Posted on 11/23/2009 8:13:54 PM PST by kristinn
President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity" in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy.
Obama is expected to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials said.
The U.S. officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the issue publicly and because, one official said, the White House is incensed by leaks on its Afghanistan policy that didn't originate in the White House.
They said the commander of the U.S.-led international force in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, could arrive in Washington as early as Sunday to participate in the rollout of the new plan, including testifying before Congress toward the end of next week. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry also are expected to appear before congressional committees.
As it now stands, the plan calls for the deployment over a nine-month period beginning in March of three Army brigades from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y., and a Marine brigade from Camp Lejeune, N.C., for as many as 23,000 additional combat and support troops.
In addition, a 7,000-strong division headquarters would be sent to take command of U.S.-led NATO forces in southern Afghanistan — to which the U.S. has long been committed — and 4,000 U.S. military trainers would be dispatched to help accelerate...
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
Gee, why the rush Barry?
Must have got a sneak preview of Governor Palin’s interview with Greta this evening...Mama Bear was pissed.
Maybe he’ll supply them with cans of RAID since they’re not allowed to use their weapons.
Want a laugh?
March 12, 2008
“Obama says he will listen to generals about the war”
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/839220,obamaweb031208.article
He shortchanges by 6,000. Obama, the great military genius, has determined after 4 months, that only 85% of the request is the appropriate number.
Oh, puh-leeeeze.
Liars!
I certainly wouldn’t want this guy as my personal physician. You go in with an arterial wound and he tells you to take an aspirin and he’ll get back to you in three months with his final recommendation.
Half-measures almost never work. This is a half-measure.
Yep! He loves to leak.
Remember the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal !
It takes a lot of troops when you have to read the Miranda rights to every Mo you catch trying to kill you, and have the reading recorded in videotape, and witnessed by two JAG fags and at least a couple of leftist reporters, at least one from some Europeon country that considers itself just so intellectually superior to the United States, but proves over and over to be cowardly and inconsequential otherwise, plus a representative of CAIR and one from the National Council of Churches.
Just send in the present number of Anericans, but include only warfighters in the contingent Send everyone else home. No rules of engagement, no trainers, no nation builders, no bleeding hearts, nobody but pure warfighters, just us versus them in an all out kickass no holds barred battle for as long as there is a mohammedan breeder left over there who wants to fight. The result would be quicker and cheaper than all this dithering. Afghanistan isn’t going to become a democratic or uncorrupt society any time soon, if ever, but they could be taught to insure that they don’t screw around, directly or indirectly, with anything in our interest. They are worth nothing to us, and if they all were dead, what difference would it make?.
Of course, all the bleeding hearts of the left and their Mohammedan-oriented waffle-loving teleprompter-in-charge are not pragmatic enough to see the value of kicking butt big time when you finally have to go to fist city.
Don’t worry. They’ll be another three months after Obama’s bunch figures out how people react to this latest trial balloon. Looks like the number hasn’t changed much, so he’s close to almost being done I guess.
this is how democrats operate, they trial balloon via leaks
I read that 34,000 as the likely number at least a month ago - probably more like 6 weeks.
Proof that all the meetings, posturing, angst about the decision was a smoke screen to delay until the Senate healthcare vote.
Diabolical plick!
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