Posted on 10/13/2009 1:31:41 PM PDT by kristinn
The Obama administration blamed President George W. Bush for 13,000 new support troops headed to Afghanistan, even though Bush has not been commander-in-chief for nearly ten months.
The Washington Post had a front page story this morning saying Barack Obama had authorized the troops in addition to the 21,000 increase in combat troops he ordered in March.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters today, according to the AP, that President Bush, who left office 276 days ago, was to blame for the latest troop increase:
Later, spokesman Robert Gibbs rejected a published report that the president had authorized 13,000 additional troops that were now arriving in Afghanistan. He said those troops were part of a deployment ordered by the former Bush administration, but had not made their way to the Afghan theater by the time Obama became president. The Washington Post had reported those forces were authorized by Obama.
Earlier, The Post reported:
President Obama announced in March that he would be sending 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. But in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized -- and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that number, according to defense officials.
The additional troops are primarily support forces, including engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police. Their deployment has received little mention by officials at the Pentagon and the White House, who have spoken more publicly about the combat troops who have been sent to Afghanistan.
The deployment of the support troops to Afghanistan brings the total increase approved by Obama to 34,000. The buildup has raised the number of U.S. troops deployed to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan above the peak during the Iraq "surge" that President George W. Bush ordered, officials said.
The deployment does not change the maximum number of service members expected to soon be in Afghanistan: 68,000, more than double the number there when Bush left office.
SNIP
Obama announced in a March 27 speech that he was approving 21,000 troops, and a White House spokesman said that the president did not approve any other increases before or after. Asked for more details on the troop authorizations, spokesman Tommy Vietor said the Pentagon was better suited to provide such "technical information."
Defense officials, however, acknowledge that the request for 21,000 troops has led to the authorization of more forces.
"The 21,000 are only combat forces, and when the combat forces go in, there are a certain amount of additional forces that are required," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who signs the deployment orders, had military officials identify last spring the entire scope of the increase and agreed that he would consult with Obama again if the Pentagon sought to go above that, Whitman said.
"Obama authorized the whole thing. The only thing you saw announced in a press release was the 21,000," said another defense official familiar with the troop-approval process.
The White House website does not yet have an official statement available to the public according to checks of its blog and press room pages.
Obama has established a pattern of blaming his predecessor for nearly any difficulty he has faced in office. His failure to accept a modicum of responsibility ten months in to office for a troop movement that his administration had to approve and support, no matter that it was initiated by President Bush, is pathetic. Especially because Obama retained Bush's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who carried out the orders of both presidents in deploying the 13,000 troops to Afghanistan.
Well obambi could always cancel their orders, but that would take balls, and obambi would have to get them from his wife.
I’m really surprised that this clown hasn’t blamed George Bush for his election to the presidency.
afp has this
US military says Afghan force numbers no secret (Pentagon clarifies who approved what when)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2361612/posts
Obama , Waaaa-Time Prese__nt
How regrettable that Dr. Rice did not deck that lunatic.
George W can’t even hold a candle to what Obama can be blamed for.
Condi shows more restraint than I could’ve!
Condi looks like she did everything in her power NOT to deliver a knuckle sandwich to that crazed wacko!
The Commander in Chief is abdicating responsibility for his actions.
I blame GW Bush for the election of Barack H. Obama. There, I said it.
Didn't vote for Obama and did vote for Palin but it wasn't enough to keep him from high office.
This amateur hour in the White House is sure gonna make for a long 4 years...hope there is something left to be proud of.
LMAOOOOOOOO.....so true!!!!!
The whole lot of them are so full of BS it’s pathetic.
Don’t want to do anything that will tilt his peace prize.
Embarrassing!
If he gets his way he will blame Bush for everything for 8 years.
LOL !
This just wallows in lameness.
Jimmy Carter should fall on his knees and thank God for sending someone to replace him on top of the Worst President Ever list.
4 years
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