by Peter Wallsten
Vice President Joe Biden, delivering a somber assessment of the road ahead, predicted today that American casualties will climb in Afghanistan as the Obama administration shifts military priorities in the battle against terrorism.
The war in that country will get bloodier, he said, as the U.S. sends in additional troops to take back territory now controlled by Taliban militants, who were weakened when American forces invaded following the 9/1 terrorist attacks but have regained strength in recent years.
"We've inherited a real mess," Biden said in an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation, referring to decisions by the Bush administration and some U.S. allies that have allowed extremists to regain their footing and the drug trade to thrive. "We're about to go in and try to essentially reclaim territory that's been effectively lost. ... All of this means we're going to be engaging the enemy more now."
Asked if this would lead to more loosses of U.S. soldiers, Biden said: "I hate to say it, but yes I think there will be. There will be an uptick."
Biden's comments come as the new administration of President Obama is examining how to deploy the approximately 20,000 additional American forces that expected to be sent to Afghanistan this year. There are already about 32,000 there already, and Obama has pledged to mount an Iraq-like "surge" designed to impose security in cities and towns that have essentially gone lawless.
The vice president did not provide details of how the additional U.S. forces would be used, beyond saying they would help train Afghan police and try to reclaim land.
He did not say how many forces, for example, might be sent to the border with Pakistan, where many militants move easily back and forth across the rugged terrain and where al Qaeda leaders are believed to be hiding.
Biden, who traveled to Pakistan shortly before being sworn in as vice president, declined to comment on reports that a U.S. drone crossed into that country last week and attacked an al Qaeda post - but he reiterated Obama's statements during the campaign that he would not hesitate to strike within Pakistan if there was "actionable intelligence."
Also today, Republicans signaled that they would not be daunted by Obama's soaring approval ratings , hitting the airwaves to criticize the new president for everything from his administration's proposed $825-billion economic stimulus plan to his strategy for closing the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, and his decision to excempt a top-ranking Pentagon appointee from new ethics rules.
Comments
I thought Bush and the war-mongering Wingnut crew already defeated the Taliban?
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/15/bush-taliban-eliminated/
.....oops, nevermind.
Posted by: icebergslim | January 25, 2009 5:37 PM
"We inherited a real mess"
--Joe Biden(D)
Translation:
If soldiers get killed, don't blame us...blame Bush... because wars should never be messy.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | January 25, 2009 8:24 PM
Obama now has the blood of innocents on his hands, so you lefties can start calling him names from your list you used to describe Bush. Obama never supported the Iraq "surge" or its success, as did many of you lefties, so how are you to react to Obama's Afghan "surge"? Afghan is a much more difficult terrain to fight a war, as well as a quagmire of a corrupt government, ancient tribal customs, lack of infrastructure and a population scared by decades of war, poverty, and every conceivable malady know to mankind, not to mention its economy is based on opium and drugs. This will be a long, bloody, and expensive fight so be prepared to support our President, you voted for him, when the war gets tough. I will.
Posted by: Bubba Porter | January 25, 2009 8:57 PM
Gen. Biden has spoken.
I don't think real generals use words more common on the stock exchange like "uptick" to refer to American casualties.
Or they shouldn't.
Posted by: ornery | January 25, 2009 10:57 PM
I did not WORK and give my MONEY for Obama and Biden to give us more of this SICK war for the oil pipeline to the Caspain Sea deposit. Osama bin DEAD anyway!
google david frost and benazir bhutto and watch the video.
Posted by: No MORE WAR!!!! | January 25, 2009 11:04 PM
How interesting that in all the hype about 'Frost-Nixon' NO ONE mentioned that Frost had aired Bhutto's claim that someone had told her bin Laden had already been MURDERED in 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9Tg
---
PRESIDENT OBAMA CANNOT DO THIS ALONE! TELL YOUR REPS WE WANT OUTTA AFGHANISTAN AND WANT THE DRONE ATTACKS TO STOP.
Posted by: Osama bin DEAD! Don't FALL FOR THIS CRAP! | January 26, 2009 5:50 AM
Bush told us all the mission had been accomplished.
You're right Paula, I do blame Bush. I also blame him for the state of the economy.
When Clinton left office, there was a budget surplus, a thriving economy, and $2/gal gasoline.
Posted by: Doug R. | January 26, 2009 9:27 AM
Bush told us all the mission had been accomplished.
You're right Paula, I do blame Bush. I also blame him for the state of the economy.
When Clinton left office, there was a budget surplus, a thriving economy, and $2/gal gasoline.
Posted by: Doug R. | January 26, 2009 9:27 AM
Don't forget other gifts from the Clinton admin... a thriving Talibani government in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden left with all sorts of time and money to plan 9/11, North Korea building nukes in complete violation of the "handshake" deal brokered by Clinton and all of that really cool weapons technology that China was lucky enough to find.
We had a budget surplus that came as a windfall to the Clintons, as a result of the 90's tech "bubble" that as we know pretty much popped as his term was ending that "thriving economy"..
But your right- gas was $2/gallon...wait a minute! gas is $2/gallon now!- what was your point again?
Posted by: heartburn | January 26, 2009 11:05 AM
Heartburn, you can't be serious. Gas is $2/gallon now because the repugs put our economy in the toilet and people can't afford to drive. When Clinton left office the economy was in fine shape AND gas was $2/gallon. I guess that might have been Doug R's point.
Posted by: JM | January 26, 2009 1:14 PM
Heartburn, you can't be serious. Gas is $2/gallon now because the repugs put our economy in the toilet and people can't afford to drive. When Clinton left office the economy was in fine shape AND gas was $2/gallon. I guess that might have been Doug R's point.
Posted by: JM | January 26, 2009 1:14 PM
I Got his point- his point was to try to distill everything that goes wrong into a repub vs. demo cartoon like cause effect-scenario. Seems you have the same view point.
If you or anyone thinks that the causes of our problems can be rationalized down to - "well, everything was fine when my guy was in charge" logic, then you are either intentionally ignoring obvious mistakes made by leaders of both parties for at least the last two admins ...or you just don't pay attention very well.
Posted by: heartburn | January 26, 2009 2:22 PM
JM, how did "repugs" put the economy in the toilet? And don't say tax cuts for the wealthy; if that were the cause wouldn't the Obamamessiah be reversing them as we speak instead of giving vague rhetoric about letting them expire at some future date? And don't give me any "deregulation" rhetoric unless you can back it up with the specific statute/executive order you are talking about. I patiently await your analysis.
Posted by: Herbie H. | January 26, 2009 3:14 PM
Is it possible for Biden to ever open his mouth and not immediately insert one of his feet into it?
Posted by: Jeff | January 26, 2009 5:27 PM