U.S. forces will begin to withdraw from Afghanistan in July 2011

[impik]

Source: http://www.politico.com/politico44/index.html?refresh=1

On a conference call with reporters to discuss the president's new plan for the war in Afghanistan, an administration official said U.S. forces will begin to withdraw from Afghanistan in July 2011.

"This will probably be the most misunderstood and misreported point," the official said, emphasizing that date represents "the beginning of a process."

Rejecting criticism that setting a public date would encourage the Taliban to wait out the U.S. effort, the official said: "If the Taliban thinks they can wait it out, I think they're misjudging the presidents approach."

"On the other hand theres a value on setting a date like this," the official said. "It does put everyone under pressure to do more sooner. And that pressure of the timeline begins when the US government itself but also extends to our allies and our Afghan and Pakistani partners. It may be misinterpreted but the Taliban will do that at its own risk."


Read more: http://www.politico.com/politico44/index.html?refresh=1

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. misunderstood and misreported?

That's what happens when you leave vacuums, Mr. President.

Say, how's that vacuum filling going on Health Care Reform?

For a campaign that was tight, pro-active, and planning ahead, the administration hardly resembles it anymore.

You know they leaked the number of troops last week. Why did they not leak the dates of withdrawal? Or did they, and the MSM simply played with the message?

[azmesa207]

33. 2011 withdrawal

how many dead American's GI will there be by than this is all on you Obama .

[PJPhreak]

34. I was listening to...

Air America and reading Huffpo and this pic came up on the Huffpo sideshow just as Ron Reagen used Jimi's "All Along the Watchtower as a bumper tune...



Sent shivers down my spine.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

35. ouch.

not a good memory.

[quiet.american]

2. I welcome this news. nt

[HowHasItComeToThis]

8. ARE YOU ENJOYING THE MILITARY COUP?

[quiet.american]

10. That question is in "dining room table" territory.

What does it take?

All day, DU has been bemoaning the "fact" of escalation coupled with no end in sight.

Now, it is announced that indeed, Obama has set an exit strategy beginning in 2011, a year and some months from now.

And when I say I welcome the news of the intended troop withdrawal, I get MILITARY COUP in capital letters.

What are you smoking?

[Mithreal]

12. Nice Straw Man. Spin away.

[quiet.american]

13. Right on cue. nt

[Mithreal]

15. Yes, "everyone on DU is bemoaning" this or that doesn't deserve a response.

[quiet.american]

18. Then why give one?

And by the way, your quote is wrong.

[Mithreal]

20. Loose quote. Why indeed.

[quiet.american]

22. "Loose quote." -- 'nuff said. nt

[Mithreal]

24. You are right, I shouldn't rely on memory when quoting.

"everyone on DU is bemoaning" or All day, DU has been bemoaning.

I guess I just haven't been reading the same ops or news as you have. Big site, so maybe I am wrong but my sense of the disagreement is over our presence in Afghanistan and escalation rather than no exit strategy. And anyone who was bemoaning no exit strategy hasn't been paying attention. The talk for some time has been that Obama wanted an exit strategy regardless of whose advice he followed. That is why I contested your remark. It sounded like a Straw Man and I stand by that.

[quiet.american]

26. Alright, I will give, too. I'm still not clear on the "straw man" part.

What part of what I said do you consider the straw man?

[Mithreal]

28. Just the argument about what the community is upset about

[quiet.american]

29. I see. I based that on looking at the Greatest Page Afghan posts that have the most recs.

From reading those, I certainly got the sense that Obama is persona non grata here today.

[Garam_Masala]

32. Exit strategy without a clearcut resolution of war is bogus.

This just means Taliban goes on a vacation until July 2011.

[quiet.american]

39. Of course. I bow to your wisdom, O Infinitely Wise One. nt

[seeinfweggos]

44. taliban vacation means we night actually build an afghan army

[ChairmanAgnostic]

36. the surge is guaranteed. The withdrawal? Not so much.

And we here are too many times frustrated, dismayed, burned, and stabbed in the back to look at the glass being half fool. Full. whatever.

It is our experience that causes such reactions, not anything we'd like to be smoking.

[quiet.american]

40. Yes. Because nothing Obama says is true. Of course you're right. nt

[ChairmanAgnostic]

41. can you spell GITMO? DADT? Iraq? Public Option?

you are absolutely correct. Unless we pressure him, he ends up caving in to the right wingers. Even IF we pressure him. . .

[CatholicEdHead]

3. Good to have a timetable

It will also make the 2012 race interesting for the hawkish parts of the country. Expect the same "anti-patriot" election talking points as time goes on.

[Mithreal]

4. Don't believe any of it. Election ploy. Purposeful confusion.

http://rebelreports.com/post/116277092/obama-has-250-000-contractors-in-iraq-and-afghan

[Teaser]

6. ihatehimheisworsethanbush

.

[Mithreal]

7. Really? That seems childish.

[Teaser]

11. stop defending him he's murdered thousands

.

[Mithreal]

14. Comparing Bush to Obama is a diversion, but whatever.

Bush had eight years to destroy America. No one on DU says Obama is worse than Bush, but thanks for playing.

[Mari333]

5. its politics

he sends in troops to appease the neocon vote, then pulls SOME out right before the election


how many mercenaries will we be paying for for decades to come??
how many soldiers will be left there to secure the pipelines?
how big will our embassy be that we build there like we did in Iraq?
will we be OUT OF THERE FOR GOOD EVERY LAST ONE OF OUR SOLDIERS??
who will be our puppet government?


this is politics. and if people believe the hype that we will somehow be completely out of there and not setting up another american puppet govt and steal peoples resources like we are doing in Iraq, I have a bridge in the Gobi desert to sell them.

[MessiahRp]

19. Politics it is...

And worse this will probably be a draw down of the 34,000 from the surge much like when Bush pulled back the excess troops from the surge and tried to declare it a withdrawal.

Rp

[girl gone mad]

9. Not good enough.

[elmerdem]

16. this is where Freepers

laugh about us eating our own. It has been an interesting day on DU.

[Mithreal]

17. Nothing like getting in line, eh. Free speech and democracy is too messy

for freepers. Better we should act like them. Let 'em laugh.

[Snazzy]

21. 18 months must focus group well

3 Friedman units

For example:

Troops to exit Iraq in 18 months, officials say
Updated 2/25/2009 12:57 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama is expected to order all U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by August of next year, administration officials said, closing the door on a war that has led to the deaths of at least 4,250 members of the U.S. military and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-24-obama-iraq-troops_N.htm

So if that's on track (and I don't know, ought to), that would be Oct. 2010.

[Mithreal]

25. While mercenary forces are increased to compensate.

[Snazzy]

42. TPM: How Many Private Contractors Are There In Afghanistan? Military Gives Us A Number

How Many Private Contractors Are There In Afghanistan? Military Gives Us A Number
Justin Elliott | December 2, 2009, 2:37PM

Private contractors employed by the Defense Department in Afghanistan will continue to outnumber the size of the American troop presence, even after President Obama sends 30,000 more soldiers to fight in the war, according to the military's most recent contractor count.

The latest figure on DOD contractors in the country is a whopping 104,100, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command tells TPM. That number, which is expected to grow, is already greater than the 98,000 U.S. troops that will be in the country after the new deployments.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/so_how_many_private_contractors_are_there_in_afgha.php?ref=fpblg

[Mithreal]

43. Privatization of the military isn't getting the attention it deserves.

[Snazzy]

45. no doubt--that's a surge in itself

I know I researched maybe 3-4 months ago, and it was ~180K in both theaters, with most of that in Iraq, maybe 40-50k in Afghanistan. But basically nearly doubling US force.

[Snazzy]

23. and in the CNN thread: Obama wants Afghan war over in 3 years, officials say

So apparently over and beginning to withdraw is a dif of 18 months.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4166934&mesg_id=4166934

[NeoConsSuck]

27. Well, that keeps the military industrial complex

running for the next three years. And after that, well, there's always Iran, Venezuela or North Korea.

This is America's economy in the 21st century. We manufacture war, everything else is manufactured in China.

[shadowknows69]

30. Gee just in time for the Presidential election. Isn't that special?

[MetaTrope]

46. Like how the conviction of child rapist/murderer soldier Steven Green was put off until this year

Not terribly surprising.

[mike_c]

31. is that anything like closing Gitmo....

Right.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

37. damn those pesky fact things, right?

Exactly what you said.

[Earth_First]

38. +1

[24601]

47. Sure they will - just like Gitmo will close by 20 Jan 2010. n/t