Obama in Afghanistan Declares 'Light Of New Day' In Speech To America

Military personnel watch on a screen as President Barack Obama makes a live address at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON -- In a dramatic address to Americans broadcast from a military hangar outside Kabul, Afghanistan, President Barack Obama on Tuesday trumpeted the near-end of U.S. military operations in the country, 10 years after the U.S. invasion and one year to the day after he ordered the assassination of Osama bin Laden.

Speaking against the backdrop of two armored military vehicles, one draped with an American flag, Obama said that he just signed "an historic agreement" with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai outlining a new, post-war relationship between the two countries.

But before outlining the agreement, Obama reminded Americans why U.S. troops were there in the first place: Osama bin Laden, a topic that the president and vice president haven't been shy about highlighting on the campaign trail.

"It was here, in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden established a safe haven for his terrorist organization. It was here, in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda brought new recruits, trained them, and plotted acts of terror. It was here, from within these borders, that al Qaeda launched the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children," the president said.

Obama ran through the successes of the U.S. military since the 9/11 attacks and tied them directly to his goal of toppling al Qaeda.

"We broke the Taliban's momentum. We've built strong Afghan security forces. We devastated al Qaeda's leadership, taking out over 20 of their top 30 leaders. And one year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. The goal that I set -- to defeat al Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild -- is within reach," Obama said. "Here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon."

As for withdrawing U.S. forces from Afghanistan, Obama noted that nearly half of the Afghan people already live in places where Afghan forces are moving into the lead. While international troops will continue to assist the Afghan military, the U.S. is shifting into a support role and bringing its troops home. Some 23,000 U.S. troops will leave by the end of the summer, followed by reductions at "a steady pace" until 2014, when all U.S. troops will be removed, the president said.

As part of the 10-year strategic partnership agreement struck with Karzai earlier Tuesday, Obama said his administration has been "in direct discussions with the Taliban" to tell them they can be part of the transition in Afghanistan if they break with al Qaeda and renounce violence.

"Many members of the Taliban, from foot soldiers to leaders, have indicated an interest in reconciliation. A path to peace is now set before them," Obama said. "Those who refuse to walk it will face strong Afghan security forces backed by the United States and our allies."

In the meantime, some U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan through 2014 to help the country stabilize. "Otherwise, our gains could be lost, and al Qaeda could establish itself once more. And as commander-in-chief, I refuse to let that happen," Obama said.

The president's remarks came hours after he arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise trip. In a conference call earlier Tuesday, senior administration officials maintained that the goal of the trip was to sign the agreement with Karzai. But the visit also gave Obama the chance to meet with U.S. troops and, not coincidentally, to do so on the anniversary of bin Laden's death.

The officials outlined the five components of the new U.S.-Afghan agreement: promoting shared Democratic values; advancing long-term security; reinforcing regional security; social and economic development; and strengthening Afghan governance. The agreement hasn't been made public, but it will be "soon," according to the officials who spoke on background. The agreement also doesn't commit to specific funding or troop levels beyond 2014, when the U.S. will cease combat operations in Afghanistan.

"Those are the decisions that will be made in consultation with the U.S. Congress," said an official.

The U.S.-Afghan agreement has been in the works for 20 months. Obama and Karzai had a goal of finishing it before an international summit later this month in Chicago, said the official, and they agreed it would be signed "on Afghan soil" to show their commitment to building a future together.

A second U.S. official said it was "always the president's intention" to spend the anniversary of the assassination of bin Laden with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"It was an extraordinarily capable group of U.S. service members who carried out that operation," said this official. "What better place to spend time with the troops than with those here in Afghanistan who are in harm's way?"

Before delivering his address to the nation, Obama spoke to U.S. troops stationed at Bagram Air Base.

"We did not choose this war. This war came to us on 9/11. And there are a whole bunch of folks here, I'll bet, who signed up after 9/11," the president said to a group of about 3,200 troops, according to a White House transcript.

The crowd responded, "Hooah!"

"Because of the sacrifices now of a decade, and a new Greatest Generation, not only were we able to blunt the Taliban momentum, not only were we able to drive al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, but slowly and systematically we have been able to decimate the ranks of al Qaeda, and a year ago we were able to finally bring Osama bin Laden to justice," Obama said, drawing applause and another "Hooah!" from the crowd.

Back in Washington, Obama's trip drew mixed responses from Senate Republicans.

"I am pleased that the President has traveled to Afghanistan," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in a statement.

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the trip "a significant opportunity" for Obama to hear directly from military commanders on the ground about progress in defeating al Qaeda. He also highlighted the importance of Obama signing the strategic partnership agreement.

"I am hopeful that it will send a signal to friends and enemies in the region that the United States is committed to a secure and free Afghanistan," McCain said.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) tweeted Tuesday night that a secure Afghanistan "is vital to natl security & today's agreement signals that US will remain key partner of Afghan people."

But Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, accused the president of making the trip for political purposes.

"Clearly this trip is campaign-related," Inhofe said in a statement. "We've seen recently that President Obama has visited college campuses in an attempt to win back the support of that age group since he has lost it over the last three years. Similarly, this trip to Afghanistan is an attempt to shore up his national security credentials, because he has spent the past three years gutting our military."

UPDATE: 10 p.m. -- Mitt Romney said in a statement released by his presidential campaign:

I am pleased that President Obama has returned to Afghanistan. Our troops and the American people deserve to hear from our president about what is at stake in this war. Success in Afghanistan is vital to our nation's security. It would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and a strategic setback for America if the Taliban returned to power and once again created a sanctuary for terrorists. We tolerated such a sanctuary until we lost thousands on September 11, 2001. Many brave Americans have sacrificed everything so that we could win this fight for a more secure future. Let us honor the memory of the fallen, not only by keeping them in our daily thoughts but also by staying true to their commitment. We are united as one nation in our gratitude to our country's heroes.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AGREEMENT:

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Comments

[recos0960]

07:26 AM on 05/04/2012

THE CIA HAD EVERYTHIN UNDER CONTROLL ALL HE DID WAS GIVE THE GO AHEAD...AS ALL PRESIDENTS WOULD DO ....NICE CAMPAIN SLOGAN NOT ON THE ECONOMY OR JOB CREATION OR HOW HE IS GIVING MONIES TO ALL THESE MOSCS THROUGH OUT THE WORLD ..TO TEACH THEM BETTER ON ATTACTING US

[recos0960]

07:22 AM on 05/04/2012

THIS IS A POLITICAL JOKE THAT BORAK OBAMA IS BEHIND TO GET RELECTED WE DON'T NEED THIS TYPE OF CHANGE AND HOPE VOTE OBAMA OUT .... HE IS TURNING US INTO A 3RD WORLD COUNTRY .....

[recos0960]

07:15 AM on 05/04/2012

WOW ...is this his claim to fame the CIA had all the info ...his is the best he can do while THIS COUNTRY IS BECOMING A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP...HE IS A JOKE ...TIME FOR CHANGE AND HOPE VOTE BARC OBAMA OUT....

[sixties chick]

03:03 PM on 05/03/2012

President Obama is so heroic, and his entrance into Afghanistan under the cloak of darkness to visit the troops was very dramatic. The timing was perfect on the anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. He is such an effective leader. He gets it done.

[relaxing 00]

10:21 AM on 05/03/2012

Any person with a half brain would know that we could stay 100 years in afgahtistan and that wouldn't help us stop one terrorist act against America, terrorist have plenty of land from where to make plans to attack us, most of pakistan is wide open to all terrorist to gather and make plans, i don't see how us being their fighting the taliban makes us safer..

Obama the "smartest" man in the world can't figure out this war is a waste of money and lifes ?

[purplewg]

09:53 AM on 05/03/2012

Yeah, it's the light of a new day already. A new day with business as usual for Afghanistan and terrorist they harbor.

[2manyHypocrits]

07:40 AM on 05/03/2012

"I want you to remember every hour of every day, between now and election, I killed OBL" just saying...war on terror is over...but we will be in Afghanistan another 10 yrs to make sure.

[opsudrania]

04:59 AM on 05/03/2012

War in Afghanistan can only go away if one can mitigate the aggression and jihadi violance from them.Until then, it is a wishful thinking.

[Bruce Farmer]

01:15 AM on 05/03/2012

"The war in Afghanistan is never going to go away peacefully. Once we withdraw, corruption in the Karzai government, insurgency, and terrorism will continue. How sad the we can't just "win" wars like we did in WW II. It's a whole new "ball game" and we just haven't learned yet, in spite of Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq, there really aren't any "Rules of Warfare" anymore. Sad for us and especially sad for the poor Afghanis. The Taliban and Al-Qaeda will just re-emerge like poisonous mushrooms, especially Al-Qaeda, "sprouting" up all over the Islamic world, spreading "spores' everywhere, even here in the US".
I posted this on another site and e-mailed to my friends. As a Vietnam Vet, I saw this coming years ago. Obama's speech WAS politically motivated, So what? Remember "GW" on an aircraft carrier inn 2003? How soon we forget. All of it. I didn't. So this is what I think and predict. I'm sure history will prove me right.

[GV97]

11:52 PM on 05/02/2012

Many of us here want out of Afghanistan but when I looked at my map today I noticed
that Pakistan and Iran share large borders with Afghanistan. The Afghan people are almost surrounded by these 2 countries.
I trust President Obama... I value his intelligence.... he thinks through important decisions and
I will more then ever support his re-election.
The alternative (Romney) is too dangerous with the groups of men (not even elected officials) with their money and power taking over our country with their "yes" man sitting in the
Oval Office.

[AlfredE69]

10:30 PM on 05/02/2012

President Obama does illegal war as well as Bush Jr

[Cratewasher]

10:19 PM on 05/02/2012

10 more years. I'm voting for this guy; wether he's on the ballot or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrHm4phj5RQ

[change 2010]

10:18 PM on 05/02/2012

can someone suggest a case to put my Nobel Peace Prize in...?

[change 2010]

10:14 PM on 05/02/2012

Will one of you Libs hold my N0bel P3ace Pr1ze for me...?

[philoec]

07:53 PM on 05/02/2012

When, Mt bluh, bluh, bluh??? Since 2007, I've heard the same lie.
America is sinking like the European Union, don't you see it. The school you attended stole your $$$ BIG time, it did not teach you leadership skills, not even the beginning class!!!

[sixties chick]

03:11 PM on 05/03/2012

I'm sorry but both Mitt Romney and Obama went to Harvard which is a great school. The school is not at fault here. Romney was just not born to be a leader. He doesn't have that special quality which money cannot buy. His life lessons could never be learned because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he never learned the value of hard work, or honest work. His idea of work is to rip off companies and live off of his ill-gotten gains. On the other hand, Obama has great leadership skills and real values. He has the intelligence and character to be one of the greatest Presidents ever.

[recos0960]

07:24 AM on 05/04/2012

SIXTY CHICK ARE YOU STILL HAVING FLASHBACKS lol DO YOU WORK OR YOU ONE THAT HAS WELLFARE...