Posted on 06/30/2009 9:03:20 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
President Barack Obama's top security adviser has told U.S. military commanders there are no plans to send more troops to Afghanistan for now and that the focus instead will be on economic development and reconstruction, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
National Security Adviser James Jones delivered that message last week in Afghanistan, where Marine Brigadier General Lawrence Nicholson hinted he could use more "thousands more" troops, the newspaper said.
Jones' message seemed designed to cap expectations that more troops might be coming, although the Obama administration has not ruled out additional deployments in the future, the Post said.
"This will not be won by the military alone," Jones told the Post during his trip. "We tried that for six years."
"The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."
An extra 17,000 troops Obama deployed to fight a growing Taliban-led insurgency in southern and western Afghanistan were expected to be on the ground by mid-July. Another 4,000 troops being deployed to train Afghan security forces are due to arrive by August.
The forces are part of a build-up that could expand the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to 68,000 troops by the end of this year, more than double the 32,000 at the end of 2008.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Ping.
A typical Liberal Surrender mode being activated.
The list, ping
To believe anything less is to be unrealistic.
The list, ping
Great.
This will help the enemy prepare accordingly. Combined with not bombing them when they are around houses, we are beginning to tie one hand behind our backs.
*National Security Adviser James Jones delivered that message last week in Afghanistan*
Strange, this is the same Gen. Jones weeks back
the Boma inner works tried to say was forgetful, not with it, etc.
Well, thanks for clearing that one up, Mr. Transparent!
The politicians are running a war. I’m trying to remember if that had ever succeeded in the past or not./S
And we insist on binding 3 fingers and the thumb on the other hand. Pinky finger only.
I don’t want to get into semantics, but my son has orders to deploy August 3. So WTF?
For sure, but those politicians have to "run" the very top level. Set the mission, or the objectives, and then turn the military loose. Even in WW-II, the President was running the war, but only at the "Grand strategy" level. The military wasn't all that fond of "Europe First" particularly the Navy and Marines.
It's when they start, as the Swabbies would put it, "giving rudder orders", making detailed decisions on movements, rules of engagement and even authorizations to hit individual targets, that the wheels tend to fall off. Or when they ignore the advice of military leadership.
But the real problems come when they set the rules and make the decisions to play to a domestic audience, either their supporters or their opponents.
Of course we haven't had a case where the CinC was more sympathetic to the enemy than to the national security of our own country, so we are in uncharted territory.
You took the words out of my mouth — oh, that’s unsanitary.
Talk to the generals; listen to the generals.
Obama is a nitwit.
Before the end of the year, the Senate will probably cut off all funds for providing weaponry and other support for Iraqi troops. Probably the same by July 2010 for Afghani troops. A complete replay of South Viet Nam and the shameful actions of the Democratic party.
But, it’s for the children, doncha know? Gotta feed breakfus, lunch and suppa to them kids from the ghetto. We only got so much money, doncha know? I need the votes, doncha know?
I don't know.. maybe.... Tell the General Officers the objective and get the hell out of the way sounds much more efficient. It's why we have General Officers. If they fail, sack them. Find one that works. Old Abe went through a bunch.
/johnny
What happened to his great plan to lead the afghan campaign to complete victory. He’s fiddlef*****g around instead.
God Bless your Son.
Just pull our troops out of both Iraq & Afghanistan. No more of our troops should die while that commie b@$tard 0booooooombi usurper-in-chief is in the WH. Get his skinny cowardly @ss out on the front lines and see if he can work his teleprompter magic on his uzzlim brothers.
Jones and (Hillary) Clinton have a more direct connection, having bonded — as Hillary did with many military officials — during her tenure on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The two are said to have particularly clicked at a 2005 conference on security policy in Munich. Jones hosted a small private dinner that included Clinton and South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, among others; at the end of the convivial evening, according to one person present, Jones followed Clinton out to her car to exchange private words.
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