Clinton On Afghanistan: Obama Wise To Think Before Sending More Troops

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton says he believes President Barack Obama is wise to step back and rethink U.S. policy in Afghanistan before approving the dispatch of additional U.S. troops there.

Appearing on a news show Tuesday, Clinton said things are "teetering there," and he believes that Obama should wait at least until there is a resolution of the disputed presidential election.

Clinton told NBC's "Today" show "maybe the resolution would be to have both the top candidates in some configuration in the Afghani government going forward." Preliminary results from the Aug. 20 poll show President Hamid Karzai winning with 54.6 percent, but if enough votes are thrown out, it could drop him below 50 percent, forcing a runoff with top challenger Abdullah Abdullah.

Comments

[yankees]

09:41 AM on 09/23/2009

The problem here is the Clinton was considered a strong President while Obama is not, too indecisive on all issues and not really in control as proven by the Health Bill. Obama knew this decision was coming Day One when he took office and should be able to make his mind up how this should be played out. I will stand by Obama whatever the decision but he needs to move on it fast!

[Doofus]

05:08 AM on 09/23/2009

Clearly, no outside force has EVER had any long term success in Afghanistan.
What complicates the current situation is that so many nations are involved in
the fighting there. It would be most wise for ALL of these nations to withdraw
soon, recalling that (unlike Iraq) we were indeed victorious in Afghanistan
way back when (apart from the matter of finding & removing OBL). Time for
ALL to bring the troops home, do some victory parades while we still remember
we had one, for awhile.

[jsgaetano]

10:23 PM on 09/22/2009

The only time the government won't double down on failure is when Democrats are in charge.

If conservatives were in charge during WW2, we'd all be speaking German right now. Well, the west coast would be speaking Japanese.

[Angel R1240]

03:41 PM on 09/22/2009

I could not agree more with President Clinton Obama needs to think twice...

[RonGallion]

04:01 PM on 09/22/2009

Yea pay no attention to the Generals what do they know? It's all politics and guess who pays, our soldiers.

[ILibertine]

05:05 PM on 09/22/2009

It's up to the generals to pursue engagements. It's up to politicians to determine to what extent actions are pursued. The problem has been failing to either commit wholeheartedly and with some feasible purpose, or exit; and Afghanistan has been allowed to fester for so long while we fiddled elsewhere that we have merely allowed the enemy to regroup and solidify their positions - militarily and politically. Yes, soliders are the ones paying for indecision. They should not be there without the fully required force if we wish to stay; or should be withdrawn if we're just going to kick things around and engage in stalemate.

[jsgaetano]

10:25 PM on 09/22/2009

Considering Bush purged the military brass of everyone except far-right apparatchiks... we SHOULD pay no attention to the generals.

It's not like Bush paid attention to General Shinseki when he said we'd need 100,000 troops to secure Iraq. For his expert (and prophetic) judgement, he was forced to resign.

[SlimPickins79]

06:38 PM on 09/22/2009

him hesitating is what caused the whole black hawk down situation to be so bad. uhm yeah we dont want those boys to be too heavily armed, no tanks or APC's just send them in humvees...

[Thundercloud65]

08:14 PM on 09/22/2009

Bill Clinton didn't send the troops to Somalia. Papa Bush did.

[jsgaetano]

10:28 PM on 09/22/2009

"Operation Provide Relief", August 1992, under then-president George H. W. Bush.

But hey, don't let history or reality get in the way of your right wing screed.

[janehenry]

01:45 PM on 09/22/2009

I just love how everyone else's opinion is so vital to everyday news. Clinton, Rice, Repubs, x WH staffers, Bush staff, on and on and on.

If these folks all knew so much why are we in the mess we're in today? Why didn't they keep us safe? Why didn't they prevent the financial crisis? Why didn't they get health care passed? And on and on and on.

[jsgaetano]

10:29 PM on 09/22/2009

Because Republicans were too busy looting the country for the last eight years to be bothered with anything else.

[jay1975]

01:12 PM on 09/22/2009

"Clinton On Afghanistan: Obama Wise To Think Before Sending More Troops". He has waited 8 months already. Doesn't he have generals and the SECDEF to advise him? How long does the man need to wait before he starts to seriously go after bin Laden and wrap up Afghanistan like he said he would?

[TishiJo]

01:47 PM on 09/22/2009

There is no evidence President Obama has "waited" on action in Afghanistan "over 8 months." The issue at this point in time is related to more troops and the election there. Of course he has military advisors. Why does anyone including Clinton believe they can make statements on what our President should do when obviously, neither he nor they have access to military advisors or to classified information?

[jsgaetano]

10:31 PM on 09/22/2009

And Bush waited on Afghanistan for seven years. If Bush wouldn't have CUT AND RUN from OBL, we wouldn't even be there anymore.

Where's OBL? Where's Mullah Omar? Where's that Afghanistan army GWB was supposedly training all those years?

[research]

01:12 PM on 09/22/2009

I too, am Impressed with Obama asking the right questions BEFORE we spend more live and wealth on a foreign land that does not want us there anymore.

The USA spend as much as the rest of the world combined on it's military and wars, but nothing for main street or health insurance.

All we are doing by overstaying our meddlesome occupation of the world, it losing hearts and minds.

That is how empires fall, they over control.

We can hit any target anywhere in the world from the continental USA, we don't need our 1000 military bases. 10 would do it.

The USA is spending a fortune policing the world, but it has become the bully: wars for oil, torture, rendition, CIA topplings of democracies all over the world:

The USA has ZERO moral authority.

Wake up,

end the Energy Wars

[edwarvir]

01:03 PM on 09/22/2009

I thought Clinton was suppose to be
promoting his book, and what he has
planned for his future, but he seems to
be fixated on President Obama. Your Presidental
term is over Bill. Our President has a plan
about Afghanistan and we need to trust him
and his leadership, without any advice from you..

[ILibertine]

01:23 PM on 09/22/2009

It's actually somewhat unusual vs. the past several decades to have a few ex-presidents alive, in possession of their faculties or not thoroughly disgraced (Nixon). Why should Clinton not have opinions and be able to express them? If Candolezza Rice or Newt Gingrich, for example, can have publicly expressed views, Clinton would seem to have considerably more experience and valid input.

[gaja]

10:22 PM on 09/22/2009

As opposed to the primaries and election, Bubba seems to be helping Obama right now quite a bit by getting people to trust the administration's judgment and support their initiatives... If you heard him speak on the Daily Show, Bill was quite gracious about Obama's thoughts and actions...

Why continue all the Clinton-hate? Seems like Bill and Hillary are both doing their best to support the Prez at this time. That's a lot more than I can say for the Conserva-dems and so-called Repub allies like McCain and Grassley...

[bilmardre]

12:55 PM on 09/22/2009

GOP neocons still playing games with the lives of our troops.

[apoyo]

12:48 PM on 09/22/2009

Thinking before you act is what everyone should do all the time.

Thinking before you speak as well.

[ajax2]

12:39 PM on 09/22/2009

Mission creep on its slow poisonous slither to nation building and perpetual war, the right wing wet dream.

[AnnfromCA]

12:36 PM on 09/22/2009

I agree with Bill on this one. Afghanastan is just a mess. Think first is smart.

[econ1]

12:36 PM on 09/22/2009

Thinking first....great idea!

We should apply it to banks, investment banks, insurance companies, GM, Chrysler, health care, cash for clunkers, etc. etc.

Novel approach we could adopt.

[CaptainStormfield]

12:02 PM on 09/22/2009

http://www.d-n-i.net/dni/2009/09/14/on-war-315-the-taliban%E2%80%99s-air-force/#more-859

All you wing nuts , try reading something substantial... William S. Lind.
A real paleo conservative.. And a life long student of war.

[Mitsy]

11:26 AM on 09/22/2009

Why is the media focusing on what Cinton has to say about certain situations in our country? Our current president is doing just fine without any validation statements from Clinton.
Clinton and the media just need to go away.

[nellie]

11:43 AM on 09/22/2009

Clinton is one of the most informed and involved authorities on foreign affairs. that's why.

[HLL]

11:45 AM on 09/22/2009

Right on, Nellie.

[gaja]

10:34 PM on 09/22/2009

I agree!

[AnnfromCA]

12:35 PM on 09/22/2009

Because he's still the most brilliant politician of my lifetime.