General Jones: "...in no manner, shape or form is the United States leaving Afghanistan in 2011."

[cali]

No Afghanistan withdrawal in 2011'

Mark Mardell | 17:56 UK time, Friday, 4 December 2009

The US won't pull out of Afghanistan in 2011.

President Obama's top national security adviser, who has played a key part in designing the new Afghanistan and Pakistan strategy, has been trying to clear up some confusion about the exit strategy.

Gen James Jones told me that "in no manner, shape or form" would the US withdraw from Afghanistan in 2011.


In his speech on Tuesday, President Obama for the first time put a date on the beginning of the end of the United States presence in Afghanistan.

He said "these additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011. Just as we have done in Iraq, we will execute this transition responsibly, taking into account conditions on the ground."

While it was a necessary political message to those Americans who are doubtful about this war, sweetening the pill of the troop increase, it has worried many in the region, where some have interpreted it starkly as meaning that America will pull out in a year and a half's time.

Gen Jones was deeply involved in designing the new strategy, attending all 10 meetings between the president and his top advisers at which the strategy was discussed. And he told me that wasn't so.

He said that "with a relentless application of this new force in 2011 we will be successful in reaching our goals...That will allow us to start pulling some of our forces out. So there is no contradiction."

I put it to him that that wasn't the way the speech had been seen in the region. This was his response:

"Its very important that people in Afghanistan hear this very clearly: this is not a withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan in 2011, it is a decision to turn over to the Afghans some of the responsibility where they are ready to accept that responsibility. But in no manner, shape or form is the United States leaving Afghanistan in 2011."

<snip>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2009/12/no_afghanistan_withdrawal_in_2.html


So tell me again how this is a withdrawal plan?

[midnight armadillo]

1. Here's how it works

Some DUers are celebrating Obama's great wisdom because he's ending the Afghanistan war in 2011 by sending 30,000 more troops there. If you can't see the logic there it's because you can't play three dimensional chess. Simple, right?

[cali]

3. denial is basically pretty simple.

[boppers]

13. Loose thinking pervades opinion-driven thought.

Some DU'ers are thinking he's escalating never-ending war by sending by sending 30,000 more troops.

:shrug:

[ShortnFiery]

2. K&R

FWIW :hi:

[cali]

4. thanks, snf.

[ProSense]

5. "But in no manner, shape or form is the United States leaving Afghanistan in 2011"

He's right, and it's not hard to grasp why since the withdrawal begins in mid 2011.

[harkadog]

6. Keep believing that if it helps.

[ProSense]

7. Wow, how self-righteous. Do you actually think

there is virtue in not believing something that's a fact?

[harkadog]

19. Stop with the straw men for at least one post if you can.

Just because someone says withdrawal will begin on some date if not a fact. It is a statement. I don't believe the statement.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Hillary Clinton: 'pace, size, and scope... will be predicated on the situation on the ground'

"The pace, size, and scope of the drawdown will be predicated on the situation on the ground," she said. "If things are going well, a larger number of forces could be removed from more areas. If not, the size and speed of the drawdown will be adjusted accordingly."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/04/nato-pledges-7000-troops-afghanistan

[timeforpeace]

12. Psst! Withdrawal on July 1, 2011 at 1pm! DON'T pass it along! It's a secret!

[HughMoran]

15. Don't bother

For whatever reason people have decided to play semantic games to get your goat - I wouldn't bother even trying.

[Jakes Progress]

9. Rec for seeing through the rosy fog. nt

[jkshaw]

10. President Truman got tired of General MacArthur

contradicting the president's pronouncements and finally fired him. President Obama should go and do likewise.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Obama should have fired McChrystal and Petraeus

Those two idiots think the military is above civilian authority.

[timeforpeace]

14. Telling the enemy when we are leaving will go down as the most stupid war decision in history.

And will result in the deaths of thousands, or more likely tens of thousands.

[quaker bill]

17. That is a lovely talking point

but there is little evidence for it being correct.

[Starry Messenger]

20. Is that you, Bush?

:eyes:

[quaker bill]

16. "That will allow us to start pulling some of our forces out"

English is a tricky language. I never heard or imagined that I heard any statement from the President that remotely suggested a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2011 (a.k.a. "leaving"). I heard that we will start pulling troops out in July 2011. I believe we will.

I believe combat operations will end and most of the troops will be home well before November 2012. I have a clear reading that President Obama does not want to run for re-election on better management of the Bush wars. I hear that he wants to run as the person who ended the Bush wars.

I think the President would prefer to do this with Bin Laden verifiably dead and some modest form of indigenous social order left behind. The words they are using are chosen carefully, one needs to listen to entire statements carefully to get the meaning.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

18. Even when the facts are staring them in the face

Some will continue to deny it outright. K&R

[asdjrocky]

21. Duh.

There's no way the pipeline will be finished by then.

[NYC Liberal]

22. From Wednesday:

"In the summer of 2011, we will begin a transition from this extended surge and start to transfer security responsibility to Afghan Security Forces." -Gen Jones (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x39735)

That's what has been said all along. This is the exit plan that is being implemented. It might not be one that some here like, but there you go. Nothing would satisfy some people here other than immediate withdrawal, so anything other than that is going to be condemned by them.