Obama: US on track to begin drawing down troops in Afghanistan next year

[ProSense]

Obama: Withdrawal from Afghanistan on track

Obama: US on track to begin drawing down troops in Afghanistan next year

Staff
AP News

President Barack Obama says the U.S. is still on track to begin bringing troops home from Afghanistan in July of next year.

Obama says there have been steady signs of progress since he increased the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan late last year. But he said progress takes time and cautioned that the U.S. must commit to a long-term partnership with Afghanistan.

Speaking during a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai(HAH'-mihd KAR'-zeye), Obama said he is in constant discussions with his commanders in Afghanistan about how to execute the troop withdrawal. Karzai is in Washington for a series of meetings this week.

[JTFrog]

1. K&R!

[amborin]

2. talking points, alas; and now we're re-considering withdrawl from Iraq

[phleshdef]

13. No we aren't. The reconsideration is the speed of withdrawal in the next month. The deadline is not.

...being reconsidered.

[laststeamtrain]

3. I have a wish, too

Some day I'll wish upon a star. And wake up where the clouds are far behind me...

[ProSense]

4. What

that he will not withdraw?

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[laststeamtrain]

18. I guess I can't say.

[zipplewrath]

5. Begin, in 14 months

He ramped it up to roughly 100K troops. He's "on track" to "begin" to reverse that in 14 months. Heck, I don't change my schedules out 14 months. It'd have to be one heck of a lack of progress to show I couldn't "recover" my schedule in 14 months.

It's not so much that I don't "believe" him. It's that I wouldn't expect him to say anything else. What's bothersome is that the number I'm concerned about is zero, as in when will they ALL be out. And lines like:

But he said progress takes time and cautioned that the U.S. must commit to a long-term partnership with Afghanistan.

Quantify "long term" and "commitment". Especially since we've already been there for 9 years.

[Hannah Bell]

6. i'm sure something will come up before that to postpone...

[Flaneur]

8. That's a real knee-slapper!

[ProSense]

10. Isn't it?

What the hell is the President thinking, actually working toward a withdrawal?

[Romulox]

9. Mission Accomplished! nt

[ProSense]

11. On track doesn't mean mission accomplished.

Not remotely.

[Romulox]

12. If Obama unfurled a "Mission Accomplished" banner, you'd start pressing his flight suit.

Why pretend? :shrug:

[ProSense]

14. Long after the troops are out of Iraq and Afghanistan

you'll be insisting that there are U.S. troops waging a secret war there.

Obama made a statement. You don't have to believe him.

[Romulox]

15. Obama's credibility problems are the result of his numerous broken promises, not anything I've done.

May want to get your spray starch ready, just in case? :silly:

[ProSense]

19. "Obama's credibility problems "

only exists in the mind of his detractors.

[faceit]

16. Sure we are...

[bigwillq]

17. Hello

Welcome to DU! :hi: