President Obama is not going to lose significant support with this speech

[ProSense]

He campaigned on bringing the Afghanistan war back into focus. He is now laying out a strategy for ending it, including a date to begin withdrawal.

Withdrawal, that is what people will take away from this speech in the long run. The critics will continue to shout, but as July 2011 draws closer, withdrawal will be the focus.

[IndianaGreen]

1. No, but a lot of people will die and suffer on account of this misguided war policy

[MNDemNY]

2. But all that matters is his political standing.

Don't you get it?? The only thing that matters is his re-election in 2012, nothing else matters. That is the only goal we have , right now.

[saracat]

6. Yup. For some ideals have been replaced with "winning" and it doesn't matter WHAT they win.

[ProSense]

7. For some bitterness has replaced logic. n/t

[MNDemNY]

10. For you idol worship has replaced reason.

[ProSense]

12. There you go again, being

irrelevant.

[MNDemNY]

18. When you live in a world where only Obama is 'relevant", yes.

:P

[jefferson_dem]

17. Better yet! Screw whatever he has to say. I've made up my mind I will not like it anyway...

Don't you get it. Who cares about reality?! I'm all about my own little world of "truthiness".

[avaistheone1]

40. Obama admits the nation is polarized about Afghanistan, but there are some at DU that can not deal

with that fact. This has been controversial for a week here now.

:shrug:

[ProSense]

3. "misguided war policy"? You don't know what you're talking about

This is not part of your "hate everything" Obama game.

Play it, while reality continues to play out.

[saracat]

9. If we didn't support Bush's "troop surge" why should we support this one?

[Baltoman991]

14. If you have

to ask that question, then honestly, theres no sense in trying to explain it to you.

[saracat]

27. Wow.So there isn't a right or wrong in reality? If Bush escalates a war it is wrong but if Pres

Obama does it it is justified? I guess that proves the difference between folks who are issues oriented as opposed to those who are personality driven.Some of us actually maintain beliefs that so not change with whomever is in the oval office.

[Baltoman991]

41. Here, let me help you!!!

You want to know the difference in what Bush did in Iraq and what Obama is going to do in Afghanistan? It's real simple. Bush had no damn clue nor did he even think about what he was going to do. Obama on the other hand has thought this through and it's easy to tell he did by the amount of time it took him to make this tough decision. Also, Obama has a timeline in place and you can bet your last dollar that he won't be like Bush and keep moving the goal posts.

Perhaps if you spent more time educating yourself to the facts and less time spewing your hatred of all things Obama, you wouldn't need answers to simple questions such as you asked in this thread.

[saracat]

44. Okey dokey. Just keep on believing.Why do some persist in labeling

facts as a reflection of hatred? The fact is troop escalation is wrong no matter what administration is doing it. And continuing to label all those who don't approve of war and escalation, those of us who remember Vietnam, and the Soviet battles in Afghanistan as ignorant doesn't really make a persuasive argument.

[ProSense]

16. I don't care what you support.

I really don't.

[saracat]

32. And yet you respond.I actually do care what others including you support.

Eventually we are all effected by the beliefs of others.

[ProSense]

35. I still don't care. n/t

[saracat]

37. I guess that says a lot about you then. Sad really.Carry on.

[IndianaGreen]

20. This country and its people are more important than Obama or any other President!

This war is a strategic blunder second only to Bush's invasion of Iraq.

[ProSense]

22. "This war is a strategic blunder second only to Bush's invasion of Iraq."

You still don't know what you're talking about. Obama is not Bush.

[goldcanyonaz]

4. Duh, the majority of those unhappy think that Kucinich would win the presidency.

:rofl:

[RufusTFirefly]

8. Oops. Sorry about that.

Guess those petulant dead people won't get their ponies.

[Cha]

5. He's a President with a plan and may

all those who are involved be successful.

[IndianaGreen]

15. Bob McNamara had a plan too!

And the "Best and the Brightest" got us into Vietnam.

[Cha]

19. Yes, I know you're in a timewarp.

[MNDemNY]

23. You really should read history. Bush , also, did not read history.

But it's hard to read when you are always crying.:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[choie]

25. Oh my god,

you guys are truly in denial.

[high density]

38. I think the only ones in denial are the people who thought the war would end when we elected a Dem

My God, Obama put an end point on the madness; that's a lot more than the previous occupant could give us. It's not going to happen overnight.

[Cha]

47. No, you're in denial and a freakin' timewarp.

[MNDemNY]

21. ..

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Window]

36. Amen! n/t

[jefferson_dem]

11. Reasonable, firm, presentation...

The hardcore lefties will not be appeased... But I suspect this speech will do him some good with everyone else (i.e. the other 98% of the public).

[liberal N proud]

13. Obama will be criticized for this speech

Just as he has been criticized for everything he has done.

Has any President been under as much scrutiny as Obama?

If the right can't attack his plan, they will attack the tie he wore. It is that fucking stupid in the country right now.


Although I don't agree with Obama on the escalation of troops, it is what he said he wanted to do during the campaign many times. He promised to get out of Iraq so he could focus on Afghanistan.

The question remains if that is a smart move, which I think it is not. Afghanistan has bankrupted too many powers through its long history. We need to learn that, understand that and get the hell out before we are as bankrupt as any others who attempted to conquer that god forsaken land.

[rwheeler31]

24. There is a lot going on in Pakistan that we are not told.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

26. Obama will gain support with this speech.

My guess is 5 points. He demonstrated leadership and reiterated that endless war is not his plan. He also outlined quite nicely the reasons why we are there and why it's important.

[JuniperLea]

28. For years DUers have been saying we need to pull out of Iraq and put those troops in Afghanistan...

Well, looks like we are getting what we thought would be a good thing.

You'd hardly know it...

[AllentownJake]

29. Casualties cause Presidents to lose support

Not speeches.

I pray he doesn't lose much support.

[PBS Poll-435]

30. I suspect that Gallup approval will actually go up 3-5 pts in the coming days

:shrug:

[ShortnFiery]

31. He's lost it all with this speech. Only down from here.

:grr:

[ProSense]

33. He lost you

and the few other people who have let up on the criticism since he was elected. So be it.

[ShortnFiery]

45. +++ More than a few other people. And I was a fierce supporter ...

I'm still "despised" by some HRC supporters for my BLUNT RETORTS.

But alas, I'm willing to admit that I've been punked. :(

[JohnnyLib2]

52. Gasp!

:wow:

[Odin2005]

50. Ooh, he lost few whiners that never liked him in the first place, how terrible.

:rofl:

[Algorem]

34. july '11,into iran

[jeanpalmer]

39. Does he really think he's going to defeat

the Taliban in a little over a year?

Why the 2011 withdrawal date? Shouldn't the withdrawal date depend on the success of his strategy, which at this point is unknown? Sounds like an artificial date, conveniently beginning a year before the election.

[jeanpalmer]

42. He might get a bump from it

but when the reality of the war reasserts itself in a few weeks, people will kiss it off. The speech itself was a grabbag of wishful thinking, and had quite a few innacuracies, like the planning for 9-11 took place in Afghanistan. The detailed planning actually took place in Hamburg, Florida, Las Vegas, San Diego and at various other US location.

You can tell he didn't talk with anyone other than the military hawks or political advisors. The speech had the same tone as many of the Viet Nam war speeches, victory is just around the corner, one more escalation to end the war.

[Thrill]

43. Obama is a month away from approval in the 30s

Wait until MSM is finish with him.

He made this stupid decision. And he's going to pay a heavy price for it.

[FrenchieCat]

46. I don't think that cutting and running or doing nothing would improved his poll numbers...

either.....

He's doing what he feels is right....
even if you think it's stupid (but you don't give a cogent alternative of what he should have done),
many don't.

He doing a surge, and then we are out of there.

Sounds good for poll numbers to me.

As for the MSM, they are always going to fight him tooth and nail; so nothing new there.

[Baltoman991]

48. And ya know what?

I'm sure he doesn't really care about numbers. He's doing what he said he'd do. He's doing what in his mind is right for this country. He didn't jump to this conclusion in a day. He thought it out and he put a time line on it. So while he may lose you and some others here, the majority of Americans who voted for him in November will still support him because we knew this was coming.

[Cha]

49. He doesn't do what he does for

the poll numbers..that's for sure.

He already said if going for Health Care Reform made him a one term president then so be it.

[frylock]

51. fucking awesome! the whole team is here!

rahrahrah.

obama's stalwart resoluteness is a thing to behold.

[donheld]

53. Is there anything at all that would make you question Barack Obama?

Anything at all

[GeorgeGist]

54. Consense

[Dr Robert]

55. In fact, he will gain support among Independents

[TexasObserver]

56. He only has 35% support for Afghanistan, so what's to lose?

He has his 35%, just like Bush had his 35%. Different people. Same phenomenon.