by Mark Silva and updated
President Barack Obama, who will explain a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan tonight in a nationally televised speech delivered from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, is deploying an additional 30,000 or more U.S. troops to the eight-year-old war, a spokesman says, but hopes that will be all the military force that he authorizes before the "end game'' in U.S. involvement.
"The president sure believes so,'' Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said in an appearance on ABC News' Good Morning America today.
Asked what will happen if generals return in a few months and ask for more troops, he said:, "I'm gonna let the commande-in-chief make those decisions, understanding that the number of men and women in our armed forces right now sitting in Afghanistan is twice the number that were there when the president took office in January.''
Tonight, Gibbs said, the president "will announce a strategy that will accelerate what we are doing in that region of the world, and help us get out of Afghanistan.''
Asked during an appearance on FOX News Channel's Fox & Friends if the number of new troops deployed will be 30,000, 34,000 or 35,000, the press secretary said: "One of those numbers is indeed correct.''
"What the president will announce tonight is an acceleration of our targeting of al Qaeda and its extremist allies; so the Taliban cannot provide a safe haven that they used to attack us on September 11th,'' Gibbs said in his FOX appearance.
"The president will announce an acceleration of our training of Afghan National security forces, both an army and a police, because, in the end the Afghans have to be responsible for providing there own security,'' Gibbs said.
"That's what's important...This is not nation building and its not an open ended commitment,'' he said on FOX. "We have to have an end game. We are not going to be there forever...but, this isn't a political decision, this is not a budgetary decision...
"We are not going to, and we can't afford to, pretend these wars do not cost money, whether its in Iraq, whether its in Afghanistan,'' said Gibbs, with the administration also committed to withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq by 2011. "We are winding down our commitment in Iraq , we are going to announce a new strategy for Afghanistan and this president will take into account in our budgeting how much it costs to do just that."
"Going forward, the president will not make a national security decision based on money alone,'' Gibbs said on Good Morning America. "But the nation does not have ''unlimited resources... We understand that this will be part of our budget, and going forward we need to pay for this stuff.
"We are not going to be there forever,'' Gibbs said. "This can't be open-ended.''
Comments
With his Afghanistan rhetoric, Obama is still pandering to his Leftwing base.
With his Afghanistan policy, neo-neocon Obama is throwing his Leftwing base under the bus.
Posted by: Former Democrat | December 1, 2009 11:19 AM
He was adamently against the "Surge" in Iraq. NO MORE TROOPS he declared from his small perch in Congress!
During the 2 year presidential campaign, he spoke over and over about his "ideas" and plans for both wars, including making Afghanistan "The War Worth Fighting" and dumping Iraq immediately.
Well, long after the campaign (but still campaigning like another election is tomorrow) and after one quarter of his term gone by, there seems to be a "Surge" in his plan and more rhetoric on "the end" of wars.
Tonight's speech should be just as good as every other speech given, long on "what I want for America" with little to no actions to back up the rhetoric.
While the true "Leaders of the planet Earth" continue to turn thier noses at the USA, take more financial control over our economy and force our US Dollar down even further, refuse to act as supporter's of global nuclear proliferation (Iran and North Korea laughing like children at the USA's failures with China and Russia on sanctions), the teleprompter is fired up once more!
The stage is set, light's! camera! action! The dwindeling number of American sheeple may continue to fall for the smooth talking politician but the rest of the planet is begining to scratch thier heads and wonder what happened to the greatest country?
Hey! he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize! that has got to count for something, right? How could anyone look at that fabulous accomplishment and not give homage and total support to his ever changing plans for world peace?
A few thousand more US troops, Billions more of those weakening US Dollars and what country wouldn't be happy to sit back and watch the show?
Posted by: springfield | December 1, 2009 12:02 PM
I will admit that I'd been had. I believed Obama. I believed his LIES! The time to IMPEACH this meglomaniac is NOW!
And I'm a Liberal.
What I fear most of all is a Republican backlash so strong in 2010, it'll make the 1994 "Republican Revolution" seem like a bunch of Ted Kennedys.
Thanks a lot Obama! Thanks a lot for NOTHING! Remember this in 2010, Barack buddy, when our taxes will be sky-high, our unemployment will be 30%, and we'll be so broke and entangled in Afghanistan, there'll be no end in site
Posted by: Sue K | December 1, 2009 12:28 PM
How's that "Hope" and "Change" workin' for ya?
Posted by: Bobby Mobbie | December 1, 2009 12:58 PM
Keep throwing more money we don't have at this "war", while maiming and/or killing more of our military that's already stretched to its limits.
That strategy worked out great for George Bush.
Posted by: Edgewater | December 1, 2009 1:23 PM
If the Bushco Republicans hadn't blown off Afghanistan in 2003 in order to invade Iraq for no reason we'd probaly already be finished in Afghanistan.
Posted by: DrainYou | December 1, 2009 1:35 PM
It's now sealed in the amber of history: a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report confirms that when George W. Bush had the chance to take out Osama bin Laden a few months after the attacks of 9/11, he froze:
"When criticized...for not zeroing in on bin Laden, administration officials, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, responded that the al Qaeda leader's location was uncertain. "But the review of existing literature, unclassified government records and interviews with central participants underlying this report removes any lingering doubts and makes it clear that Osama bin Laden was within our grasp at Tora Bora," the report said. ...The report called bin Laden's escape "a lost opportunity that forever altered the course of the conflict in Afghanistan and the future of international terrorism, leaving the American people more vulnerable to terrorism, laying the foundation for today's protracted Afghan insurgency and inflaming the internal strife now endangering Pakistan."
.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/29/bin.laden.2001/index.html
This simply confirms what we've known for years, and once again illuminates the extent to which Republican leaders can get away with virtually anything, just as long as they've got a big enough codpiece stuffed down their Flight Suit during a photo op with our military.
Posted by: former Republican | December 1, 2009 1:37 PM
Who can say "one term President" the fastest?
Posted by: Chris Kudrna | December 1, 2009 1:38 PM
My, my, my....Look at the deranged lunatic fringe of the Right Wing. They are so confused. How do they maintain there lust for blood and conquest while at the same time show their hatred for all things Obama? By demanding Obama stop dithering and start surging, and then criticizing his decision to surge, of course. Makes sense to crazies!
Posted by: makes sense 2 crazies | December 1, 2009 1:40 PM
Obama is going about this the right way.
The Bush administration ignored the soldiers in Afghanistan for years and then they left a report for President Obama on their way out of Dodge. How nice. And their report obviously wasn't very good. Gen McChrystal said as much when he asked for 40,000 more troops this past spring.
Gen McChrystal also said in his report that a thorough review needed to be done, something conveniently ignored by the "MORE TROOPS NOW!!!" Bush/Cheney/Republican warmonger crowd who are so quick to accuse President Obama of "dithering".
Did anyone on Faux News ever ask Bush & Cheney why they ignored Afghanistan for six straight years? Nope.
And Faux News wonders why intelligent people don't consider their sorry station real news? Sorry, but constantly running ads claiming you are "fair and balanced" doesn't make it so.
Posted by: Gary | December 1, 2009 1:43 PM
Why can't we just blow them up and then ask questions later? Let's just tell people that the Taliban has hidden WMD's and we're gonna bring the Afghani's the freedom!
That's what the great Dubya and Darth Cheney did and that turned out great!....not!
Posted by: Fat, Drunk & Republican is no way to go through life | December 1, 2009 1:44 PM
Posted by: makes sense 2 crazies | December 1, 2009 1:40 PM
My, my, my....Look at the deranged lunatic fringe of the Right Wing. They are so confused. How do they maintain there lust for blood and conquest while at the same time show their hatred for all things Obama? By demanding Obama stop dithering and start surging, and then criticizing his decision to surge, of course. Makes sense to crazies!
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Maybe you do not understand the post that are here or you need to slow down when reading them. But, it looks like its mostly libs going off.
I think Obama took a little to long but, I knew he would do the right thing.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | December 1, 2009 3:57 PM
Can anyone cite an historical example of a war that was won after one of the warring parties announced when it was going to stop fighting?
Posted by: Former Democrat | December 1, 2009 11:51 PM
Just think, if Bush&Cheney had done their duty, by our nation, we would not have to address this engagement, again. Once again, President Obama is forced to clean up a Bush&Cheney mess. They sure were a couple of dirty, draft-dodgers, weren't they?? In spite of all the messes they left behind, have no fear, the Democrats are here and we will clean-up their entire mess, including Healthcare Reform, with Medicare for All Americans !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | December 2, 2009 2:29 PM