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Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah): Bring home Afghan troops
Politico ^ | November 29, 2009 | By DANIEL LIBIT

Posted on 11/30/2009 6:50:35 AM PST by MaestroLC

Saying it’s time for Republicans to do more than “take pot shots at ACORN,” freshman Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz will call on President Barack Obama on Monday to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan.

Chaffetz’s push for a troop withdrawal — to be unveiled in a speech at the Hinckley Institute of Politics in Salt Lake City — runs counter to the position of House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and other leading Republicans in Congress. But it also reflects the divisions within the conference about the question of Afghanistan. Chaffetz told POLITICO the issue “has been probably the most difficult one as a freshman in the minority.”

“So much of this is easy, black and white, but Afghanistan is very different and very difficult,” he said.

Chaffetz said he thinks he will “suffer” for the decision and that it would be safer for him politically to stay the course he’s been on.

“I can take pot shots at [Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now] all day long, and I’m good at it,” Chaffetz said. “But even though I am probably going against where the party is on this traditionally, I just think we need to stand up and support the notion that it is time to bring our soldiers home.”

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afghan; chaffetz; fighttowin; obama; rulesofengagement; troops; victory; winorleave
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To: ExTxMarine

“By cutting all these stupid domestic give-aways! The US Constitution says that the one thing the government should be funding (above all others - IMO) is our defense! The rest is just fluff and crap!”

And eliminate 90% of the various government agencies and commissions.

Defense, State, Interior, Commerce, Justice and Tresury should be the only government agencies that remain.


81 posted on 11/30/2009 2:16:52 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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To: Utah Binger

HA HA!

He looks like Butt-Head from Beavis and Butt-head


82 posted on 11/30/2009 2:20:52 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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To: Elsie
"Bring home Afghan troops, Elsie wrote: Tell that to the 3,000 dead on 9/11. Shucks... We kill that many by CHOICE almost every day of the year! Dern near 1,000,000 each year."

Wow. So 9/11 wasn't a big deal?
83 posted on 11/30/2009 2:25:37 PM PST by Minus_The_Bear
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To: Captain Kirk

“They said the same thing about Ron Paul and he was easily reelected”

That’s because he greased the skids with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of pork to BUY his “re-election”.


84 posted on 11/30/2009 2:51:11 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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To: Captain Kirk

“Stand up salute! I’m sure he’ll be grateful.”

Just like you bow down to the east and submit?


85 posted on 11/30/2009 2:53:54 PM PST by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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If the Dems are going to ‘do’ Afghanistan the way we ‘did’ Vietnam, then we should bring our troops home.

Either go to win, or get the hell out.


86 posted on 11/30/2009 2:54:27 PM PST by FreeStateYank (I want my country and constitution back, now!)
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To: ExTexasRedhead

What a great inspiring video.

We need to keep our eye on this prize of a man !


87 posted on 11/30/2009 2:59:28 PM PST by carolina71
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To: ExTexasRedhead

What a great inspiring video.

We need to keep our eye on this prize of a man !


88 posted on 11/30/2009 3:37:33 PM PST by carolina71
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To: MaestroLC

-———But I think he undercuts those statements when he says “Mr. President, it is time to bring our troops home.” It comes across as defeatist.-————

Maybe. As someone who’s aware of how screwed up the rules of engagement are, I understand clearly why he’s saying this.

But for someone who’s uninformed via the progressive press, you’re probably right.

————The Afghanistan Taliban has not be defeated.————

And they won’t be with these rules. If the government won’t let them win then just bring them home. Forcing them into a losing situation is pretty mean.


89 posted on 11/30/2009 3:47:23 PM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing ( How about someone nominate Chris Matthews as the Restless Leg Czar?)
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To: hennie pennie

You and I are in huge agreement. I totally despise politicians who scurry in the dark like a cockroach.

And I don’t like the idea of cutting and running either, but with these ROE then it’s safe to say we’ve already left.

It’s more like that obama would bring them home than change the ROE, so that’s the logical choice.

Our soldiers do NOT deserve to be sitting ducks and that’s exactly what the ROE turn them into.


90 posted on 11/30/2009 3:51:13 PM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing ( How about someone nominate Chris Matthews as the Restless Leg Czar?)
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To: 2CAVTrooper

No.....I don’t. If I wanted to help Bin Laden, however, I would support your policy of overextending ourselves and bleeding us dry through Obama’s Wars. He said himself many, many times that his goal was to draw us into quagmires.


91 posted on 11/30/2009 5:50:44 PM PST by Captain Kirk
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To: Minus_The_Bear
Wow. So 9/11 wasn't a big deal?

3000 dead by Muslims...

45,000,000 by CHOICE.

What do YOU think GOD is going to say?

92 posted on 11/30/2009 6:02:48 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: All

I don’t know about others, but I don’t want to see another generation of forgotten vets who, like my father who served two tours in the Nam, didn’t get there welcome home victory parade.

I don’t want to see or hear about soldiers who have to live with the lifelong anger of being sent overseas and nothing worthwhile was accomplished, of being pulled out mid mission. These kids CAN win, if we give them a mission and the support to do so.


93 posted on 11/30/2009 6:07:43 PM PST by Molon Labbie
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To: Captain Kirk
Obama, and apparently yourself, need the money which should go to fund the war in Afghanistan, to promote his socialist takeover of America.

As soon as rogue nations get their nukes we, the free world, are up the creek without a paddle.

You ignore the truth of just who our enemy is, referring to them as medieval Taliban. These Taliban are the alternative government in Afghanistan and they are waging war against the government of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Just how in the world do you qualify your statement that they are not about to accomplish their goal...they're halfway there now, and that's after being completely disbanded in 2001. You're burying your head in the sand, because you have no resolve.

Are you an astroturfer?

94 posted on 12/01/2009 7:14:48 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: jacknhoo
Obama, and apparently yourself, need the money which should go to fund the war in Afghanistan, to promote his socialist takeover of America. Obama, and apparently yourself, need the money which should to promote his socialist takeover of America.

Have you ever been in the military? It is the most socialist institution in the U.S. bar none. The warfare and welfare state have been joined at the hip ever since The DEMOCRATIC Woodrow Wilson. IMHO, the socialist aspects of the military should be reduced as much as possible. Its role should be limited to national defense and NOT include nation building, social welfare projects, building schools, and nation building.

The founders would roll over in their graves if they knew we had become the modern version of the British Empire and have over 170 bases in the world. What would I do with the money saved by ending Obama's War? I'd do the same thing with it that I'd do by stopping Obamacare and rolling back the stimulus. I'd give it back to the taxpayers. How about you?

95 posted on 12/01/2009 7:27:48 AM PST by Captain Kirk
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To: kabar
"It will become a mistake if we cut and run like we did in Vietnam. I was not quoting Kerry in a positive light."

'Nuff said, for me. Thanks, for clearing that up.

If we lose Afghanistan, we've lost Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. India certainly will not trust Islamic radicals with nuclear weapons next door. The United States is, absolutely, going to be drawn into East Asian war. China, also, cannot risk the Al Qaeda look-alike Taliban having Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

I know Obama does not have the savvy, currently, to win this war, but we need to pray that this coward POTUS can grow into the job. If he fails to do so, we're damned. If he manages to do so, we (the free world) stand a chance. If we throw in the towel now, we're damned.

96 posted on 12/01/2009 7:28:03 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: Captain Kirk
In spite of your ignoring the truth of my post, I assume because you're too prideful, you also did not answer the one question I asked you. And from viewing your multitude of responses in this thread, I will also assume you are an astroturfer.
97 posted on 12/01/2009 7:35:44 AM PST by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51. Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: jacknhoo

I treated your points seriously and engaged in a fact-based discussion not word games. No, I am not an astroturfer. If you want a serious discussion, get back to me. I have always been my views on the table. Cheers, CK


98 posted on 12/01/2009 8:13:00 AM PST by Captain Kirk
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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

64-65-66 It’s not defeatist. Our current rules have already secured us defeat.

rules-of-engagement-in-afghanistan-costing-our-troops-lives/

If our government refuses to fight to win, then extricating our troops is the one and only action that makes sense.

I’d rather stay and win. But these rules make it impossible.

Jonathan S. Landay / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
‘We’re pinned down:’ 4 U.S. Marines die in Afghan ambush — Taliban Ambush in Eastern Kunar Kills Four U.S. Marines — In a sad for the U.S. Marine Corps, four Marines have perished in Afghanistan. ___________________ The McCltachy article becomes suspect by introducing obtuse foolishness like this:
Quote:
The lack of timely air support...was a consequence of the manpower and equipment shortages bequeathed by the Bush administration’s failure to secure Afghanistan against a resurgence of the Taliban, al Qaida and allied groups before turning to invade Iraq.
...
The denial of heavy artillery fire to those trapped in Ganjgal also has roots in the Bush administration’s decision to divert resources to Iraq and the resulting stress on the U.S. military.

Those comments would seem to questionably accurate at best, politically motivated (understandable given his background) and tangentially if at all related to the story. They discredit the rest of his reporting in my view.
More sensible is this comment:
Quote:
There are a limited number of U.S. helicopters in Kunar, a stretch of craggy mountains and serpentine valleys bordering Pakistan where airpower gives a vital edge to overstretched U.S. troops fighting guerrillas who know every nook and trail of the area. Unbeknownst to those trapped in the Ganjgal kill zone, however, the available aircraft were tied up in the Shiryak Valley to the north in a battle in which two pilots were wounded, U.S. commanders said.
I seem to recall efforts at home to declare failure back in 2007 - back when the fighting and dying were at their worst - and to ensure the blame for that failure didn’t rest with the troops but was passed on to the Generals who had sacrificed their soldiers’ lives on the altar of appeasement to their civilian masters. Some might recall “Betrayus” - a disgusting trope that made its way from certain web sites (more concerned with winning elections than battles with guns) to the pages of the New York Times - at a discount.

You need no reminder of that, I am sure. Of days when scant available facts (and abundant fallacies) in initial reports were augmented with the assumptions of those who were most likely to be wrong, whose motives and commitment would require them to ignore or dismiss follow-on reports from on-scene (from those whose every word had mere days before been unimpeachable Gospel truth) and moveon to the next preliminary report, the new outrage of the day.

QUOTES - Initial reports indicate that the troops requested and were given air support and indirect fire, said Sam Truelove, a spokeswoman for the International Security Assistance Force.

“The tactical directive does not preclude any fires for self defense,” said Truelove, a lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said that it did take “some time” for air support to arrive, but the delay was due to distance, not the rules of engagement.

He said the deaths are under investigation, adding, “We will hopefully get to the bottom and figure out if everything operated according to protocol.”

LINKS http://www.mudvillegazette.com/032602.html


99 posted on 12/01/2009 8:40:34 AM PST by anglian
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To: Captain Kirk
Yes you are bowing to the east and submitting to islam because that is what YOUR policy is.... To tuck tail and run like a coward.

Just like your heerow ron paul, and all of the leftist America hating cowards in this county.

And FYI, I've been saying all along that we should take the gloves off and fight the war the way it should be fought meaning that we take no prisoners. Anyone who shoots at us is dead either through combat or a summary execution upon capture. And we should have mobilized the entire military for the effort.

100 posted on 12/02/2009 10:21:25 AM PST by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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