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Biden, in leaked memo, told Obama war plan flawed
AP via WPXI ^ | June 25, 2012 | ANNE GEARAN

Posted on 06/25/2012 6:59:59 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia

WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama considered adding as many as 40,000 U.S. forces to a backsliding war in Afghanistan in 2009, Vice President Joe Biden warned him that the military rationale for doing so was flawed, a new book about Obama's expansion of the conflict says.

The book, "Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan," also says that in planning the drawdown of troops two years later, the White House intentionally sidelined the CIA. Obama purposely did not read a grim CIA assessment of Afghanistan that found little measurable benefit from the 30,000 "surge" forces Obama eventually approved, the book quotes a U.S. official as saying.

(Excerpt) Read more at wpxi.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; biden; obama

1 posted on 06/25/2012 7:00:04 AM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

so Biden’s the leaker?


2 posted on 06/25/2012 7:03:37 AM PDT by brivette
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
"We didn't want it," the official said.


3 posted on 06/25/2012 7:03:47 AM PDT by Timber Rattler (Just say NO! to RINOS and the GOP-E)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
There's two key statements in the article:

The first, in the 4th paragraph: "military commanders were asking Obama to take a leap"

The second, in the 6th paragraph: "questions about the viability of counterinsurgency, Biden wrote"

The issue wasn't about sending more troops, it was about a counterinsurgency mission versus a counter-terror mission.

4 posted on 06/25/2012 7:24:38 AM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

It doesn’t matter that the memo was leaked.

Biden and CIA were right.

In the same way that we treasure freedom, the Pakhtun treasure anarchy, always have, always will.

The Pakhtun are the Taliban.

We told all that we are leaving, they believe us and see no reason to talk aout or say good bye in a nice way.

Today’s Afghan National Army and police are the grandsons of the same men that switched sides to the Taliban after the Russians left. Guess whom they’re listening to?

We are training the next Taliban how to kill their own people.

Hashish use by the ANA is endemic and constant, rarely are more than half of deployed units able to go on patrol daily.

We are doing some good, building roads and buildings, etc. But it is not worth the cost and most programs will collapse after we leave.

Karzai will never control more than Kabul and barely controls that now. Trust in his government is a fantasy.

The only thing all Afghans believe is to skin the Americans of as much money as possible while they can.

The most successful agricultural program in history that America has ever participated in is the cultivation of poppies and the subsequent production of opiates in Afghanistan.

No other crop has ever expanded as much and generated so much more additional income for any people anywhere.

Pull out now, the Chinese want the resources, let them pay for it in blood as we have.


5 posted on 06/25/2012 7:33:27 AM PDT by gandalftb (The art of diplomacy says "nice doggie", until you find a bigger rock.)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

This was all told by Bob Woodward in his book “Obama’s Wars”. Bob had full access to all kinds of people and records. Meqnwhile we losts generals for telling the truth (e.g. Stanley McCrystal in the Rolling Stone article). Media and the people do not read, or, if they do, they do there is no sharing of what they learn IF IT DOES NOT FIT OBAMA-IS-GREAT TEMPLATE.


6 posted on 06/25/2012 7:47:34 AM PDT by shalom aleichem
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To: rightwingintelligentsia

Doing the opposite of what Biden says is usually the right thing to do. Remember Iraq, when Biden wanted us to split it into 3?


7 posted on 06/25/2012 8:40:26 AM PDT by Defiant (If there are infinite parallel universes, why Lord, am I living in the one with Obama as President?)
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To: shalom aleichem
"This was all told by Bob Woodward in his book Obama's Wars"

The book was proceeded the previous fall by the PBS Frontline show Obama's War. The Frontline show was what precipitated all these discussions/policy reviews in the Whitehouse in the fall of 2009. Also, the show was one of the factors used in the decision to give Woodward access.

8 posted on 06/25/2012 9:09:42 AM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: Defiant
Afghanistan should be broken down along tribal lines and natural geographic features. This approach would result in stable political units. If one little country gets out of line we can set the others on it like wolves. It worked for the Romans and the Afghanis are still barbarians.
9 posted on 06/25/2012 9:22:38 AM PDT by WMarshal (Bitter Clinger)
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
Drudge had a link earlier to a column about this book which focussed on Richard Holbrooke and how he was constantly disrespected by Obama. Of course Holbrooke had ties to the Clintons which was part of it, but it sounds like Obama the supposed genius couldn't stand to be around someone who was obviously much smarter and more accomplished than himself. I have mixed feelings about Holbrooke (who died in Dec. 2010) but it appears that a lot of the trouble was Obama's pettiness and amateurishness.

When I looked at Drudge again just now the link seemed to have disappeared.

10 posted on 06/25/2012 9:29:36 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Ben Ficklin

Right. Well the point being: We have been told (have known) for awhile that Obama had a stupid plan, tured it over to Biden, and tried to weasel his way out of Afghanisrtan and Iraq and Gitmo. But media and the general public do not read the warning signs, popular books, etc which should set the news leads. Deliberate cover up.

What irks me most is how Obama cashiers highly trained 3 and 4 star generals, which take years and years to train and season, after he orders them to give access to scum like Rolling Stone and when they are spun or misquoted in such a way to cast aspersions on The One, they are just gone. We can’t replace command staff that fast. It is outrageous. But no one cares because the medai treats it like no big deal.


11 posted on 06/25/2012 4:34:21 PM PDT by shalom aleichem
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