Am I the only person who watched a president speak about sending young men to war without saying the war "victory"? I guess not! Check out Fred Barnes:
"I had hoped Obama would declare that nothing will deter him, as commander-in-chief, from prevailing in Afghanistan.
But it turns out a lot of things might deter him.
He listed a few of them: the cost of the war, its length (if more than 18 months from January 2010), the failure of Afghans to step up to the task sufficiently. He hedged.
Americans and our allies were looking for more, I believe.
To have rallied the country and the world, Obama needed to indicate he would lead a fight to win in Afghanistan, with the help of allies if possible, but with the armed forces of the U.S. alone if necessary.
He didn’t say anything like that.
He didn’t come close."
No he didn't!
What happened to the word "victory"?
I guess that "victory" is politically incorrect in the modern Dem party! "Victory" was replaced by a withdrawal target in the summer of 2011!
Read what a young marine said about that:
"If I were the enemy, I would hang back until 2011," Thomas said.
"We have to make sure that we are going go stay until the job is done.
It ain't going to be as easy as he thinks it is." (AP) Frankly, I'm confused!
Like the young marine, I don't get it!
Pres BO correctly identified the threat on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
I agree with Pres BO that this is one of the most explosive places on earth.
Unlike most Dems, I support his decision to escalate the war.
So why are we telling the terrorists that we start leaving in 18 months?
Again, I'm confused!
What NATO ally is going to commit troops if we are looking to get out in he summer of 2011?
What is so magical about the summer of 2011 anyway!
Is Pres BO concerned that he will have a challenge from the anti-war left in New Hampshire or Iowa?
To be fair, Pres BO was in a difficult position at West Point.
First, Gallup reports that Pres BO has an Afghanistan problem: Obama Approval on Afghanistan, at 35%, Trails Other Issues Second, the Dems are not supporting Pres BO.
Third, and most important, Afghanistan will be very hard.
Unfortunately, I didn't see a man who is in for the long run.
What do you think that our enemies heard?
They heard a man who is not committed and will look to get out as soon as possible.
Will that make it more difficult for our soldiers to cut deals and establish relationships on the ground?
Yes!
In Iraq, Pres Bush surged and was committed to victory.
On Tuesday, Pres BO announced a surge but he is not really committed to surging!
Get in or get out! Fight to win or bring the guys home! Don't send our sons to war if the commander-in-chief is not committed to surging the whole distance!
P.S. Charles Krauthammer got it right again:
2 comments:
From Des Spiegel in Germany:
"Obama's magic no longer works. The allure of his words has grown weaker."
(http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,664753,00.html)
Read Simon Jenkins from the UK:
"Obama's Afghanistan strategy oozes with desperation not to be there – and the Taliban will bide their time until the exit."
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/dec/02/barack-obama-afghanistan-taliban)
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