White House: Afghan pullout will start in 2011

[unhappycamper]

White House: Afghan pullout will start in 2011
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 20, 2010 14:54:37 EDT

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration reaffirmed Sunday that it will begin pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan next summer, despite reservations among top generals that absolute deadlines are a mistake.

President Obama’s chief of staff said an announced plan to begin bringing forces home in July 2011 still holds.

“That’s not changing. Everybody agreed on that date,” said Rahm Emanuel, adding by name the top three officials overseeing the policy girding the war: CENTCOM Commander Army Gen. David Petraeus, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.

Petraeus said last week that he would recommend delaying the pullout if conditions in Afghanistan warranted it. Days after the date was announced in December, Gates pointedly said it was not a deadline.

Emanuel’s remarks reflect the White House view that Obama must offer a war-weary American public and Congress a promise that the nearly nine-year war is not open-ended. The problem, congressional Republicans and some military leaders say, is that a fixed date encourages the Taliban-led insurgency and undermines U.S. leverage with Afghan leaders.

[kgnu_fan]

1. We can NOT wait, we can not afford it, we need to take care of our people NOW!

[dgibby]

2. I'll believe it when I see the troops on US soil.

This WH has lost all credibility with me. Talk is cheap.

[zipplewrath]

3. "Start"

That's the tough word. Every journey starts with a single step. But there will potentially be years of steps.

[Overseas]

4. K&R. the sooner the better.

Staying longer encourages the Taliban too -- recruiting.

[KharmaTrain]

5. The Quicksand Just Got Quicker...

Our military has gotten itself stuck in a game of whack a mole...attempting to pacify a land where they don't know the "enemy" from the "friendlies". The more they get bogged down the longer they will remain and more bodies will end up in bags...the mission has become so difused now there is no real indication of "winning" or even making progress and thus the military feels it needs to stay longer and dig deeper. Petreus needs to study a little history...the Soviet misadventures in Afghanistan cause we're seeing a replay.

This administraion has tried to curry favor with the Pentagon and war hawks out there...prefering to pick its fights on domestic matters. Unfortunately this administration seems only to react rather than be proactive and any bad turn will delay and extend this mess until it does become a crisis. Here's hoping there are some kind of negotiations going on...the only end game here is to get some kind of truce, declare victory and bug out.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

6. Why wait another year?

Seriously? Apart from milking body bags for holding a point or 2 among independents in the polls why are we lingering?

Staying around another year is like saying the war could have been won in just 1 year to begin with except nobody wanted to use the Super Secret Plan X to do it.

If we're going to leave let's just leave now.

[xiamiam]

7. yep..wasted lives, time, money, oil for no good reason..nt