentDupeDupe]

i fear we r dreaming again. i had a dream.....­.......