Obama: "Troops WILL start coming home July 2011. Period. It's etched in stone".

[HopeOverFear]

Period. End of sentence. No two ways about it. Done deal. For suresies. And that's final:

Chip Reid asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs if senators were correct calling the July 2011 date for beginning to withdrawal troops from Afghanistan a "target," meaning there was some wiggle room.

Writes Reid: "After the briefing, Gibbs went to the president for clarification. Gibbs then called me to his office to relate what the president said. The president told him it IS locked in -- there is no flexibility. Troops WILL start coming home in July 2011. Period. It's etched in stone. Gibbs said he even had the chisel."

And throw away the key, er, etcher. So there.

http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2009/12/troops-will-start-coming-home-in-july.html

[bigjohn16]

1. "taking into account conditions on the ground." nt

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

2. The sun WILL start expanding into a red giant today

So what?

[ShortnFiery]

3. Quagmire. We will be there 50 years and/or until our nation goes broke.

However, the people who sent us there and made our nation go BROKE for empire will be the upper 1%. If things go real bad in the USA, they'll move abroad. It will be us poor slobs in the working and middle classes who will be paying down "the war debt" for generations.

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Yep.

:thumbsup:

[MercutioATC]

4. Technically, troops are already coming home...and have been since the war started.

We send 'em (or other like 'em) back, but this isn't a difficult promise to keep.

[midnight]

5. Obama said summer of 2010. But not a precipitous withdrawal...

As I’ve said many times, we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. We can safely redeploy our combat brigades at a pace that would remove them in 16 months. That would be the summer of 2010 — two years from now, and more than seven years after the war began. After this redeployment, a residual force in Iraq would perform limited missions: going after any remnants of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, protecting American service members and, so long as the Iraqis make political progress, training Iraqi security forces. That would not be a precipitous withdrawal.http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/07/obama_clarifies_can_remove_com.html

This wiggle room could have this being the war that goes on and on....

[Thrill]

6. CNN was showing video of McCrystal talking to the troops today about the strategy

And he kept telling them 16 months.

So I think this is pretty much the order.

[Cha]

26. Thanks for the info

[Fire1]

7. THANK YOU!!! IF they don't come home in 2011, THEN

FCUKIN CALL ME!!! K&R

[Clio the Leo]

8. So here's what I learned from watching the hearing today...

.... and I'm sorry if I'm repeating this as I know everyone at DU watched it as well or are in the process of watching it if you were at work......


An evaluation will take place in December of next year to assess where things are.

However, our military intends to turn over the less-contested areas to the tribal leaders starting 18 months from this deployment. The only reason why they're in those less-contested areas is to keep the bad Taliban from fleeing to them when fighting starts in the more hotly contested areas.

I also learned that John McCain is spouting DU talking points. :)

The things you learn when you watch CSPAN. Looking forward to another fun-filled day tomorrow.

[bigjohn16]

9. Which talking point? That the troop increase is a good idea? nt

[Clio the Leo]

12. lol, you knew I was talking about YOU didn't you Johnny boy?

Needless to say, I smiled when I realized the irony of your screen name.

And I DID look at the TV to make sure McCain didn't have a laptop in front of him. ;)

[bigjohn16]

14. My real name is John McC...

The President is getting a grand old party together with the support he's drawing. Rove, McCain, Palin, Lieberman.

[Cha]

27. Thanks and what

talking points were those? That Obama is the Messiah? That's the latest one I read.

[BunkerHill24]

10. Obam's troops will come home in July 2011, however the...

Afghan people will remain in Afghanistan, and the Taliban will always be in their midst.

[Clio the Leo]

13. They will START to come home in July 2011.

[bigjohn16]

15. "taking into account conditions on the ground." nt

[BunkerHill24]

21. The conditions on the ground will remain the same for generation to come

America will not spend a penny to re-construct Afghanistan...no way! Indeed once we leave, we we'll have no time, no appetite, and no dollars to re-build Afghanistan, and that's where we have failed already...giving a fake for "troop surge"!

[BunkerHill24]

16. I say, let the occupiers come home...

Bye the bye, most, and mostly all, Afghans dislike western occupation.

[global1]

20. They Have To Because 2012 Is An Election Year......nt

[BunkerHill24]

23. You said it! n/t

[Clio the Leo]

24. They likely wont all be home by 2012.....

... I think, however, his goal is to have them all home by January 20th 2013. Just in case......

He said he didn't want to leave a mess to the next President like was left to him by the last.

[BunkerHill24]

34. "I think, however, his goal is to have them all home by January 20th 2013"

wishful-thinking!

[Arctic Dave]

17. It may take them ten years to do it, but they will "start" to come home then.

[cliffordu]

18. Kicked and recc'd just because the haters and the anti-afghan elements

will be annoyed.

Nice OP. good catch.

[Mass]

19. Sure. When will all the troops out, or even half of them?

Certainly, I trust Obama and I am somewhat relieved that they are considering a date for the beginning of the troops. I also would not expect them to give a full timetable for withdrawal right now.

However, this statement is too vague to be meaningful, which makes the RW hysteria about the terrorists waiting for the troops to withdraw in order to reappear even more ridiculous.

[mcablue]

22. How many troops will come home in 2011? When will all our troops come home?

He didn't say.

[krawhitham]

25. One way or another they will start coming home 7-11

Either the plan works and the troops can come home, or the plan did not work and they realize the war can not be won and the troops can come home

[Life Long Dem]

31. More like Iraq.

Either the Iraqis stood on their own two feet or they suffer.

[berni_mccoy]

28. Good to hear. K&R

[saracat]

29. Wasn't gitmo supposed to be already closed and didn't he promise Planned Parenthood

FOCA would be the first bill across his desk?

[avaistheone1]

30. The troops that have been drawn down have been replaced with taxpayer paid contractors in Iraq

for a net gain in U.S. presence there.

President Obama I don't think this is what the voters had in mind in terms of withdrawal.

[eleny]

32. He forgot to tell Secy of Defense Gates

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=7136290

[Flaneur]

33. A couple came home today--in flag-draped coffins.

Get used to it.

[cigsandcoffee]

35. Great. A war with an expiration date.

I'm sure the people over there whose only strategy is to kill as many Americans as possible in their country will be all over that one.

[TwilightGardener]

40. Iraq has an expiration date...and we're doing OK so far.

[mdmc]

36. So in 7-2011 we will cut and run in defeat?

I just don't get it. What if "conditions on the ground" are worse then present day?

[HopeOverFear]

37. you bring up a good point.

can't argue with it.

[mdmc]

41. thanks for the reply

peace and low stress ..

[uponit7771]

38. This is good....

[Arkana]

39. Well then.

Don't get much clearer than that.