Barack Obama: Redeploy troops to Afghanistan from Iraq(For "Over the Next Eight to Ten Years")

Telegraph ^ | July 21, 2008 | Alex Spillius in Washington and Damien McElroy in Baghdad

[Red Steel]

Senator Barack Obama has demanded plans be drawn up immediately for US troops to be redeployed from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Visiting Kabul on the first stop of his first major overseas trip since winning the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Mr Obama described conditions in Afghanistan as "precarious and urgent".

"I think the situation is getting urgent enough that we have to start doing something now," he told CBS television. "We can't wait for a new administration otherwise it will be a year before new troops arrive."

Mr Obama, who is also due to visit Iraq during his eight-day tour, sought to seize the initiative on foreign policy from his Republican rival Senator John McCain, a Vetnam War veteran. Mr Obama met American troops and held talks with President Hamid Karzai, key elements of his trip to two war zones that is intended to convince doubters at home that despite his inexperience he is a plausible future commander-in-chief.

-snip-

Mr Obama has placed defeating the Taliban and al-Qaeda at the centre of his foreign policy. But in an unfortunate reminder of the worsening violence in Afghanistan, Nato admitted yesterday that its forces accidentally killed at least four civilians in the country's east, while coalition troops mistakenly called in air strikes against Afghan police, killing nine.

Mr Obama did little to disappoint critics who accuse him of arrogance. He said the objective of the trip was to "hold substantive discussions" with national leaders "who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to ten years".

He added: "It's important for me to have a relationship with them early."

After Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr Obama will visit Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and finally Britain in a grand tour that is attracting unprecedented scrutiny for

[Holicheese]

My buddy and I were talking about this the other morning.
If you got Evan Bayh alone and said “listen, this is off the record. Do you REALLY think that Obama is the best choice for President or are you just being a good democrat?”

I do not know how witha straight face he could say that Obama is up to the task.

[wayoverthehill]

LOL - I’M praying hard that I am right!

I don’t have a lot of faith in some segments of the American electorate.

[gathersnomoss]

People have an urgent desire for Change in Washington... for change sake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEaS-K3j3M8

[Piquaboy]

The Messiah has spoken. Get those troops to Afganistan right away. The brilliant military strategist has gave the orders.