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Gibbs: Obama Has Spent "Close to 20 Direct Hours" on Afghan War, "Quite a Bit of Time" Pondering
Friday, October 30, 2009 | Kristinn

Posted on 10/30/2009 8:00:54 PM PDT by kristinn

At today's White House briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Barack Obama has spent "close to 20 direct hours" in meetings on Afghanistan since Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for tens of thousands of reinforcements was submitted over two months ago with a warning the war would be lost in twelve months without more troops.

Gibbs says Obama also spends "quite a bit of time" thinking about the war in Afghanistan.

Gibbs was asked about a statement by the mother of one of the fallen soldiers, Sgt. Dale Griffin, killed in Afghanistan this week whom Obama met with at Dover early Thursday morning. The mother, Dona Griffin, said she told Obama, Don't leave our troops hanging," when he asked the families if there was anything he could do for them. Gibbs was asked if Obama feels like he is leaving the troops hanging.

He responded that Obama is trying to "understand the full cost of the war."

MR. GIBBS: Again, we haven't gotten into broad specifics on that yet.

On the first part, Jeff, you know, look, I think -- I don't -- I used to have it calculated, I should just go back and do it, the number of hours that he has spent in these meetings is probably now -- well, at the end of today will probably be getting close to 20 direct hours of his time. The group -- the principals that meet with the President additionally take time to get the material ready, and are prepared to answer questions for the President, probably at least twice as much of that of the President's time the principals have spent.

So obviously we -- the President and his team have spent a pretty big chunk of time evaluating very, very closely each of these individual countries, their relationship together and their impact on the region.

At the conclusion of these meetings, he generally is off to the next thing. I think he has spent quite a bit of time after the meetings back in the office -- back in his office, probably primarily in the Residence at night, going back and reading through his notes, as well as -- notes that he's taken on the meetings, and oftentimes will come out with questions that the team will prepare the answers for, for the next meeting.

SNIPQ--Early yesterday morning when he was in Dover and met with the families, the families said that he asked, is there anything we can do for the families. And the mother of -- Dona Griffin, a mother of the last of the dignified transfers, said that she told the President, "Don't leave our troops hanging." When he walks into the Situation Room right about now, does he have any sense that the time he's taking to make these decisions is leaving those troops hanging?

MR. GIBBS: Again, to go back through what's happened, the President believed that additional forces were needed in March and he added them to get us to a point where we could evaluate the outcome of the election. That obviously has been delayed a little bit, but he believes this is a point in which it's necessary to fully assess where we are. I don't believe the President thinks -- I know he doesn't believe that this assessment is in any way doing that. I think he understands and I think, as you heard him say yesterday in the Oval Office, I think his commitment, particularly after going to a place like Dover, is to understand the full cost of the war.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 4hoursperroundofgolf; afghanistan; appeasement; bho44; bhodod; bhogwot; dithering; nationalsecurityfail; nsp; nss; obama; oef
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Twenty whole hours in two months. I think he's spent more time on the golf links.

Our troops understand the full cost of the war--and their families know full well Obama is leaving them hanging.

Spc. Jared Stanjer told his mother during his first and last phone call home before he was killed in Afghanistan, "We need help over here. There aren't enough troops."

1 posted on 10/30/2009 8:00:54 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn

OMG. No words!


2 posted on 10/30/2009 8:02:34 PM PDT by GoCards ("We eat therefore we hunt...")
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To: All

Spc. Jared Stanker. Sorry for the typo.


3 posted on 10/30/2009 8:03:21 PM PDT by kristinn (A conspiracy of silence speaks louder than words.)
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To: kristinn

Let’s put in perspective. It is not 20 hours in two months, it is 20 hours in nine months. Or about 1.25% of his time as president.


4 posted on 10/30/2009 8:03:53 PM PDT by magellan
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To: kristinn

Ironically, just about the same amount of total time one would spend on the crapper in a 10 month period.


5 posted on 10/30/2009 8:04:27 PM PDT by digger48
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To: kristinn

Does the 20 hours include the tasteless photo op in Dover?


6 posted on 10/30/2009 8:04:37 PM PDT by Soul of the South (When times are tough the tough get going.)
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To: kristinn

WOW...is the little trip to Dover included in these 22 hours?...what a guy..../s


7 posted on 10/30/2009 8:04:52 PM PDT by mystery-ak (gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: kristinn
Obama is thinking hard in the Oval office.


8 posted on 10/30/2009 8:04:53 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: kristinn

9 posted on 10/30/2009 8:04:59 PM PDT by wastedyears (Clyde Shelton is my hero.)
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To: kristinn
From The Vitamin Press
"Like 20 straight hours"
10 posted on 10/30/2009 8:05:35 PM PDT by TheVitaminPress
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To: kristinn

King Obama, you have spent more time on the golf course and taken your wife on dates than spent time on this decision.


11 posted on 10/30/2009 8:05:40 PM PDT by truthandlife ("Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Ps 20:7))
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To: truthandlife

Whoa . . . great minds huh!


12 posted on 10/30/2009 8:06:15 PM PDT by TheVitaminPress
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To: kristinn

Then we need to LOUDLY ask how many “direct” hours he has spent on his golf swing, or any other pointless thing he wastes his time on.

Would be a great conrast of priorities IMO.


13 posted on 10/30/2009 8:06:18 PM PDT by Miztiki
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To: kristinn

“I think he’s spent more time on the golf links.”

I bet he spends 20 hours a week on the golf course.


14 posted on 10/30/2009 8:06:27 PM PDT by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: kristinn
'Zero' makes a decision on Afghan war

15 posted on 10/30/2009 8:06:49 PM PDT by Kartographer (".. we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.")
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To: kristinn

You’ve got to be kidding.


16 posted on 10/30/2009 8:07:00 PM PDT by ElayneJ
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To: kristinn

No mortal will ever be able to understand the full cost of a war; all we can do is win the ones we have to fight and discourage the others.


17 posted on 10/30/2009 8:07:19 PM PDT by skr (May God confound the enemy)
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To: mystery-ak

22 hrs. over the past 9 months.
Your husband and son spent that amount of time
in probably two days fighting in the war.


18 posted on 10/30/2009 8:09:25 PM PDT by SoCalPol (Reagan Republican for Palin 2012)
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To: kristinn

Yeah, real complicated.

Caliphate v. Freedom

Hmmm . . .


19 posted on 10/30/2009 8:09:37 PM PDT by freedom_is_earned
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To: kristinn

Okay, 20 hours. Wow. Each ONE of our soldiers spends 24 hours in Afghanistan EVERY DAY. How many hours has Obama spent on the golf course during this time? Heck of a lot more than 20. Unbelievable.


20 posted on 10/30/2009 8:09:46 PM PDT by LikeLight (http://www.believersguidetolegalissues.com)
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