PDA

View Full Version : It's Going To Be Part Of Obama's Legacy



Kathianne
06-24-2011, 12:06 AM
Right or wrong, it now is totally his. Afghanistan, his plan is plainly his along, contrary to military advice. Win or lose the next election, whatever happens as the draw downs happen are going to be credited or blamed to him.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/06/general-david-petraeusobama-afghan-troops.html


Obama, as suspected, disregarded the Afghan troop drawdown recommendation of Gen. Petraeus
June 23, 2011

Testifying before a Senate committee today, the commander of allied forces in Afghanistan confirmed under oath what many had suspected:

In his speech Wednesday evening, President Obama disregarded the preferred troop drawdown choice of his top general, David Petraeus, now headed to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Obama clearly appeared to be paying attention to the anti-war left wing of his party and to war-weariness reflected in polls after a 10-year conflict that began when he was a mere state senator.

Obama was in Manhattan again tonight for a series of Democratic fundraisers, including one with TV hostess Whoopi Goldberg, with the June 30 first-quarter reporting deadline approaching.

The widely-admired four-star general was the architect of the successful Iraq troop surge that Obama also opposed as a U.S. senator but that has now enabled him to drastically reduce U.S. forces there.

The 58-year-old Petraeus couched his committee answers in the standard Washington etiquette acknowledging civilian control of an obedient military...

...With the available assets, Petraeus forged an improved working relationship between special forces and the CIA and focused on southern Afghanistan. Allies have since regained control of much of that territory.

The plan was to allow newly-trained Afghan security forces to come in behind the allies in the south. And next fighting season the troops would focus on subduing eastern Afghanistan closer to Pakistan.

Those plans, however, now seem at least jeopardized by the removal of one-third of U.S. troops by September 2012, just two months before the presidential election.

Petraeus is certain to be overwhelmingly confirmed as CIA director. However, his candid answers today, confirming latent suspicions, will endure in the political debate, especially if Taliban and Al Qaeda forces bide their time awaiting the announced pullout and either hold off allied progress or even reverse it.