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Subscribe to RSSPer the New York Times, “When he ordered 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan last December, President Obama stressed that they would not stay forever. ‘After 18 months,’ he said, ‘our troops will begin to come home.’ Last weekend, though, he scorned the ‘obsession around this whole issue of when do we leave,’ saying he was focused on making sure the troops were successful. The July 2011 deadline he set was intended to ‘begin a process of transition,’ he said, but ‘that doesn’t mean we suddenly turn off the lights and let the door close behind us.’”
"Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will not attend a pivotal Tuesday meeting at the White House on energy and climate legislation between President Barack Obama and a bipartisan group of senators," The Hill writes. "Graham cited conflicting hearings with Gen. David Petraeus, who is the newly designated head of the military campaign in Afghanistan, and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan."
Stu Rothenberg's column in Roll Call today: "President Obama, welcome to Bush's world": "If bad news continues in our nation’s newspapers and on the evening news, whether about jobs and the economy, foreign policy or the environment, the public will quickly discount Democratic achievements on Capitol Hill as ineffectual and insufficient. That’s why Republicans were punished in 2006 and 2008, and it’s why Democrats are headed for the same fate. The president needs some good news. Unfortunately for him and his party, time is running out, and tomorrow’s news is largely beyond their control."
(But weren’t Republicans punished in 2006 and 2008 because they stayed the course with a war of their own choice that was widely unpopular -- much more unpopular than the current one in Afghanistan?)
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This quote:
"... The president needs some good news. Unfortunately for him and his party, time is running out, and tomorrow’s news is largely beyond their control."
I find rather disturbing. The problem with Congress these days is that the Right Wing has determined that their only chance of regaining seats in Congress is to prevent Obama from being as successful as he should be. If they can block, obfuscate, delay, and mis-represent their positions to the point where nothing is done in Congress, they succeed. As such, tomorrow's news is NOT largely beyond anyone's control. The President needs to point out every time the Republicans block votes or cripple legislation. If the GOP truly wants to run as the party of Big Business, and is willing to provide us with that proof, why should we not accept this gift gladly and proclaim it for all the world to see.
There is nothing wrong with casting your lot with Big Business if that is what you feel is in the longterm best interests of the country. If this IS your position; however, at least have the bollocks to state this openly and proudly and let the American people make their choice based on what THEY believe and what WE want our politicians to fight for...
From the NY Times to Stu Rothenberg--more opinions and media analysis both worth exactly the cost of the paper (or electricity on the internet) on which they are written.
I do think we should start pulling our troops out of Afghanistan and start refocusing our efforts in Iraq. Now I hated W. for invading Iraq. I thought that was the most bone-headed move ever. I didn't believe him one bit when he shouted WMD's. BUT...now that we have totally turned that country upside down, I think we owe it to the citizens of Iraq to at least stabilize the country before we pull out. When we suddenly pulled out of S. Vietnam, we left that country in shambles, and it is only now starting to recover. While the world was upset with us for getting involved with Vietnam to begin with, we really alienated ourselves by abruptly leaving. I think we need to do the same here. Show the world that, while we did make a mistake by invading Iraq, we will not just leave and let everyone else fix our errors.
President Obama can't let the limpwristed conservative crybaby cheapskate chickenhawks tell him what to do as regards War Criminals Bush and Cheney's failed war in Afghanistan. Really despicable of Crash Dummy McCain to whine about setting a timetable for reducing our troop strength in Afghanistan in July 2011 considering that Clueless George Bush set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. As always the repugnant ones never practice what they preach and always prove to be the biggest hypocrites in the world.
If the red connie menace doesn't want to pay extra taxes to pay for their failed neverending war then yes it's time to stop wasting taxpayer money in Afghanistan when all we're doing is making Afghanistan safe for Chinese mining companies. As long as Corrupt Karzai is in power then we'll never prevail in Afghanistan and it's time to remember the lesson of VietNam and pull out before we waste anymore American lives or taxpayer dollars.