Setbacks Cloud U.S. Plans to Get Out of Afghanistan

Setbacks Cloud U.S. Plans to Get Out of Afghanistan
By PETER BAKER and MARK LANDLER
Published: June 14, 2010

WASHINGTON — Six months after President Obama decided to send more forces to Afghanistan, the halting progress in the war has crystallized longstanding tensions within the government over the viability of his plan to turn around the country and begin pulling out by July 2011.

Within the administration, the troubles in clearing out the Taliban from a second-tier region and the elusive loyalties of the Afghan president have prompted anxious discussions about whether the policy can work on the timetable the president has set. Even before the recent setbacks, the military was highly skeptical of setting a date to start withdrawing, but Mr. Obama insisted on it as a way to bring to conclusion a war now in its ninth year.

For now, the White House has decided to wait until a review, already scheduled for December, to assess whether the target date can still work. But officials are emphasizing that the July 2011 withdrawal start will be based on conditions in the country, and that the president has yet to decide how quickly troops will be pulled out.

Even if some troops do begin coming home then, the officials said that it may be a small number at first. Given that he has tripled the overall force since taking office, Mr. Obama could still end his term with more forces in Afghanistan than when he began it.

“Things are not looking good,” said Bruce O. Riedel, a regional specialist at the Brookings Institution who helped formulate the administration’s first Afghan strategy in early 2009. “There’s not much sign of the turnaround that people were hoping for.”

:(

Delightful </sarcasm>

Wars always go as planned, right?

Even if he gets two terms. It will be the next President (or the one after that) to end the unnecessary war.

No matter how much money, how many soldiers or how long we stay, the Afghanis will end up fighting amongst themselves for control of the country the minute we leave. We are accomplishing nothing other than making a very tiny group of people very wealthy and many thousands more who invest in war making companies through their 401k's etc. a little more wealthy.

"You people over here are not interested in moving past the 13th century...call us when you are ready to join the rest of the world.. see ya!"

to bring the Troops HOME.
'specially with all that gold layin' around:(
thank YOU for postin this.

AMERICA FUCK YEAH!
\

:eyes:

What part of "we are never leaving" do they think we don't understand?