Posted on 05/25/2014 9:42:37 AM PDT by kristinn
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, May 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama traveled to Afghanistan on Sunday for a surprise Memorial Day weekend visit to meet with U.S. troops who are preparing to withdraw after nearly 13 years of war.
Spirited out of Washington aboard Air Force One, Obama flew for more than 13 hours for the brief visit to Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. base in the country.
The trip comes as Obama is buffeted by criticism at home that his handling of U.S. foreign policy has been too passive in dealing with crises from Syria to Ukraine and Russia.
He is to respond to the criticism in a speech on Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His Afghan visit is bound to be seen by some critics as an attempt to redeem himself in the eyes of military veterans who are alarmed at allegations that government-run medical facilities in the United States have not provided timely care for veterans.
Obama, making his fourth trip to Afghanistan, was to be briefed by Army General Joseph Dunford, who heads U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham, as he nears a decision on how many U.S. troops to leave behind after most are gone by year's end.
During a visit scheduled to last just a few hours, Obama was also set to speak to the troops and go to the base hospital to see wounded soldiers.
Obama had no plans to visit the Afghan capital Kabul nor would he meet Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai or other government officials. This allows him to avoid getting immersed in the country's presidential election campaign to choose a successor.
(Excerpt) Read more at trust.org ...
I wish he would go visit some undisclosed location in Iraq.
Campaign event to minimize the VA hospitals’ scandal fallout.
Agree. Also wonder what his next stop will be.... Immediately back to US, or on to some posh spot that was his original destination until Podesta suggested this
interruption.
is obozo going to make a surprise stop in libya too ?
Thanks kristinn.
Did he depart the plane before demanding the troops disengage and lay down their weapons? This administration sent Podesta or Panetta over a few years back and he was demanding they do so. Twits— the entire group of cronies
I agree. I don’t remember Bob Hope caring who was in office. It isn’t for the president, it’s for the troops.
Why? Aren't there enough radical Muslim enemies there already?
>> Campaign event to minimize the VA hospitals’ scandal fallout.
bttt
What’s Obamacrat doing there? Rubbing it in that he has stolen the heart of the military?
That’s B.O. hahaha.
Lucky them.......
No doubt, troops removed bolt carrier groups from weapons so they could appear to remain “armed”...It is (was) a combat zone after all...
Wouldn’t want a negligent discharge...
looks like Susan Rice at the right side of the picture.
Yep, right on cue...
Got himself in a heap of doo doo again so he wraps himself in the flag, stands in front of heroes who can’t refuse and puffs up his CinC chest...
Pathetic!
And how many fall for it?
Actually good on him.
You got that right
He is going to West Point to answer his Foreign Policy critics,you know the ones who have the temerity to point out that every one of our adversaries are on the move,and ignore the buffoon because of his obvious weakness,double talk and lunacy.
Of course he goes to a venue he knows the audience is commanded to have to be polite,because the bilge he will dispense will make them sick
See any firearms in that picture? Of course not.
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