Three Senators Call For Afghanistan Withdrawal By End Of 2012

WASHINGTON -- Two Democratic senators and one Republican senator are calling for the removal of all regular combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, a timetable that is significantly shorter than the one President Obama recently announced.

"We commend the president for sticking to the July date he had outlined for beginning the withdrawal. However, his plan would not remove all regular combat troops until 2014," Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in The New York Times.

"We believe the United States is capable of achieving this goal by the end of 2012. America would be more secure and stronger economically if we recognized that we have largely achieved our objectives in Afghanistan and moved aggressively to bring our troops and tax dollars home," the senators continued.

In the op-ed, they said the U.S. is spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan while back home, the United States is struggling with "high unemployment and a flood of foreclosures, a record deficit and a debt that is over $14 trillion and growing."

"It is not too late to change course in what has become the longest American war in history. In light of our considerable national needs, both security and domestic, we urge the president to bring our troops home at last," they concluded.

All three senators have been critical of a lengthy withdrawal timeline for quite some time, but Tuesday's op-ed is the most direct call from them for removing combat troops by the end of 2012.

Merkley, Paul and Udall were co-signers on a June 15 letter to Obama calling for "a sizable and sustained reduction of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan." Twenty-four other senators signed on.

On June 22, Obama announced to the nation that 33,000 U.S. troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan by fall 2012. Five thousand troops will be pulled out immediately, with another 5,000 leaving at the end of 2011. The new plan left many of the president's fellow Democrats disappointed that the withdrawal would not be more robust.

On Tuesday, Obama and Vice President Biden are scheduled to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker and Lt. Gen. John Allen, who is taking over as the top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. In the afternoon, they will be meeting with Leon Panetta, who just took over as secretary of defense.

Comments

[Willow712]

11:14 PM on 07/08/2011

I'm in favor of bringing ALL of the troops home, combat troops, support troops, nation building troops, engineers, everyone. We are not needed nor are we wanted there. If the Afghan government wants to pay for Halliburton and XE, fine. But we need to bring every one of our troops home.

[Capo123]

10:54 AM on 07/07/2011

The sooner we are out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and the ones in Libya, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia) the better. They make Americans no safer, but instead more vulnerable to enemies created by US attacks. We can no longer afford war deaths, injuries and costs.

Congress should say no to the ever increasing demands of the military-security complex.

[Hoe Toe]

11:26 AM on 07/06/2011

Amanda... Obama believes in Jesbus.
Jesbus told Obama he will get another Nobel Peace prize.
Back to Back Nobels!!!
GO OBAMA&JESBUS!!!

[george lamberis]

05:10 AM on 07/06/2011

The Soviet Union spent 9 years and 50 days fighting the Afghan warrior. Here is a quote from that war to help us understand who we are now fighting. “ Those hopelessly brave warriors I walked with, and their families, who suffered so much for faith and freedom and who are still not free, they were truly the people of God" ”
—Journalist Rob Schultheis

[Clif25]

09:58 PM on 07/05/2011

Obama doesn't have a clue.

We are in a fiscal mess. His response is to extend these stupid wars and make new ones. Instead of working to help Social Security be solvent he is asking Congress to extend his payroll tax cuts.

Does he live on this planet? As I said, he doesn't have a clue.

[Chopin]

09:42 PM on 07/06/2011

No, I don't agree with you that Obama doesn't have a clue. He's very intelligent.
But he CHOOSES to be walled in behind a cocoon of party operatives and stake-holders of the military industrial complex and Wall Street to tell him what he should do, about the wars and the economy, and the class conflict. Obama lives on planet Earth like everybody else, but he thinks he and his family would be spared the consequences of his policies if he goes along with the dominant powers of the corporate Frank and steins, so long as he gets to retire behind gated communities.

Obama bends to the prevailing winds in whichever direction it blows. It's a most grievous error in judgment of majority of the American people to have chosen and relied on a weathervane to set the direction for social and national transformation.

[rick390]

09:57 PM on 07/05/2011

I am proud to say that Sen. Merkley is one of my Oregon senators. This is such a no-brainer. Even Rand Paul can see the utter futility in remaining one day longer in Afghanistan.

[Mr Crabs]

08:32 PM on 07/05/2011

So afterwards the repubs will claim the area needs stabilizing and will request instead of troops, more private contractors, oh and a few planeloads of cash wouldn't hurt either.

[kirkrfisher]

11:42 AM on 07/06/2011

and the dems wouldn't stop them, stop demagoguing. your party still sucks NEARLY as bad as the repubs... nearly, but not by much

[SempeConfucious]

08:00 PM on 07/05/2011

Wow it's beyond left and right.  It's only beyond left and right, when the left can't pin it exclusively on the right.

[scorpioman]

07:49 PM on 07/05/2011

DEMAND a pullout NOW, or else cut off funding!

[Chopin]

07:43 PM on 07/05/2011

Letter of request from 3of100 Senators to President to consider accelerating troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is pure figleaf fantasy. It's conceived in context of American people bonetired of wars and occupations. People cannot express their wishes through normal channels because representatives elected by people in moneydriven "proforma elections" no longer represent their interests. It's evident over many decades.

Those among American people with some wisdom and courage who understand and care about difference between people's democratic republic and military corporate empire must stand up, speak up and speak out. In life of each nation, there comes time to choose its destiny. Founders of UnitedStates of America chose over 2centuries ago to break away from mighty BritishEmpire, and charted its own destiny as new democratic republic, enshrined in US Constitution. After 200years, this nation has departed far from those founding democratic principles.

Major signal of radical departure was underscored by President Eisenhower's warning in 1961, followed by assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Since that time, a pall of global imperialism had descended upon this nation, a war-infested era, war to inherit French colonialism in Vietnam, replace Russian imperialism in Afghanistan, promulgate neocolonial imperialism in Iraq. There's no end until the people end it. Leaders must articulate and the American people decide what's essence of true democratic republic in which the people are sovereign, not corporations, banks and military industrial complex. Then comes hard part how to regain power of sovereignty.

[Eris23Skidoo]

10:21 PM on 07/05/2011

I can't believe they couldn't get more cosigners.

[Chopin]

10:43 PM on 07/05/2011

This situation reveals that the nature of the request is not authentic. The same applies to American military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The whole game of "surging 30,000 troops" to give appearance of activist policy, followed by slow withdrawal of the same number of troops to give illusion of disengagement is a patently obvious elaborate "now you see it, now you don't" shell-game designed to fool the American people. The true intent and plan of Washington establishment and President Obama is to maintain military bases and presence in central Asian and Middle East region regardless of what the American people think, feel, or wish.

[Freedom and Peace]

06:44 PM on 07/05/2011

Like father like son...

That’s why, as Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Ron Paul will lead the fight to:

* Make securing our borders the top national security priority.

* Avoid long and expensive land wars that bankrupt our country by using constitutional means to capture or kill terrorist leaders who helped attack the U.S. and continue to plot further attacks.

* Guarantee our intelligence community’s efforts are directed toward legitimate threats and not spying on innocent Americans through unconstitutional power grabs like the Patriot Act.

* End the nation-building that is draining troop morale, increasing our debt, and sacrificing lives with no end in sight.

* Follow the Constitution by asking Congress to declare war before one is waged.

* Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home.

* Ensure our veterans receive the care, benefits, and honors they have earned when they return.

* Revitalize the military for the 21st century by eliminating waste in a trillion-dollar military budget.

* Prevent the TSA from forcing Americans to either be groped or ogled just to travel on an airplane and ultimately abolish the unconstitutional agency.

* Stop taking money from the middle class and the poor to give to rich dictators through foreign aid.

As President, Ron Paul’s national defense policy will ensure that the greatest nation in human history is strong, secure, and respected.

[BMcC724]

07:13 PM on 07/05/2011

You forgot: send government into the Ob-Gyn's office with every woman of child-bearing age. Yes, that Ron Paul.

[Freedom and Peace]

07:32 PM on 07/05/2011

As an OB/GYN who delivered over 4,000 babies, Ron Paul knows firsthand how precious, fragile, and in need of protection life is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb2zy7B-X-s

[naturallaw]

08:16 PM on 07/05/2011

God forbid you disagree with one issue.

[Chopin]

09:15 PM on 07/05/2011

Several issues in your description of RonPaul's approach to politics are inconsistent, antidemocratic:--

"Make securing our borders the top national security priority."

By border, you're talking primarily of US-Mexico border, not US-Canada border? It's inherently antidemocratic mindset and racist-based policy approach. It's counterproductive and ineffective, because it deals with symptoms of problems instead of root causes of problems. Unless potential RP administration goes all the way, militarize entire American society and nation, build thousand mile electrified border, that policy would be equivalent to Berlin Wall. Primary root cause of vast south-north labor migration is economic income disparities and corporate global labor suppression that create economic migration pressures.

"Avoid long and expensive land wars that bankrupt our country by using constituti­onal means to capture or kill terrorist leaders who helped attack the U.S. and continue to plot further attacks."
"Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home."

You basically don't question basis of militarized society and nation. You'd end up merely substituting one means of extraterritorial aggression and extrajudicial killing with other more superficially benign unaccountable means -- like clandestine (CIA) wars, robotic drone global attacks, mercenaries, wars and killings by proxy. This whole mindset and approach is anti-democratic authoritarianism, essentially no different in substance from today's practice.

[Freedom and Peace]

09:37 PM on 07/05/2011

"This whole mindset and approach is anti-democ­ratic authoritar­ianism, essentiall­y no different in substance from today's practice."

You do not KNOW Ron Paul, do you? Please get acquainted with a non-interventionist foreign policy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeKoDZ_MkS0&feature=player_embedded

[kirkrfisher]

11:58 AM on 07/06/2011

talk about taking these things far out of context!

if you don't understand this candidate you can feel however CNN told you to but if you did your own thinking and research then youd kno he would get rid of the CIA, the acts of war that OB has started 3 more wars with drones and counting since were bombing somalia...

get real man. kno the issue before you post anything more lol

[IamGerry]

06:37 PM on 07/05/2011

I noticed that 24 additional senators signed on to this letter. I'm going to check to see if my 2 signed on. Looks like the senate is finally waking up to what the people want.

If my senators haven't signed on they will get quite the letter from me.

[sarabono]

06:33 PM on 07/05/2011

It is time, Pres. Obama, to bring the troops home from Afghanistan, Iraq and for you to quit bombing Libya, Pakistan and Somalia.....

[scorpioman]

07:50 PM on 07/05/2011

well, maybe Somalia......

[kirkrfisher]

12:00 PM on 07/06/2011

someone has to keep the chinese on their feet

[politically-homeless]

11:20 AM on 07/06/2011

Yemen...

[1440minutes]

06:08 PM on 07/05/2011

Thank God for Ron Paul and Rand Paul.

[liltrix]

06:36 PM on 07/05/2011

Oh yes, I love disasterous economic policies.

[futfut]

06:40 PM on 07/05/2011

Which one? Bring the 1 trillion $ a year we spend oversea on a insane foreign policy, and spend it here?

[BMcC724]

07:11 PM on 07/05/2011

And I totally love that Ron, who has spent most of his life getting paid by the government, advises people to not be dependent on government. Priceless. His "Government in the Ob-Gyn's office with the Ladies" policy is HUGE government.

[1440minutes]

06:08 PM on 07/05/2011

Extremely inappropriate.

[GuyCybershy]

07:49 PM on 07/05/2011

How did that comment get through?

[Eris23Skidoo]

10:23 PM on 07/05/2011

Exploited loophole.