Posted on 06/22/2011 9:19:24 AM PDT by americanophile
President Obama's "surge" of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan announced in late 2009 was meant to be temporary, and Wednesday night the president is expected to announce that they will return home by around the time voters head to the polls to determine whether he gets another term.
In prime-time speech to the nation, Obama is expected to say about 5,000 troops will begin coming home this summer with an additional 5,000 troops by the end of this year, sources told CBS News. And about 20,000 more troops are expected to return to the United States by the end of 2012, the sources said. That would still leave about 70,000 troops in Afghanistan -- about twice as many troops as when Obama took office in January 2009.
That timetable is more aggressive than some military advisers had urged. Obama made the final decision Tuesday after weighing options presented to him by General David Petraeus, his top commander in Afghanistan.
Some military advisers feared a rapid withdrawal could put at risk some of the gains made against the Taliban.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
A desperation move, given the economy and his poll numbers.
But it will work. This move will make Obama even harder to beat in 2012.
Considering my nephew just got there, this actually MIGHT be good news.
Yup, purely political and has zero to do with military strategy.
He`s got an election to win and YES, their messiah WILL be hard to defeat.
I have heard anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000. Guess we know tonight. If 30,000, that was the “temporary” surge numbers sent leaving how many 100,000?
I am part of the; we went to Afghanistan to get OBL. We got him. Bring troops home, suspend all immigration from the entire region - they have billions of our dollars and infrastructure it it time for them to make it themselves.
He is such an idiot he always leaks his boring speeches ahead.This will not appease his left wing (his only base) BTW.
It will HURT him among his Marxist base when the withdrawal doesn't materialize by election time. Ø will either completely break the military, or his election chances.
One has that sinking feeling.
I disagree....somewhat. I think the people are tired and done with Iraq and Afghanistan. I also believe that our people know that this administration has made a mess of things over there.
One thing I’m afraid of is that the 10-40,000 will be used in Libya. Our people want out of the Middle East......all of it.
“I am part of the; we went to Afghanistan to get OBL. We got him. Bring troops home, suspend all immigration from the entire region - they have billions of our dollars and infrastructure it it time for them to make it themselves.”
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AMEN !!!!!!!!!
Seriously, we should of declared victory after OBL death and brought them all home. There is no other point to ever exit cleanly now.
Holy crap! That a lot bigger than the 5,000 number that was floating around.
Meaningless. Just like his commitment to close Club Gitmo.
This won’t make a difference to voters as the damage has been done. Obama wont win the election, I’m confident about that.
I strongly disagree.
Obama's schizophrenic, incoherent foreign policy won't help him one whit in the election.
He owns the economy, and it's getting worse and worse.
As things presently stand, I don't think Obama will be hard to beat at all.
I agree and for some reason I have complete peace that O will be a one term president. Voters have been jumping ship. As it was quoted before ‘obama is not cool anymore’. That’s what he ran on and it’s not taking further than one term.
I realize my thoughts may be at odds with others’ here, but I’ll post them anyway.
We might as well bring 30,000 back.
Or, 40,000.
Or, bring them ALL back.
The taliban are very patient. They will “lay in wait”, knowing that we can’t stay there forever, and that while we are there we will not take REAL steps to defeat Islam in that country.
By “real steps”, I mean:
- install a military government which will control all facets of the government, while we write them a new constitution (a la what McArthur did in Japan) that does things like:
- ban Islam as a religion
- close all mosques and madrassas
- essentially, do what Ann Coulter so plainly said in 2001.
Instead, we support a government that embraces Islam and may even “deal on the side” with the taliban.
Is this how we “win”?
Bring our guys back as soon as possible — not to do so is merely delaying the inevitable.
Or — conquer the damn place (and I do mean CONQUER it), Carthage-style.
Again my opinion only.
I realize yours may be very different...
- Just sayin’....
How about those who WON’T BE COMING HOME? Will the MSM report the cost in blood of Dear Leader’s ill-advised shenanigans? [Rhetorical question]
He was voted in as a prom king, and now he hasn't fulfilled his 'promises' to the kids in his class, so they're abandoning him like rats on a sinking ship.
He's going to lose. I feel it in my bones. And this definitely won't help him.
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