Posted on 07/02/2010 8:00:45 PM PDT by SmartInsight
We did not finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We did not develop new capabilities to defeat a new enemy, or launch a comprehensive strategy to dry up the terrorists' base of support. We did not reaffirm our basic values, or secure our homeland.
And so, a little more than a year after that bright September day, I was in the streets of Chicago again, this time speaking at a rally in opposition to war in Iraq. I did not oppose all wars, I said. I was a strong supporter of the war in Afghanistan. But I said I could not support "a dumb war, a rash war" in Iraq. I worried about a " U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences" in the heart of the Muslim world. I pleaded that we "finish the fight with bin Ladin and al Qaeda."
When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland.
The first step must be getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
(Excerpt) Read more at barackobama.com ...
Michael Steele isn’t right about anything! I wouldn’t trust him to give the time of day. He is the Republicans’ gift to the Democrats.
Steele was wrong and should resign. Trying to twist logic and back him just because the other side attacks him makes us no better than they are when they cover for the idiotic statements made by their side.
Steele has been excellent in fund raising, which is his job.
The Democrats are trying to get Republicans to get rid of him, and some Republicans are falling for it.
This is not the time to attack Steele, a few months before the midterm elections. This is the time to work as hard as possible to defeat the Democrats, before they completely destroy the country.
Steele shows fundraising savvy and spreads the wealth around
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele has raised more money in the first seven months of his tenure than his Democratic counterpart, and he is spreading that wealth to Republicans around the country
"Steele also has come under fire for his management of the organization's finances. The RNC had more than $22 million on hand when he arrived last year, but is down to less than $10 million, despite raising a record $96 million during that time, records show.
The February report to the Federal Election Commission lists $17,000 for private jet service; more than $35,000 for upscale hotels; and more than $43,000 in expenses, not including airfare, for the committee's winter meeting in Hawaii. Such reports include a range of spending, including Steele's airfare as well as expenses incurred by staff members and outsiders." (As reported by WaPo 3.30.10)
You’re using logic and facts to make your argument in favor of Steele. Many FReepers don’t care about any of that—their hatred for Steele trumps all else.
We, with our rules of engagement and war ethics cannot do the things necessary to put this lawless territory into a state of peace and unity.
Just as Israel will never win in Gaza.
This is Obama's Waterloo. Let it be so and don't prop up this tin pot dictator and by doing so waste the lives of many more of our boys. It is such a waste on such a useless piece of rock populated with people who have no sense of it even being a country.
I say this with great reverence to what it means. I am a Vietnam Vet.
We won the war in Vietnam but lost the political war. There is no war to win here. It can't be won because to win it you will have to kill most of the population and in time, kill their children when they grow up to fight you as their father did.
It's not worth it. Let Obama and the Democrats eat this politically.
He is a somewhat progressive republican but he is way to the right of Scott Brown who received much support and many donations from people on this forum.
Steele hails from the East and he is a Easterner and black. He can't be anything else, and these attacks with lefty publications about mismanagement are doing the Democrat party's bidding. I have seen too much of it. Far too much.
Steele will be with us for at least until after the November elections. Depending of the results he may be with us longer. He is not going to quit. His fund raising has been good, but the GOP has spent a lot of money trying to get some momentum and it has been spent well.
I'll back him, but I too, do not agree with everything he says. However, what he does has been good.
BULL!!!
Steele didn’t say Afghanistan was BO’s war, he said it was a war Obama chose. And that’s putting aside the defeatist blather he spewed about us not being able to win.
Time for Steele to go.
I couldn’t agree more. Steele has to go.
There are three problems with Steele. The first problem is that he has repeatedly made statements regarding policy. This is not his job and he should stop. The second problem with Steele is that everything he says regarding policy is ignorant, wrongheaded, and/or false. Ideologically the guy is a complete and utter jackass and is not the least bit conservative. Problem number three is that Steele is raising too little money, spending too much money on himself and RNC operations, and he is not in control of the organization. Steele should go now.
The RNC spent money on the Nj and Virginia races and special elections, resulting in Republicans being elected.
The Dems are very unhappy about that.
Good to see a few people look at the big picture and facts, rather than respond to the Democrats stimulus, like Pavlov’s dog, salivating on command.
The Democrats have nothing to offer, but trying to use the divide and conquer strategy on Republicans, who should know better, than to obligingly allow themselves to become the Dems’ tools to destroy their own, thereby ensuring Dem victory and continuing their powergrab, destroying the country.
McCrystal was no dummy. The policies and war plans he was carrying out were not entirely his, they belonged to Petraeus. It was his plan!
Now the man with the plan in in charge and I expect some movement, but not success in the end.
There are three main reasons, and they are critical.
Fist, Afghanistan is not a cohesive country. This by it's self is not the biggest issue, but it is complicated by the fact that Afghanistan has never been a country. It, like Gaza is a mistake made long ago. It's really a territory with numerous warlords, all with different agenda's and all have been fighting each other, making new alliances and fighting each other again. The only thing that ever unites them even to a small degree is the sudden appearance of of another nation state like us. or the Russians, or NATO or anyone else, which brings me to the second reason.
We are incapable with our rules and our war ethics, of doing what is required to tame this country. The Taliban on the other hand, were able to do it in short order! But they killed everyone who opposed them, and the burned or destroyed everything that signified the previous control regime and they did it with gusto and effectiveness by fear! We can't do that and the Russians tried everything in their arsenal and failed. The third thing refers to the constant erroneous Iraq comparisons as if we did it there and can do it here. Petraeus did not succeed in Iraq by himself, he had outside help in the form of the nasty bastards called Alqueda in Iraq. If AQ had not pissed of the locals to the point of them making a alliance with the U.S. to defeat the AQ insurgency, we would still be fighting them all. This gift was dropped right in the generals lap. We did not do it. More importantly we can't duplicate it in Afghanistan and if we managed some sort of mind game, it would not last long because these people will go with the flow as long as it suits them and then turn on you at the drop of a hat. This is not as true in Iraq because of intermarriages and a long history of a cohesive society.
Afghanistan is akin to a feudal warlord territory, and it has been the same for more than a thousand years, maybe two thousand or more.
We need to return to the containment strategy we had and execute it. Obama dropped that ball during the transition which led to this surge when one of our forward bases were hit and hit successfully by the Taliban. It never should have happened but they saw the weakness and they used it. This is what they will do until we leave and we lose hundreds more for nothing.
Protect the forward positions well with air assets, and we can keep them from moving back and forth into Pakistan. In fact, I might be inclined to let Pakistan have the entire ball of snakes and just use them as a proxy.
This would keep them busy for decades, and alleviate the India situation and a potential nuke conflict if we could keep India from making any intrusions into the valley on Pakistani territory when the Paks pull out from their border.
There is a better way to skin this cat and what we are trying to do is never going to work.
[The RNC had more than $22 million on hand when he arrived last year, but is down to less than $10 million, despite raising a record $96 million during that time, records show.]
This is news media claptrap. “Last year” wasn’t an election year. This year is an election year. The RNC is moving money to GOP candidates all over the country as fast as it comes in.
When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan;
^
A choice. Yet to be impressed by many Republican men, resigning over this is foolish fodder.
I concur and so do the facts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.