This part of Obama's speech really stood out to me tonight:

[MinneapolisMatt]

"If I did not think that the security of the United States and the safety of the American people were at stake in Afghanistan, I would gladly order every single one of our troops home tomorrow."

-
It's really making me think. I feel very conflicted.

[leftstreet]

1. The Wall Street bailout was a greater threat to our 'security and safety'

What garbage these speech writers come up with

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. I think that we should be watching Yemen

2 steps ahead baby!

[Parker CA]

3. I'd love to be privy to the information that inspired that statement. I can't imagine what he sees.

[izquierdista]

4. He sees suckers

Who will believe any shit he throws out.

[scarletwoman]

5. Bingo!

[CAG]

13. So are you questioning his motives in exercising his authority to

put young american men and women into battle?

[HipChick]

20. He probabely sees a lot of what we cannot know..

[rwheeler31]

6. Thank you , a very thoughtful post. I think there are many

things he cannot say, things are more dangerous than we know. We get so much bad reporting.

[ShamelessHussy]

7. ah, the fear card, is still very powerful

i am sure they are working in those sophisticated OBL caves he was forced to abandon, on balsa wood drones, heading our way with tons of poppies.

[MinneapolisMatt]

9. I never said I was scared.

Far from it.

[ShamelessHussy]

23. well, that is the typical, calculated response to that kind of rhetoric, which has been proven to be

the most effective motivator known to man, and 'beast'.

so if fear of some unknown threat is not your reaction, then what concerns you about that part exactly?

[MinneapolisMatt]

24. Part of me wants all the troops home, now.

But the other part of me feels like we have to do something to clean up this Bush mess.

I feel like if we just went home, MORE people would be killed.

I don't have any answers. The Bush admin left us in a deep pile of shit.

[Greybnk48]

8. I do too. He's privy to info we know nothing about, which has left me

very confused, especially since Feingold came out against this move. But that statement jumped out at me too.

[Vattel]

10. They are at stake

and by not withdrawing Obama has guaranteed that the lives of American soldiers will continue to be lost.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. The hint as to what he sees was in his statements about

pakistan, and the border region.

They are conflicted about the safety of a few nukes, not OBL...

You need to have special forces in place to move in if need be within hours.

That is the strategic situation that he did not do a good job about selling... and why Biden said he'd prefer special forces.

[bigtree]

12. it's too big to fail

:eyes:

[waiting for hope]

14. I think there is the security of the

MIC -

~Snip~

According to the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org database, the top recipient of defense industry money in the 2008 election cycle was Barack Obama, whose haul of $1,029,997 far surpassed Republican contender Sen. John McCain's $696,948.

During the 2008 cycle, the industry contributed a total of $23.7 million to federal candidates -- far more than the $17.4 million it invested during the 2006 cycle or the $18.1 million in the 2004 cycle.

The top five defense industry contributors during the 2008 elections were Lockheed Martin at $2.5 million, Boeing at $2.1 million, Northrop Grumman at $1.8 million, and Raytheon and General Dynamics at $1.7 million each.

And it appears their investment may be paying off: The Associated Press reports that analyst Howard A. Rubel of the global investment bank Jefferies & Co. sent out a client note today stating that the fiscal 2010 Defense Department Budget will likely boost demand for precision munitions, communications gear, helicopters, armor and surveillance systems.

Among the companies whose stock Rubel rated as "Buy"? General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman.

The campaign cash behind the Afghanistan escalation

If you honestly think that population of Afghanistan is a threat to this country, I have some land in Florida to sell you. Don't think about what they say, think about what they do. McCain agreeing with the current status quo should be enough to give any Democrat pause.

[ginnyinWI]

15. Like I posted yesterday:

He is smarter than me and has a lot more information--so I've got to keep an open mind.

[MinneapolisMatt]

16. That's pretty much how I'm looking at it, too.

It also makes me even more furious with the Bush administration than ever.

[girl gone mad]

17. Did it also make you think when Bush said it?

:shrug:

[MinneapolisMatt]

18. Before or after...

we illegally invaded Iraq?

[girl gone mad]

25. Tell me this:

Obama says the escalation is vital to our national security, yet he is giving an 18 month deadline to begin troop withdrawal. In what universe are these two declarations consistent with each other? He says the safety of the American people would be threatened if we started to bring troops home now, however, in 2011 it won't be a problem?? You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

[MinneapolisMatt]

26. I guess with Obama

I feel like I have to give him a chance to do what he feels is best for the country before I completely berate him.

That's why I voted for him.

I'm going to let him exercise his judgment on the situation and try and clean this situation up. If we need to increase the troops to have some measurable results and stability before we leave, that's his judgment.

Like I said up-thread, I don't have any answers. Just doing a lot of reflection and thinking about how I feel about all of this.

[grasswire]

19. we don't want to experience a mushroom cloud..

....isn't that what the Bushies said?

[MinneapolisMatt]

22. about Iraq, not Afghanistan, I believe.

n/t

[anonymous171]

21. The Taliban are going to invade if we don't kill them all first! nt

[Echo In Light]

27. "Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[rusty fender]

28. Who is providing Obama with intelligence? The CIA, the same

CIA that lies, and lies and lies in order to keep the war maching fully oiled and chugging along. It's only in the vital interest of the military industrial complex that we have to have continuous war. We'll be on the Pakistan border forever, because that area will always be in our "vital national security."

[GeorgeGist]

29. It's unmitigated bs ...

over and out.

[mindfulNJ]

30. I'm with you.

I wish I was as solidly certain as some people seem to be on both sides of this issue. :shrug:

[MinneapolisMatt]

31. Nothing is black & white.

I'm so glad I'm not the President right now.