Obama Afghanistan Speech: President To Detail Exit Plan

President Barack Obama plans to announce a redrawn battle plan for Afghanistan, including what the military says could be a roughly 50 percent increase in U.S. forces, in a national address Tuesday night from the U.S. Military Academy.

Although military and administration officials cautioned that Obama has not settled on a final figure, the military is planning for an increase of up to 35,000 troops begin next year. Military officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the president's plans.

The addition forces would come atop a record 71,000 U.S. troops in the country now and would represent the largest expansion since the war began eight years ago.

Senior officials told the New York Times that Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down American involvement in the war.

It's accurate to say that he will be more explicit about both goals and time frame than has been the case before and than has been part of the public discussion," said a senior official, who requested anonymity to discuss the speech before it is delivered. "He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down."

Obama will be speaking to a war-weary American public, with the Army's storied academy at West Point, N.Y., as a backdrop and cadets entering the service most stretched by two wars on hand. Polls show support for the war has dropped significantly since Obama took office, with a majority now saying both that they oppose the war and that it is not worth fighting.

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Comments

[fairplaystacy]

10:30 AM on 12/01/2009

Such a great photo of the troops hugging their commander in chief even knowing that he's sending them into harms way...breathtaking and awesome

[markdolph]

09:19 AM on 12/01/2009

I have to have faith that Obama is introspective and that as a student of history he appreciates that his legacy as President, will, in all likelihood, be determined by the course he is taking in Afghanistan. He now has the nearly insurmountable challenge of convincing us that he's not just fighting this war simply because during his campaign, he called it "a war of necessity." Because, without a willingness to change his own position on something this important, he will not stand a chance of changing the minds of individuals like me who feel that the Afghanistan war is a quagmire and sending more troops is a tragic mistake.

[wetdog]

08:43 AM on 12/01/2009

reclaim your freedom by changing the way you live....MSM and politicians are the lowest form life on this planet..so turn off your tv, its the subliminal ruler of the world, get rid of your car, its killing the planet..voting for donkeys and elephants has proven to be just that..they may look different but are in fact are just the same, it doesn`t matter who`s in charge(?) nothing ever changes. To make change be the change!!

[Whinger]

04:49 AM on 12/01/2009

Looks like the military are holding the reins and controlling the Commander in Chief.

[wonketteRAWKS]

12:24 AM on 12/01/2009

Benchmarks? Or will he refuse like rethug Bush?

[From the Raft]

11:13 PM on 11/30/2009

I'm not buying into what I've heard so far and I be dammed if I'm going to watch the speech. Rivers always flow downhill.

[senorlou]

08:25 PM on 11/30/2009

I was truly hoping for a timeline. This is a bit encouraging. Hopefully, these 30,000 are mainly to train Afghans so they can take over and begin to fix their society. I suppose that might include overthrowing Karzai and his corrupt government - #1 most corrupt on Earth, according to many.

[ljc]

05:09 PM on 11/30/2009

This story has been up since 9:00AM. I made the first comment at 9:42 AM. I am sad that it only has 26 comments after 8 hours, yet the THREE Palin stories have thousands of comments. This country has it's priorities upside down if Palin is more comment worthy than what is going on in the ME and the strategy to get us out of there.

I think I feel sickened.

[senorlou]

08:21 PM on 11/30/2009

I know, it's frustrating. But, I know you aren't surprised. We are a nation of fools now. Maybe we always have been, but the media and the "news" now preys upon our weaknesses. Palin is fun for people to Bash - lots of jokes on the comments section on stories about her, and maybe people are trying to blow off some steam. A lot of us here- I don't know about you - are looking to see if there's any future left for our country after these disastrous wars. I feel much better knowing he is planning to draw down. I just hope he doesn't say something like four years or more. I think we should be out in no more than two years. We just can't afford this anymore, the people don't want it, and our military can't handle the burden on its own.

[PaxEterna]

03:44 PM on 11/30/2009

forever wars, at unlimited cost . . .

there is only one exist strategy and that is to bring the troops home NOW.

[senorlou]

08:24 PM on 11/30/2009

I wish it was that easy, but you can't just clap your hands and stop a war - especially in Afghanistan. The time table talk is encouraging. Hopefully we'll be out of both wars within a couple of years. To be honest, since the majority of the USA wanted this war - it is our responsibility. Nobody wants to touch a losing war. What's worse is that Americans don't want to get out because of all the innocent people our military have been ordered to destroy. They want out because
1. We're losing
2. They're worried about their money - finally (what's left of it).

I went through my anger moment. I'm hoping these soldiers main objective is to train Afghans and get out.

[Countess]

12:46 PM on 11/30/2009

The inevitable incompetence of the chain of command meant that it took months for Obama's bosses at the pentagon to write his speech which he will deliver tomorrow night. Not only will this war cost more than they predict but it will end in defeat and Karzai will be given safe haven in the United States after he has robbed Afghanistan blind at the expense of the American public.

[stillbarbi]

12:43 PM on 11/30/2009

"He wants to give a clear sense of both the time frame for action and how the war will eventually wind down."

Would that be anything like his plan to close Guantanamo? Eventually is the key word here, defined as finally, after a long time or long delay.

[SangZe]

10:55 AM on 11/30/2009

Obama will give details? I don't think he knows the meaning of the word.

[Poiks]

12:03 PM on 11/30/2009

Hey, it's great to see real value at work here. Keep it up...you're enlightening the world with your wisdom.

[Raccoon1]

01:47 PM on 11/30/2009

I havn't seen an Obama speech or interview where he wasn't more than complete.

[BethinIllinois]

10:48 AM on 11/30/2009

I keep thinking of the soldiers -- our young men and women doing the best they can, and doing what they're told. Part of that is because I have a brother who is in the Navy -- served in Iraq and I believe is trying to go to Afghanistan, too -- he's in his 50s, so he definitely is not tops on the list of people to send!) So I have enormous respect for those who serve. I don't want their sacrifices to be dismissed, or to be in vain if we just give up. It's really kind of a mess. My husband has been reading a book written by a Ranger legend, Col. Raph Puckett (wonder if he's any relation to Gary Puckett?!) called Words for Warriors, about what Puckett has learned in 50-plus years of being a solder. I've picked it up and read some of the essays in it (and actually all kinds of leaders in every field -- not just the military -- would find it valuable) and you really learn a lot about life in the military. I have renewed respect for our military men and women. (Anyone else wants to take a look, see http://www.ralphpuckett.com or www.ralphpuckett.com).

[Sam1234567]

10:57 AM on 11/30/2009

The Navy is not really deployed in a Afghanistan (with exception of seals, but he is over 50 so doubt a seal), mainly the Persian gulf. It is a land war...so think he will be just fine.

[BethinIllinois]

09:59 PM on 11/30/2009

Thanks for the good thoughts!

[VINER]

11:39 AM on 11/30/2009

"give up"?
1. We are not at "war."
2. This (Afghanistan & Iraq issue) are an occupations.
3. These countries never attacked us here on US soil.
3. Citizens are justified to fight off the occupiers (USA)
4. What are we doing there?
-v

[Poiks]

12:04 PM on 11/30/2009

Watch out for Native Americans. They're justified in fighting you off.

[bogemin]

10:33 AM on 11/30/2009

The costs of war will be much higher than they forecast. All you have to do is read the book by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard Professor Linda Bilmes (The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict), to know that war costs go on for decades and decades -- the cost of veterans benefits, veterans medical care, replacing weapons and military equipment, payments to neighboring countries, "aid" to the neighboring countries, economic costs, social costs, interest on all the money we borrow to pay for the war ..... this whole thing will end up costing another trillion and will torpedo the economy which is already struggling to get back on its feet ....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030702846.html

[Yola]

11:24 AM on 11/30/2009

Per Sen. L. Graham we should not worry about the cost of war. I am stunned that these folks are complaining about getting every American health coverage but are pushing to expand this endless war.

[Mark Twaine]

10:27 AM on 11/30/2009

The Saudi Minister is right. Obama TALKS too much!

"You are not at Occidental College anymore, Barry!"

[Poiks]

12:05 PM on 11/30/2009

Perhaps you should have given college a try?