President Barack Obama greeted servicemen on his landing in Norfolk, Va., today en route to a rally for Democrat Creigh Deeds, running for governor. Obama addressed a rally for the candidate, trailing Republican Bob McDonnell in opinion polls, at Old Dominion University, pictured below. (Photos by Gerald Herbert / AP)
by Mark Silva
President Barack Obama is getting "toward the end'' of a review of the war strategy in Afghanistan that will lead to word about the way forward in an eight-year-old war that delivered its most deadly month this month -- eight Americans died today.
The president, who has held several meetings with his senior national security and military advisers, including one with Cabinet members at the White House on Monday, will hold a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the chief U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is seeking thousands of additional troops in a deployment of 68,000 that already was boosted by 21,000 this year.
"The decision will come in the next several weeks or in the coming weeks, as we've said,'' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today aboard Air Force One. " But truthfully, I don't know when that will be. And I think the president is in the process of evaluating, as we've said, where we are, and we'll make a decision in due time.''
The Afghans will hold another round of presidential election voting on Nov. 7 to settle the outcome of a vote marred by fraud in the first round. The Obama administration insists that it needs a strong "partner'' in Afghanistan, the government of President Hamid Karzai facing criticism for corruption.
And Obama will leave for an international trip -- the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Cooperation -- on Nov. 11. He will be gone for more than a week, with stops in Japan and South Korea, China and Singapore. Yet the White House wouldn't signal today if a decision on Afghanistan will be announced before that journey.
"It could be before,'' Gibbs said, "it could be after.''
But the meeting with the Joint Chiefs at the White House on Friday is among the last steps in Obama's decision-making.
"We're getting certainly toward the end of that, yes,'' Gibbs said. "That's probably getting toward the end of it. Again, I think the president will take some time after these meetings to think through what he's heard, what we've all learned, and evaluate this process, both what's best for our country, what's best for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and for the region as a whole.''
Comments
"Truthfully, I don't know when that will be."
.
Truthfully, and soldiers die.
.
Signed Independently,
Leo
Posted by: Leo | October 27, 2009 5:02 PM
Let's see..."Toward end" of Afghan review?
Then..." Next several weeks or in the coming week?"
Then..."But I don't know when that will be".
Then...on Nov.11th another whirl around the globe on Air Force One for one week...But, the decision may come before the trip or after the trip????
Hmmmm...Cheney was 100% correct..."dithering" while 8 soldiers were killed today.
Sad...sad...sad.
Paulo
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | October 27, 2009 5:22 PM
Fight a war to win or get the hell out.
Posted by: Georgio | October 27, 2009 5:22 PM
No report on a meeting with Cheney to find out what not to do.
Posted by: B Taylor | October 27, 2009 5:38 PM
Hmmmm...Cheney was 100% correct..."dithering" while 8 soldiers were killed today.Sad...sad...sad.PauloPauloPosted by: Paulo | October 27, 2009 5:22 PM
*****************************
Pablo,
So The Dick Cheney, has accused Barack Obama of "dithering" over Afghanistan?
If Obama were to quickly invade a country on the basis of half-baked intelligence, would that demonstrate his courage and decisiveness to you?
In fact, it's not a bad idea for Obama to take his time, examine all options and watch how the post-election landscape in Afghanistan evolves. It's called thoughtfull intelligence Pablo, you should try it some time.
Posted by: Gotti | October 27, 2009 5:44 PM
dithering? perhaps
Posted by: Corey | October 27, 2009 5:46 PM
"Truthfully, I don't know when that will be."Truthfully, and soldiers die.
Signed Independently,
Leo
Posted by: Leo | October 27, 2009 5:02 PM
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Soldiers have been dying in Afghanistan since 2001.
What's your point?
Posted by: Juan | October 27, 2009 5:47 PM
The consequences of our not heeding Eisenhower's warnings about the Military Industrial Complex are all around us today. Afghanistan is just the consequence that happens to be most in the news this week. Maybe there's a legit reason we're there, but I can't see it. I think the Afghan war, like "the war on terror," is bad for the country.
But mostly, I can't imagine any general daring as McChrystal has tried with Obama, to make Eisenhower hastily send thousands of Americans into harm's way. Thinking of what contempt our military must hold for the concept of civilian command worries me a lot. It's part of what Ike warned us about.
Posted by: walt c | October 27, 2009 5:55 PM
What would he know about strategy?He probably got drummed out of the Boy Scout. Its time you followed Lee Iaccoa's advise, lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.
Posted by: Paul | October 27, 2009 6:08 PM
What the American military says is happening in Afghanistan has no basis in reality to what we who are awake comprehend in American politics now. McChrystal and others are now attempting to extrapolate a tired, overworked modality. The sooner we comprehend that we are working in a different matrix here, the sooner we will be out of same and into something more Real. The American military has no clue, because it is wedded to an anachronistic worldview.
We have to move beyond this and drag them with us.
This is a really great site for info on resilient communities, how the American military is screwing us over out of our simple ignorance. This is the home fire of the enemy, no?
http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/
This slaughter has stop.
Posted by: TheWesternSun | October 27, 2009 7:27 PM
Before this began in 2001, I said If we win this war without the word of God being brought in, there is no God. God is proving Himself true to His word. He promised terror and 4 x 7 curses and more to those who reject His wisdom. Most of the word of God is secular wisdom how to live on this planet with out destroying it and each other. It will be the same 5 years from now and 10 years from now.
God said this time is like birth pangs, (pain is closer together and more painful) until the birth of faith.
The way is prepared for peace. We only have to believe God can bring it about. He has coordinated and cross referenced prophets around the world to unite us. Each religion is ignoring the written word of God to their prophets and following the errors of religion passed down. When they want to follow as IT IS WRITTEN there can be peace. The true Mahdi, Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Savior etc. is The Word of God. Only when we believe can we be saved.
Marie Devine
http://www.divine-way.com
God has solutions to world problems we created by ignoring His wisdom.
Posted by: Marie Devine | October 27, 2009 7:38 PM
Soldiers have been dying in Afghanistan since 2001.
.
What's your point?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What's yours? That Obama has been the President since 2001.
.
Signed Independently,
Leo
Posted by: Leo | October 27, 2009 7:59 PM
Obama is finding out the hard way that he can't vote "present" as president, as he did more than 120 times in the Illinois state Senate. Part of leadership is the ability to make a decision. If he doesn't have enough evidence in 5 months, he never will.
Posted by: Sandalio | October 27, 2009 9:17 PM
Obama is finding out the hard way that he can't vote "present" as president, as he did more than 120 times in the Illinois state Senate. Part of leadership is the ability to make a decision. If he doesn't have enough evidence in 5 months, he never will.
Posted by: Sandalio | October 27, 2009 9:17 PM
____________
If you weren't a dumber than a bag of rocks Republican who knows absolutely nothing about Illinois politics you would know that in IL voting present on a bill means that you are not happy with a bill in it's present form and you'd like to debate it more.
Why don't you name us all of the Republicans in IL who have never voted present multiple times?
You can't do it because their aren't any.
Wingnut FAIL!
Posted by: FAIL | October 27, 2009 10:01 PM
Probable the first time the troops ever met a Messiah.
Posted by: inky | October 27, 2009 10:22 PM
"War is too serious a matter to entrust to military men."
Georges Clemenceau
Posted by: David J | October 28, 2009 8:50 AM
Could we ask what the heck he's been doing since March, when he supposedly HAD a plan?
In the meantime, troops' morale goes down, down, down. More die while he dithers. As he has for more than 6 months now.
Posted by: beth | October 28, 2009 9:08 AM
Crocodile tears from the right wingers.
A lot more soldiers will die if Obama makes the wrong decision.
Orders of magnitude more.
France/Soviet Union
Diem/Karzai
......
This will turn into VietNam very easily.
And Obama's agenda can suffer the fate of the Great Society.
Very easily.
Posted by: ornery | October 28, 2009 11:18 PM