When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.- Rudyard Kipling
New York Times:
President Obama said Tuesday that he was determined to “finish the job” in Afghanistan, and his aides signaled to allies that he would send as many as 25,000 to 30,000 additional American troops there even as they cautioned that the final number remained in flux.
(“Hillary voted for the AUMF! Obama opposed the war!”)
More:
In declaring Tuesday that he would “finish the job” in Afghanistan, President Obama used a phrase clearly meant to imply that even as he deploys an additional 30,000 or so troops, he has finally figured out how to bring the eight-year-long conflict to an end.
What a fucking maroon. Obama doesn’t have the first clue how to bring the war to an end. If he did he would declare victory and bring our troops home.
(“Fairy tale is racist!”)
What else is happening this morning?
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Filed under: morning news, Morning News edition Tagged: | Afghanistan, troop increases
McClatchy is saying 34,000…
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/79380.html
Any number greater than one is too many.
It’s already too many.
I think our troop total over there (A&I) is currently greater than at any time during the Bush administration. I have one friend in the National Guard who was warned he may be deployed to Iraq imminently…. 34,000 + Obama = Peace Prize. (34,000 + Bush = Protests)
Is Obama going to tell us what “the job” is that he plans to “finish?” Bush never did.
We went in to A-stan to get rid of al Queda.
They’re not in A-Stan anymore.
“Mission Accomplished”
Actually, I think the job is going to finish Obama. As more than one wise person has said, Afghanistan is likely to be Obama’s Vietnam.
I’m sure he’ll explain it as well as he did health care reform before the joint congress.
Over what period of time will these troops be sent?
Peace laureate Obama deploys 34,000 troops.
But he’s thinking good thoughts!
And he has great potential!
More Change You Can Believe In!
“The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Tuesday that the administration recently completed a review and decided not to change the Bush-era policy. ‘We decided that our land mine policy remains in effect,’ he said.
More than 150 countries have agreed to the Mine Ban Treaty’s provisions to end the production, use, stockpiling and trade in mines.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2010347266.html
Land mines for me but not for thee!
That is so bad, 150 countries have agreed and Obama hasn’t.
Obots in 2007 and 2008 : “Hillary won’t promise to ban land mines. She’s a warmonger”.
I wonder if they even remember this anymore.
And unexploded land mines remain one of the greatest dangers to civilians, especially children, in areas where they’ve been used.
May Princess Diana come back and haunt the bastard.
Where are the peacenik Obots running around with their hair on fire calling Obama a warmonger?
{{crickets}}
But, but, “he has finally figured out how to bring the eight-year-long conflict to an end.”
we had one over here yesterday remember? Saying if Hilary hadn’t supported W she’d be Prez? They’re still stuck in the he didn’t have to vote for it so he can say what ever he wants to so I’ll just say he’s the best peace president ever mode.
It’s Bush’s fault! He didn’t start it! He has no choice.
They’re ever-creative when it comes to excuses and rationalizations for all things O.
FDL:
What a chump Obama is. Sends Hillary to beg NATO for help. He’s probably planning to blame her when NATO declines to join him in the quagmire.
He only gets the credit – blame is for others.
NATO’s already committed under treaty. The question is not whether but how they’ll honor their commitment–a batallion or two, or a mess cook and a helper?
myiq, the problem with the troop numbers, from what I’m told, is they (almost?) never include contractors… so it may be a very easy (and so far effective) way to hide what’s going on.
Happy Thanksgiving.
There is also the combat troops/support troops distinction.
BTD:
He better sit down while he’s waiting. I expect the Kool-aid blogs to go AWOL
Is that Big Twit or Big Turd?
While there may be some satisfaction in being able to say “We told you so!”, I am actually feeling quite scared about Obama’s obvious incompetence as CIC and POTUS. He’s clueless and the people around him are as well, with the exception of HRC and some of her people at the State Department. Frightening times, especially for our troops and their families.
To be fair, reports indicate that HRC has been pushing for the additional troops along with Gates. It’s definitely above my pay grade.
do you have a link? My guess is that she is backing up Obama. But the point really is…..
“the idea that Obama is the anti war candidate is a fairy tale”
BILL CLINTON IS A RACIST!!!
Obama is wearing some heavy flip flops these days.
That is the big thing isn’t it? It isn’t so much a problem that the CIC is completely clueless if he has a crakerjack staff that only give him excellent options to choose from. Even a jackbutt can succeed under those terms. The problem with Obama is that he is a clueless twit who has bought into his own hype. He actually thinks he is all that and a box of chocolates. Nothing good can come out of having a CIC who is arrogant plus ignorant. It is a very bad combo. Add to that an incompetent staff and we have big trouble maybe even worse than the previous 8 years. Unbelievable.
I’m going to let my geek flag fly freely here and quote Londo Mollari: “Ah, arrogant and ignorance all in the same package. How efficient of [him]!”
(The administration — not GregoryP.)
…arroganCE
I am watching that series right now. Wife can’t stand it though. It has always been my favorite show because of all the machinations by self serving politicians. It describes our government and our people pretty well.
While there are some individual episodes that are clunkers, the series as a whole (perhaps excluding season 5) has aged remarkably well. I think what JMS did in planning out the entire series before it began did a lot to make it so rich and complex. And yes, I think our current situation is closer to the Clark administration than the regime under President Santiago.
Telegraph:
The Brits already had one bad experience over there.
Glenzilla:
Obama = Bush III
OMG I know that guy too. This site has been “Jadzia this is your life” the last couple of days.
Anyway — good for him, but too little too late!
Is he from Chicago, too?
I don’t think so. When I knew him he was a lawyer in LA, but I’m not sure where he is from originally. He is very cute, but that is really neither here nor there.
I would love to see the criteria for a “finished job” in Afghanistan.
Obama’s approval rating dropping another 20 points.
Obama’s RCP average has fallen below 50.
RCP has been holding on to 50 for all they’re worth. Rasmussen has had him below 50 for weeks and now show the approval index @ -15.
How are these troops being paid for? David Obey said the other day that we should be taxed.
I want my stupakistan right to not pay for their war if they won’t pay for women’s abortions.
Not only the troops but the contractors.
Omama wants him some republican war hawk luv is what.
Brit opinion on Afghanistan.
“Public patience with the Afghanistan war is running out. Brown may yet regret becoming a war leader”
http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/11/afghanistan-war-brown-british
“…he has finally figured out how to bring the eight-year-long conflict to an end.”
What utter nonsense. Show me one iota of evidence that Obama has any experience or understanding of combat or strategy. It’s absurd, that they continue to project magical powers on to this weak shadow of a man.
he has a secret plan to end the war.
Peace with honor.
Back in the day of only three networks, someone suggested that the best way to end the Vietnam war was to make it an ABC series–and it would be over in 13 weeks.
Maybe Afghanistan could become a miniseries, sponsored by Choc Full O’ Nuts and Planters.
Meanwhile, the foxes are guarding the henhouse (mixing animal metaphors with the headline here):
Bankers making turkeys out of taxpayers
On Tuesday, the American Financial Services Association even held a conference call with reporters to update them on its efforts — successful so far — to torpedo plans for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would protect people from the sort of lending abuses that led to last year’s implosion.
The ASFA, a trade group of credit card issuers, auto-finance companies, mortgage lenders and others leading the fight against the CFPA, took the unusual approach on Tuesday of publicly celebrating the reform’s fading prospects.
But the argument most likely to prevail for the financial firms on Capitol Hill was offered by Chris Stinebert, the trade group’s chief. “Especially now, when we’re in a very, very sensitive time, when the capital markets are just starting to recover,” he said, “introducing a high level of uncertainty in the marketplace could be very detrimental.”
Or, to put it another way: Don’t regulate us now because the economy is still suffering from the mess we made because we weren’t regulated the last time. Chutzpah, it appears, is recession-proof.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/24/AR2009112403566.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
This analysis of Geithner still gives him way too much the benefit of the doubt, and hopes (fingers crossed) that he ends up doing a good job:
The Gathering Geithner Storm
As a result, the conspiracy theorists are having a field day. Consider their fuel:
As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Geithner worked very closely with Henry Paulson–his predecessor as Treasury Secretary and before that head of Goldman Sachs–as was warranted by the situation.
Geithner’s primary deputy at the New York Fed was William Dudley, a former Goldman Sachs economist.
The chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York until May 2009 was Stephen Friedman, former Chairman of Goldman Sachs, and a member of the Goldman’s board at the time of his New York Fed service.
Friedman also chaired the search committee that selected Geithner’s replacement–William Dudley.
At the time his former Goldman Sachs colleague Dudley was appointed–December 2008–Friedman purchased an additional $3 million of Goldman stock in violation of the rules.
Now ask yourself, surrounded by this crowd of influences, how likely is it that Geithner would have asked Goldman Sachs to take a serious haircut on their AIG positions?
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/24/timothy-geithner-treasury-secretary-opinions-columnists-thomas-f-cooley.html
Home Prices May Be Nearing a New Dip
Real estate, which has traditionally brought the economy out of recession, seems increasingly likely this time to hold it back. The housing market’s epic boom early this decade has turned into an epic bust whose effects may take years to shake off.
The housing market is confronting an abundance of inventory, high unemployment, fearful consumers and devastated family balance sheets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/business/economy/25home.html?_r=1&ref=business
Obama at the tipping point
If there’s a tipping point early on in every presidency, this is it. Obama is reaching the end of his first year — and a point where his decisions may well require him to stand up against not only his adversaries, but also his friends.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/24/borger.obama.tipping.point/index.html
Afghanistan, where empires go to die. Somehow this all seems like perfect timing. Though not for good reasons.
Here’s a video of Jackie Mason explaining “Palin Derangement Syndrome”. He really puts it in perspective:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/07/16/jackie-mason-explains-palin-derangement-syndrome-bashes-obama
The Nation:
“Peace with honor.”
Buns Up and Kneeling Media:
“Triangulatin’ is hard” said Bush III
I was going to post this during the evening discussion last night but typing was making me pukey. It was a day that could not really be beat: My veryvery Obotty ex-BF (who dumped me in a fairly rude way long long ago) sent me a “you were right and I was wrong” mea culpa on the subject of the election. Unfortunately, it didn’t really feel as good as it would have had he come to this conclusion say, in May 2008. : (
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=11&year=2009&base_name=over_at_talking_points_memo
This is an interesting read …. on when did the senate get so bad?
I think the article is right — it was during Clinton’s first term. On a side note, I think that we should always include the phrase “unabashedly malevolent” before Joe Lieberman’s name, from now on.
Could we shorten that to “fuckstick?”
I’d be open to alternating.
Or how about “unabashedly malevolent fuckstick…” Or “Joe Lieberman (UMF-CT)”
works for me
The Raw Story:
60K? Every article I read about this plan has a bigger number.
Quagmires are like that.
Donny Osmond won DWTS last night.
That should make all the anti-Mormon bigots happy.
Heh:
Mya was robbed!
if you cant drink wine, tea, coke, or margaritas, you should at least be able to shake your middle aged booty on tv and with scantily clad women and win prizes.
I think baptists find all those things abominations of the lord
Why don’t Baptists make love standing up?
They don’t want anyone to think they’re dancing.
My Baptist cousins in North Texas always used to dump their liquor bottles in the trash can behind the Catholic priest’s house. The padre could have made a fortune off recycling if it had been an option at the time.
Roman Polanski gets bail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1230901/Roman-Polanski-set-walk-free-hes-granted-2-7m-bail-Swiss-court.html
He’s already done moere time in Switzerland than he did in the US.
We really are living in the era of Bush 3 — remember when this happened with his stimulus checks?
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2009/11/millions-may-have-to-repay-part-of-obama-tax-credit.html
I noticed that right off and changed my witholding on my next check. I should be getting money back in January. It was a stupid way to run a stimulus. In many peoples cases it amounted to just a few dollars a check. $10, $15 or even $20 isn’t going to stimulate much. Might buy a couple of jugs of milk or a couple pack of cigarettes. Maybe even a shirt at the Chinese outlet mall. Certainly isn’t going to pay for a pair of jeans from an all-american supplier or anything of quality.
What is this “all-american supplier” of which you speak?
Who could have predicted?:
“low information” voters in the Dem primaries predicted it, that’s who.
Oh, you mean those racist hillbillies that cling to their guns and religion.
Flashback:
like I said last year-she can really rock that Burberry…
Politico:
Kinda like his “first Pacific President” bullshit.
Semen hair gel is teh funny:
The image says it all: Mary Landrieu is a naughty girl
http://www.spectator.co.uk/
Very interesting cover on spectator this week.
How long have Pumas been saying he is an empty suit?
WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS
PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
This morning’s news on Italian tv, had this gem.
Obama has telephoned Berlusconi to compliment him on his great talents as a War Leader.