Obama Looking For The "American Bridge" Out Of Afghanistan

While President Obama continues to mull over his options for adding more U.S. troops to the mission in Afghanistan, he is also pressing for an increased strategic focus on "off-ramps" out of Afghanistan, ABC News' George Stephanopoulos is reporting Wednesday. As one Obama aide put it to Stephanopoulos, the president is still waiting to receive a more definitive vision of what will be the "American Bridge" out of the country, and considers what he's heard so far to be unsatisfying.

As reported Tuesday, Obama is said to be considering four options for reorienting the U.S.'s strategy in Afghanistan, and is scheduled to meet with his national security team Wednesday to discuss them before heading off to Asia for a week. White Press Secretary Robert Gibbs declined to give details on the four options Tuesday. Obama is still said to be weeks away from making his decision.

Among the plans under consideration are one sending 40,000 troops, which was initial recommendation of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. According to the LA Times, another option on the table involves sending 34,000 additional troops; a third option under discussion, which McChrystal has labeled high-risk, would be to send fewer than 20,000 troops while continuing to focus on counterinsurgency -- however the New York Times puts the troop figure for the low-end option slightly higher, at between 20,000 to 25,000. The troop level for the fourth option, which the New York Times reports was only added recently, is unknown.

The 30,000-plus troop option is said to have the backing of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Times reports.

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Comments

[Jackie228]

Obama has recently seen up close & personal the true price of war. When the mission is clear, he is not afraid to take decisive action ( there are a few Somali pirates who could tell you that -- if they weren't dead) But Obama is not willing to place thousands more men & women in harm's way indefinitely, and ask them to risk life and limb to prop up an unstable and possibly corrupt government. Thank God that Eikenberry had the courage to dissent. And thank God Obama is listening to him.

[pmag88]

Look. Just pay them to rebuild and protect their own nation. Give them X amount and after a period of time do an audit. If they've succeeded in some of the major goals, then give them another chunk of money and so on. Make any ongoing support conditional. So what if parts of their government are corrupt. Wasn’t Australia once a penal colony where England dumped all their criminals? It's time to do something sensible.

[pmag88]

What was it Wes Clark and some other military guys said recently. “we just have to tell the American people this is going to cost 10 billion a month and will probably take 10 or 15 years”. And that’s not counting the cost of veterans care or replacing the equipment and munitions. And then what happens if it flares up again in Iraq and we have to shovel another 10 billion a month there for years to come. And Pakistan? Iran? Good luck “telling the American people” that they are on the hook for 4 of 5 trillion dollars when you can’t even define a mission. It's time to face the reality. Our entire approach to the so-called war on terror was wrong from the outset.

[pmag88]

Recently, as we started taking more casualties in Afghanistan, it was decided that we’d pull back to safe areas and concentrate on protecting and building the central government. Ironically, defending and building a strong central government is exactly what the soviets were trying to do when we intervened on behalf of the ‘insurgents’ the first time around. Even more ironically, the neocons who pushed us into going big guns with the military on this war, are mostly not in favor of strong central governments anywhere in the world, including right here in the good old U.S.A. It's time to change the strategy to what it should have been from the start. An international police and intelligence operation with limited and strategic use of the military on an as need basis.

[mullah]

I hope there is way to tell AQ to take just the American lefties. That they lefties are all yours (AQ). Take them on...kiII them at your wiII They want to be kiIIed by yyou.. They will not f!ght you. They are c0wards. Take them and their ChiIdren.

[sticksnstones]

Need a ride to the local recruitment center ?

That way you can, you know, put your money where your mouth is, my keyboard commando.

[PlinytheYounger]

I think you and Jim Adkisson would get along famously.

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/knoxville-church-shooters-manifesto

[TIdowu06]

And you say this sitting behind a screen while not being deployed in either Iraq or Afghanistan how brave of you!

[SangZe]

Get our men and women out of the Middle East and put an end to the arrogant policies that put them there. This is the only rational strategy there is.

[jinxed]

PUT AN END TO THE MILITARY / INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX ... DEFUND ALL WARS!

Wouldn't it be refreshing to actually live and rebuild our country in a time of PEACE?! Bring our troops home and let them help rebuild AMERICA. America first! As long as we are involved in a war(s) we cannot pay down our deficit! END THE WARS NOW!!!

[Rharte]

Let's hear your plan.

[outnow]

One mission is to keep all the hawks happy. Those people cannot be happy without wars, nor can they make (as big ) a profit. Peace is not profitable for those who make their livin' off killin'. (We all know that profit-seekers are more patriotic than the rest of us, mainly because they keep telling us that they are so patriotic).

Having said that, there is a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan but we have countries who are allies who keep their people living without basic human rights.

There is a security interest that is offset by the recruiting made possible by this war. Remember when the Soviets invaded?

The lesson is that if we start the war, they (the jihadists) will come and fight. They will come from Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan - whatever.

Obama will not leave without the pipeline necessary to get oil and gas around Russia and Iran. That means a gigantic escalation under any set of circumstances. That is precisely what is going to happen. Even if the US goes broke and many thousands die, even in vain.

[brady61995]

not sending 40k more would be a good start.

[skymuffin]

Exactly. Get out while we still can cling to the tattered remains of our Empire. Stop foreign wars and focus money, technology, patriotism, and leadership into developing and saving our own country.

[MOregon]

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2016876871

This is the only true response to war begging Christians, especially, and those of good will, to take the lead. Mr. President, don't dig us further into insanity. You know it in your heart but don't know how to break the chains of all the years we have not invested in peace but war. You will have to suffer and absorb all kinds of calumny for the way of peace as have all those who have gone before and made postive change. It will not be done without loss to your political self-image in the short run but this is not about vanity or self protection. We are praying for COURAGE from you, the Congress, and ourselves.

[FACTISFACT]

Afghan war is an unconventional war, how can people think one can win the war by fighting the enemy conventionally. This gorilla war fare will have to be matched by intelligence service people effectively backed by sufficiently strong force in uniform.

It is a fight of the local verses locals not from any out side can or will match the fight not even with most sophisticated armament will match the small home made arms. The proof is at hand.

Defense strategists strongly suggests to switch over to fight the with aggressive offensive intelligence, by INT. organization's personals on ground in large number from both Pakistan and Afghanistan placing Pakistanis in Afghanistan and vice verse of course under their local officers or as the Supreme Commander on ground decides but under over all supervision of the combined force commanders.

Since the war is unconventional it has to be fought absolutely unconventionally, otherwise blood will keep flowing, may be on boths side with no end in sight at the same time replacement of the troops by combined force will have to be kept in mind with special consideration to the political development, .

Thus, the increase of force may be made with clear instruction to the field commanders, but then war has to be fought with minimum uniform force on ground offensive role and maximum of intelligence local personals on ground to collect authentic information followed by quick uniform striking force should be the strategy of home unconventional war.

[holeybuybull]

Why are you afraid of "gorillas"?

[FACTISFACT]

Hi! My Friend Holeybuybull, Thanks a lot for your so sweet comment on FACTISFACT's comment. Your comment is appreciated, however for the inadvertent typing mistake it is highly regretted. Please read 'guerrilla' instead of 'gorilla'. thanks once again.Take care.

[stringer]

If anyone believes this I have some cheap land to tell you.

The bridge out doesn't involve 30-40,000 more troops. But people will, undoubtedly, fall for this drivel again.

Obama is not looking for a way out. I guess, technically, we should just say he has shown no signs of looking for a way out, but it's pretty clear he's just generally not looking for a way out.

Frankly it's questionable if we're even looking for a way to establish a mission and accomplish it at this point. We're certainly not looking for a way to "win", which has long since ceased to be possible.

All of our actions, on the contrary, show that we're actually looking for a way to stay as long as humanly possible.

[causewayy]

The more troops you have in there, the bigger the bridge you'll need - once they're in, you have to figure out how to get them out.
Your best bet is to not put them in in the first place

[yankee222]

"While President Obama continues to mull over his options..." US troops continue to sacrifice life and limb for a commander who is unwilling or unable to command.

Get off the pot Obama!

[chocolatecity]

Keep looking for that off ramp Mr. President. Any decision you make will be a very hard sell without an exit strategy.

[goodog]

I wonder if the poppy trade is really all it takes to keep funding the mujahedeen we once funded ourselves.

If a covert congressman's support once buttressed the jihadies against the Soviets, who's to say who's buttressing them now?

Both Saudi Arabia and Israel secretly funneled money together into Pakistan, whose secret intelligence agency handed it over to US-backed extremists, who later flew planes into US cities.

Obviously, someone outside of Afghanistan with interest in this conflict is probably funneling secret money in excess of any poppy money.

I wonder who history will identify as the culprits, some day, Insiders? Outsiders? Ostensible ally... or foe?

Lynn Cheney satisfying some Junior League requirement, maybe?