President Obama: "I'm not doing long-term nation-building. I am not spending a trillion dollars."

[ClarkUSA]

Bob Woodward book details Obama battles with advisers over exit plan for Afghan war

By Steve Luxenberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 22, 2010; 12:11 AM

President Obama urgently looked for a way out of the war in Afghanistan last year, repeatedly pressing his top military advisers for an exit plan that they never gave him, according to secret meeting notes and documents... Frustrated with his military commanders for consistently offering only options that required significantly more troops, Obama finally crafted his own strategy, dictating a classified six-page "terms sheet" that sought to limit U.S. involvement, Woodward reports in "Obama's Wars," to be released on Monday... "This needs to be a plan about how we're going to hand it off and get out of Afghanistan," Obama is quoted as telling White House aides as he laid out his reasons for adding 30,000 troops in a short-term escalation. "Everything we're doing has to be focused on how we're going to get to the point where we can reduce our footprint. It's in our national security interest. There cannot be any wiggle room."

Obama rejected the military's request for 40,000 troops as part of an expansive mission that had no foreseeable end. "I'm not doing 10 years," he told Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a meeting on Oct. 26, 2009. "I'm not doing long-term nation-building. I am not spending a trillion dollars."

The war in Iraq draws no attention in the book, except as a reference point for considering and developing a new Afghanistan strategy. The book's title, "Obama's Wars," appears to refer to the conflict in Afghanistan and the conflicts among the president's national security team... Obama kept asking for "an exit plan" to go along with any further troop commitment, and is shown growing increasingly frustrated with the military hierarchy for not providing one.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092106706.ht

[maxsolomon]

1. Oh yes you are. We are hungry for profit, and have plenty of cannon fodder

"Love", the Military Industrial Complex.

[Autumn]

2. What's a few trillion dollars

between friends. Get real. We will get there eventually.

[jenmito]

3. K&R.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

5. So far, everything I'm seeing from the Woodward book makes me like Pres Obama more.

:shrug:

[DCBob]

6. me too..

its refreshing and reaffirms my support.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

7. Funny that Woodward thinks his book will hurt Pres Obama.

It actually makes Pres Obama look better to Dems in my opinion.

At least it has so far for me.

[DCBob]

9. I have alot of respect for Woodward.. he is a straight shooter.

one of the few left in big media.

[Radical Activist]

8. Extremely impressive.

It also confirms my impression at the time that a lot of planted anonymous leaks we read in the news were from people trying to push Obama a certain way, and didn't actually reflect what Obama was doing.

[Pisces]

10. The Obama bashers on this board will ignore this and bring up

how much has hasn't done. I am sick if fighting our own side to get some support for our President. If only he had a magic wand, or could hypnotize the opposition into voting yes on bills.

[maryf]

12. He is a good hypnotist, ain't no denying that, nt.

[gateley]

11. I for one LOVE hearing this -- I was so disappointed when he gave Patraeus more troops and

feared he didn't see how futile Afghanistan is. I'm encouraged to hear that his primary goal is an exit strategy. And the "I'm not doing 10 years...I'm not spending a trillion dollars." Who could find fault with that -- Dem OR Republican?

Once again, Obama is doing the right thing unbeknownst to us.

[Cha]

13. Thanks Clark, I knew President Obama didn't

want this if there were anyway to avoid it except if he thought our National Security was at stake and the security of the Planet, actually.