Posted on 05/01/2012 12:58:36 PM PDT by Zakeet
Complete Headline: Obama Makes Secret Visit To Afghanistan On Anniversary Of Osama Death; Will Designate Country Major Non-NATO Ally
Just when we thought the president didn't have any tricks left up his pre-election sleeve on the anniversary of Osama's death announcement, here he comes and surprises everyone with what has just been disclosed as a secret visit to Afghanistan, where in a televised statement at 7:30 pm Eastern, the president will announce a strategic partnership with president Karzai, and where he will designate Afghanistan a major non-Nato ally - the "first such designation of the Obama presidency."
From Reuters:
President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday to sign an agreement charting future relations with the country, making the secret trip on the first anniversary of the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.Obama plans to deliver a televised address to Americans later on Tuesday.
The U.S.-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement will set conditions for a U.S. presence there after a 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of most NATO combat forces.
As he fights for his re-election, Obama is seeking to portray his foreign policy record as a success.
His re-election campaign has made bin Laden's death a key part of that argument, and the president's visit to the country where militants hatched the September 11, 2001 attacks will reinforce that message. It also opens him up to criticism from Republicans, who say Obama has politicized bin Laden's death.
After leaving Washington under cover of darkness late on Monday and flying overnight, Obama arrived at Bagram Air Base before visiting Kabul.
He planned to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at his palace and will later make remarks to troops at Bagram. From Bagram, he also plans to deliver formal remarks about the Afghanistan war at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT).
Obama's speech will focus on the strategic partnership agreement and is likely to put an emphasis on his plans to wind down the costly and unpopular Afghanistan war where nearly 3,000 U.S. and NATO soldiers have died since the country was invaded in 2001.
After a U.S. troop increase that Obama ordered in late 2009, U.S. and NATO forces have managed to weaken Taliban militants, but the movement is far from defeated.
That's all great. Our only concern is for the secret service: considering the local conservative agenda, will there be enough entertainment for Obama's sworn protectors to distract themselves in the time before and after the president declares his foreign policy an epic success?
Well, there are always poppy seeds...
If they made the Marines leave their weapons outside when Sec Def Leon Pinata (pun intended) last visited, I wonder to what degree of security they will subject those attending Dear Leader's speech?
Metal Detectors? TSA Scanners? Or perphaps full body cavity searches? lol
The last shriek on the retreat. Thanks Zakeet.
Good point.
Do you think Obama would actually attack Iran?
An Ally in what?
An Ally in the long line of countries that mooch off of the US taxpayer.
You make an invalid assumption that Islam is homogeneous. It is not.
You assume that the fundamentalism of the Iranian Mullahs is universal. It is not. The Mullah’s beliefs are not even universal in Iran.
You do not consider the politics that drive the Mideast. Those politics while strongly Islamic, have an economic flavor. Recall if you will that Bin laden was a cast off, a shunned personna that was not liked nor accepted by the population of his own strongly Islamic country Saudi Arabia. He was literally driven out.
The leadership is in the GCC. The wealth and strong economic potential is in the GCC. If you are Afghan, the GCC is a better and richer ally than Iran.
Iran is the enemy, blood enemy of the GCC and they have no qualms at all about squeezing Iran till it hurts.
That by the way is the point. The bases and points of operation in Afghanistan are a real threat that puts the defensive squeeze on the Iranian generals. We have at least one good mind in the Joint Chiefs that is putting on the squeeze.
——Do you think Obama would actually attack Iran?——
I don’t know. I have always thought he will because a war is his only salvation. I think he (we) is already attacking Iran with very small special ops forays. I’m sure that from time to time we have small operations inside Iran. We have boots on the ground.
By maintaining bases and small ops, the US military is putting on a defensive squeeze. Afghanistan is an important point for application of that pressure. Iraq is another pressure point.
In case you forgot, Bagram and Kabul were inoperable for 4 days because some Korans were burnt.
Do you realize that the basic infrastructure at the larger air bases are controlled by the locals, who yes, are deeply fundamental Islamists? Despite the “different” hegemony, the typical Afghan wants every westerner gone and would rally against Western aggression upon another Islamic country.
You sound like an ignorant State Department drone pouring over IR and wishing upon a star We are picking off their competition. Locals also play both sides against each other. Also, they know when the Taliban attacks because the train of thought on Bagram at least, is that when the locals don't show up for work, you better stay near a bunker because mortars are coming.
Apologies for the harsh tone, just tired of hearing about tax dollars used to bribe the Mullahs into controlling the heard and the whole problems with logistics.
Do you realize it cost $40 a pop to feed one active duty membe! per meal mind your? Those Afghan nationals sure know how to play the system and rip off the taxpayer. That is crazy and irresponsible, COIN is a complete failure, plus they can disrupt operations anytime they want.
“active duty member” and “mind you”. Sorry for the grammar.
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