By Barbara Starr and Adam Levine, with reporting by Rachel Burstein and Larry Shaughnessy
The United States and NATO want to end their combat mission in Afghanistan next year, transitioning primarily to a training role in which Afghan security forces will take the lead, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday.
"Our goal is to complete all of that transition in 2013 and then, hopefully, by mid- to the latter part of 2013, we'll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role," he told reporters traveling with him to Brussels, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon. The result will be that "2014 then becomes a year of consolidating the transition and making sure that those gains are in fact held, so that we can move towards a more enduring presence beyond 2014."
That enduring presence will include "a large civilian presence" involved with development, he continued.
Under Panetta's scenario, the transition would come a year before the 2014 deadline to end the war in Afghanistan that had been set by the Obama administration.
A U.S. administration official stressed that the transition is 2013 is the hope, but "nothing is final" until leaders of the NATO countries convene in Chicago this May.
In a statement, Rep. Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Service Committee, called Panetta's timeline "a reasonable goal."
But the committee chairman, Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, said it was too early to make such predictions. "Announcing a change in mission in Afghanistan - before we have even validated the Afghan Security Forces can maintain stability in the areas we have already transitioned and ahead of the fighting season - is premature," he said.
"Our goal is to complete all of that transition in 2013 and then, hopefully, by mid- to the latter part of 2013, we'll be able to make - you know, to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advise and assist role, which is basically fulfilling what Lisbon was all about," the administration official said in an email.
Late last year, Gen. John Allen, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said U.S. forces will begin to be deployed this year within Afghan units as advisers and trainers, reducing the direct combat role of foreign troops in the country.
Afghanistan's security force exceeds 305,000 and is headed toward 352,000 this year. At the same time, the United States will be withdrawing forces throughout 2012, with the goal of reducing U.S. troop strength to 68,000 by year's end from more than 100,000. There will also be 38,000 troops from other NATO countries.
The U.S. goal is for Afghan forces, advised by Americans, to take the lead.
"That will, in many respects, be a preview of how we'll see our forces postured in the years to come," Allen said in December. "The crossover point where we become largely an advisory, assisting and education force versus a force that is engaged at any given moment in counterinsurgency, that crossover point remains to be determined."
The United States will still maintain its commitment to transition to an Afghan lead by the end of 2014, according to Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby.
"Nothing has changed about the strategy our troops are executing: We are working to prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda and its allies," Kirby said in a statement. "Nothing has changed about the goal of developing strong and capable Afghan security forces."
The news comes a few days after France announced that it will withdraw its troops a year earlier than 2014. That announcement came after four of its troops were killed by an Afghan soldier.
The Obama administration has taken pains to to show that the alliance is still strong and committed to the 2014 deadline.
"The end of this process, the end of this transition, the end of this drawdown in which the Afghans fully move into the lead, is slated to be 2014," White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said in Chicago on Tuesday. "Just as we made decisions about the pace of our drawdown, other nations will make decisions."
NATO will meet in May in Chicago to discuss the war and to ensure that the 28-member alliance is "aligned on our drawdowns and transition," Rhodes said.
But there are significant questions as to whether the NATO and Afghanistan can sufficiently weaken the Taliban or bring them to the negotiating table.
A leaked NATO report underscores concerns about Pakistan's support of the Taliban. The document revives the longstanding accusation that elements in Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency are aiding the insurgency in Afghanistan.
It says the ISI knows the whereabouts of all senior Taliban commanders, according to a Times of London journalist who has read the classified NATO document.
The Obama administration is trying to get the Taliban to negotiate and has proposed a transfer of some prisoners from Guantanamo to Qatar as a sign of good faith by the United States. The administration said any discussion about releasing the detainees would be preliminary and would hinge on the Taliban renouncing terrorism and agreeing to peace talks.
In addition to the release of Guantanamo prisoners, the Taliban would be allowed to open an office in Qatar.
But that proposed transfer is controversial. In a letter to President Obama on Wednesday, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, a former Marine officer who served in Afghanistan, warned that the release would "send the wrong message to the Taliban."
"Releasing prisoners strictly for the purpose of accelerating negotiations undermines the U.S. mission in Afghanistan and deliberately ignores the threat of a Taliban resurgence," Hunter wrote.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, who attended a briefing by administration officials on Tuesday night about the potential release, called it "really, really bizarre."
"This whole thing is highly questionable because the Taliban know we're leaving. They know we're leaving. Put yourself in their shoes." McCain said. "There are many people who are experts in the region who say they are rope-a-doping us."
Even as the United States plans its withdrawal, it is working on ensuring that it can continue to supply troops. The Obama administration is temporarily lifting a ban on military assistance to Uzbekistan, a Central Asian nation that plays a crucial role in providing an overland supply route for U.S. military cargo into Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a waiver January 18 under which the United States can provide Uzbekistan with "non-lethal" defensive equipment, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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let's be realistic. whether the troops withdraw today or in 2 years time, the Taliban will inevitably takeover the country. Karzai will be the first person to run to the US with his family. i suggest leaving today and save billions of dollars. use the money to help people who are drowning in mortgage debt.
I know right? We need the troops for the next war that's going to be in Iran.
Well, you're awfully generous with other peoples' money, Bob. I've got a better idea: Let's bring the troops home now and allow the losers who got themselves into a bad financial situation live in cardboard boxes where they belong. When the economy was booming, everyone wanted to be Gordon Gecko. Now they want to be bailed out with other people's money. It's no wonder I'm a misanthrope!
There is a man yelling outside of my house right now. He sounds like a terrorist...
Did you forget to pay the Taxi driver again..or did a neighbor...many taxi terrorist..but they are not the really bad kind...
You're funny but I'm serious. I was thinking about showing him my massive selection of p0rn. That would offend him right?
not if a donkey is involved
Just get out NOW!
Yes, Now! Please, please bring all our remaining children home. Too many have gone already. My heart breaks to see another flag at half mast.
Everyone knew starting a war in Afghanistan will like waging a war on prostitution, it can only turn one way and history has shown over and over and over and......and that will be perpetual.......Well now the war industries pockets are full...and Faux News has moved on to Iran....any suckers?
I'm sorry my brother had to die while some old man (that never fought for one thing he believed in) grabbed at imaginary power....D.C. is killing US
All show from the Obama camp- it's time for re-election.
Yes! George Washington Buckwheat must go!
Bring them home until the next GOP war.
You mean Obama all action and in a quiet way. No boasting, he just does it. No one moves until POTUS says so not even Seal 6. Live with it.
And what would you prefer? 100 years?
You know the day america leaves, Taliban are heading straight for Karzi and his family, if he doesnt run like a coward like Saleh has done in Yeman.
The best part is when they publicly execute him so the entire world can see.
We still have fighter planes and bomber planes in the area...We can always do an "ArcLight" operation on a force going after Karzi..
time will tell.
Just another Vietnam...
No ...We went to Afghanistan to get Bin Laden and the planners of the 911 attack, and we did that..
1 Man < 3000+ killed 1 day, a nation torn in unemployment, future issues for its people, Trillion + debt, Iraqi people hates america now, Afghani hates america now, Pakistan about to kick america out, China backing Pakistan, 5000+ soldiers killed and lost love ones, x3 of wounded and dont forget the suicidal rates which is a major issues right now. and they already replaced that one man... so 1 man for all that?
really? nothing but a statement you tell a child when they lose at their sport match... Aww its ok you still hit the ball and did good, now lets go home.
We coulda gotten bin Laden without getting involved in a ground war in Afghan and trying to build a democratic nation to a bunch of savages.......Bin Laden was in Pakistan, not Afghanistan, as I recall......all the rest was a waste
Do not forget the GOP was thinking we would make a lot of money getting contracts to rebuild these countries and they did get the money..but from the US taxpayers...and not much success winning over the local people..
NO NOT REALLY I GOT ALOT MRE ACTION OVER THERE, AND GOOD TY BUD, OVER THERE THESE YOUGH GUYS GET GOATS AND SAND WHAT A WAR
It's not about "winning" or "losing." It's about killing sand nigras so I can watch it on You Tube!
You're into the whole golden shower thing aren't you?
No, I'm "into the whole" dead sand nigra "thing," Mr. Jolly.
You are sick.
Not until there are feces involved. Then I get sick and puke.
Perhaps I am "sick," but if I am where do you get off telling me so? Would you walk up to an autistic person and exclaim: "You're weird!"? Perhaps you should show some empathy and not be so quick to judge "sick" people. Don't try to apologize; just go away.
We're sorry Ron...
you sound very educated......Army or Marines?
M.A.: UCLA. I never served in the military. Don't mistake deliberate crudity for stupidity. Nor should you assume automatically that pc hall monitors are intelligent. Your reflexive condescension to people you assume have served in the armed forces is most unattractive. It makes you sound like an ectomorphic twit.
They don't let trolls into the military, Chinatown.
gw bush:we will prevail.
talibans:no,you will not.
pretty much
GWBush's Wars.....Fubar....
No it's not. We went to Afghanistan with Obama after he claimed the Nobel Peace prize. Idiot Bu$h was busy trying to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq after the 911 attack.
Bush was the war monger, not Obama.
Bu$h WAS a war monger, but get your facts straight. We didn't go to Afghanistan until Obama was pres. Were you in grade school when it happened? How could you not remember?
In Afghanistan under Idiot Jr. in 2001.
ChickenHawker: FALSE
Actually, Operation ENDURING FREEDOM began in October of 2001 immediately following 9/11, and back in 2010 earned the dubious distinction of being America's longest war. Perhaps you are confusing President Obama's plus-up in 2009 (in an attempt to win said war) with the initial foray in Afghanistan.
After 911 we went to IRAQ because we were scared of "terrorists" and "weapons of mass destruction."
Afghanistan was the least of Bu$he's concerns because the war was started in Iraq over controlling oil. It had nothing to do with the towers.
The problem with Americans is that people wearing towels on their heads are all the same. We are so spun with propaganda, that we can't even remember what really happened.
It's really just on Wikipedia. and it's common knowledge, unless you also don't believe the Holocaust happened?
We are in EVERY country trying to infect so what's your point?
Afghanistan wasn't taken seriously until Obama was president, period.
Comon, Folks! Focus...
Bush's troops had Bin Laden trapped in Tora Bora, but left it to the Taliban to make the capture. Bin Laden bribed the Taliban leader to let him escape into Pakistan. Afterwards, Bush tried to save face by invading Iraq to get Saddam Hussein, which had nothing to do with 9/11.
What's you answer to 9/11 and muslim radicals, smart guy?
My answer is definitely not a Bu$h war because that is false stupid guy.
We went to Afghanistan to get Bin Laden and the planners of the 911 attack..okay..
but GWBush fooled us all about the Iraqi WMD deal..
The Iraq war was about getting back the WMD's that Reagan sold Saddam from 1980 to 1988 to kill Iranians in the Iran Iraq war..and the Iraqi Kurds..Reagan took Iraq off list of terrorist nations in 1982....Reagan's foreign policy was to arm anyone who would fight our enemies for us...Reagan sold Saddam Anthrax,Sarin Gas, Mustard Gas, diluted Agent Orange–Roundup..using His VP GHBush..former head of the CIA, and Rumsfeld as point man to Saddam, and Rumsfeld's number one guy was Cheney.. 4,500 US troops dead 35,000 wounded in just last ten years..not counting the 1991 war..and those with Gulf War Syndrome..
And I am not talking about 20 and 30 year old chemical weapons..Saddam had entire chemical weapon plants could make them...German sold entire factories..all this was in Congressional hearing in 1995...
We tried to help the primitive barbarian peoples over there but they are beyond help. It will take a few more centuries for them to evolve into modern people. Lets just leave them alone and allow them to work it out themselves. Perhaps in a few centuries we can make contact again and see how they are doing.
Guy 1
Do you people not understand why we went over there in the first place ? Do you not realize that if the war was not taking place over there it would be on our own soil. that means all the weekly bombings would be happening over here locally. This has been our most succesful war yet. the reason why it is so succesful is because of the least amount of casulties with most progress. There are more murders every year here in the USA then there are casulties in the war. A soldier that has been wounded has a very high chance of survivng since they could be transported so fast, and medical advancements. I belive we shouldnt leave yet, I agree we should keep some troops there until we are for certain iran's or iraq's military can handle it. otherwise we would be back at square 1 aka another 9/11. The US may be the safest country but that does not mean its SAFE for certain it still can be attacked anytime without any intel. until after the fact.
-TNT out...
( a repost )
"Do you not realize that if the war was not taking place over there it would be on our own soil. that means all the weekly bombings would be happening over here locally."
Tell me Mr.Obama, how could they possibly hit us from all the way over there? Weekly bombings?? LOL
Gimme a break, the Taliban are not going to be knocking on your door anytime soon, nor were they ever going to.....that's the same crap they said during Vietnam about people living in caves and running around in sandals.....We did what we had to do in 2002.....every year in Afghanistan after that was stupid and a waste
Do you think that just maybe they would hate Americans a little less if we would keep our noses out of their business and stop invading their sovereign countries? Kill one Muslim and a hundred relatives will vow revenge.
I agree. We have wasted much taxpayer money and many precious military lives to help these savages.
But it is amazing how many backwards people have cellphones....they have them in the rain forest and jungles..and deserts..amazing..
Primitive barbarians? What is this the white man's burden?
Hopefully they will take out as many Talibans as possible before they leave. The Talibans will try to retake the country when NATO leaves, probably starting the very next day. We should send additional drones and helicopter gunships for the Afghans to use against the Talibans.
Under the new law passed by Obama "NDAA" you could be accused for a terrorist for saying that...
No trial, no jury, no rights. No America.
and what do you think will happen when those drones and missiles fall into the wrong hands?
President Obama will ask for them to be returned. You have to admit, the man has a sense of humor. LOL
I'm all for bringing them home immediately. But if we do unfortunately the consequences will be dire !
the Nightmare of Vietnam...and what happened to the ones left behind..
The "ones left behind" were rescued by Chuck Norris, silly.
I'm all for killing more sand nigras!
I like the sugar coat of there trying to leave like they did in Iraq and did also in vietnam... Oh were handing over security... No just no.
America and NATO are retreating, admitting defeat, or is running away because they simply cannot beat the Taliban..
Who are they fighting? Pakistan is holding all the "terrorists" anyways.
There fighting every nation answering the call
Hard to beat an enemy that does not wear a uniform and hides among it's general population.
awww is it not fair?
FU
No. We're not retreating and not defeated. We could level the entire country to the ground, if President Obama gave the order. But, that's not the mission. The mission is to help the Afghan government to defend itself against terrorists. But, they need to step up to the plate or face the consequences after we leave.
Who would of thought, advance military losing to hand full of men with out dated weapons.
eat a d!ck
Umadbro?
That was Vietnam. Supposedly we already got our man...
ok. now look at it in another view...
1 Man < 3000+ killed 1 day, a nation torn in unemployment, future issues for its people, Trillion + debt, Iraqi people hates america now, Afghani hates america now, Pakistan about to kick america out, China backing Pakistan, 5000+ soldiers killed and lost love ones, x3 of wounded and dont forget the suicidal rates which is a major issues right now. and they already replaced that one man... so 1 man for all that?
The real terror is in Mexico where over 10,000 people die a year because of our prohibition efforts.
Let's not forget Fast and Furious that was used by our own Attorney General.
They hide in caves in the mountains, like rats, and we cannot find them. Then they come out at night and wreak havoc.
Awwwww...what's wrong? Are they not fighting by the rules?
lol didnt know night vision goggles are hard to come by now of days...
The old verbal abuse of someone you cant beat, to cocky and to ignorant to accept defeat.
My little brother died this morning in Afghanistan....may the people that began this war and the people that kept it going even after the fact rot in the deepest pits of hell....our leaders will rot for eternity for these senseless wars
We can only hope. Except in reality, there is no hell... or 72 virgins...
He chose to join the service and I commend him on his courage. However, joining the service nowadays and fighting wars for the rich elite is not the smartest thing to do.
STFU
it really sucks though...is an emptiness and sorrow I have never felt before...and my leaders can not tell me why we are even there anymore.... or why my brother had to die for nothing really
But, but, but, Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize...
your politics cloud your thinking....
Days of punching a Nazi in the face is long gone... now they get to tell their grand kids. I fought in Iraq where i fought young men and children with outdated weapons. WOW grandpa what else. OH we ran into peoples home and tied them up when they were 100% innocent.
So now because of everything i did and my generation supported, we will forever put our country a state of fear and its why a lot of us are unemployed, still trying to pay off china.
now its all about making the rich, richer.. FYI dont join the military your only the personal body guards and enforcers for someones greed. then they sugar coat it with the lie of fighting for our freedom, its amazing what a sheep nation will believe.
or our economics is in shambles and he needed a way to pay for college on his own....you know pulling your own weight....no where in it was to fight a senseless war for absolutely no reason at all.....when the revolution finally boils to a head ...I will be one of the ones to march on Congress and all the other puppets....I will be the one to burn a corrupt D.C. down and will play a fiddle while doing it...no more wars for politicians pocketbooks...string them all up
I'm sincerely sorry to hear of your loss. The sonner that our troops are home, the better.
This is Afghanistan... Alexander the Great try to conquer this country... then Genghis Khan, then the British. the Russia. But Afghan people fight hard, they never be defeated. Ancient enemy make prayer about these people... you wish to hear?
Hmmm yeah, well Rome was strong in it's day too. These people live in caves and teach children to shoot before age 9. Seems like desperation to me.
Not entirely. Only reason Soviets lost is because the USA heavily funded the Mujaheddin. As a matter of fact, many call us responsible for even gathering the Mujaheddin. Unfortunately, the Pakistani ISI used the extremists we've gathered to make the Taliban.
Alexander the Great try to conquer this country.I've used that argument myself...good job..
.the best we could hope for is to hold the plains and provide a safe haven for our friends and place that little girls can go to school...
What I really hate about leaving is the nightmare of the heli's at the US Embassy when we left Vietnam..many will die propably in Afghanistan for helping us..and that is a stain on our Honor...
Do you people not understand why we went over there in the first place ? Do you not realize that if the war was not taking place over there it would be on our own soil. that means all the weekly bombings would be happening over here locally. This has been our most succesful war yet. the reason why it is so succesful is because of the least amount of casulties with most progress. There are more murders every year here in the USA then there are casulties in the war. A soldier that has been wounded has a very high chance of survivng since they could be transported so fast, and medical advancements. I belive we shouldnt leave yet, I agree we should keep some troops there until we are for certain iran's or iraq's military can handle it. otherwise we would be back at square 1 aka another 9/11. The US may be the safest country but that does not mean its SAFE for certain it still can be attacked anytime without any intel. until after the fact.
-TNT out...
So, you bought that "we're fightin' 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here" crap, did you?
Good, bring more of our good soliders home sooner! We can't afford these wars and nation building. Have to change the mission. No more huge mass troop deployments. Training, survailence and special ops.
We'll just move on to another piss-off, most likely Iran.
Why are we still even there? I thought we already convinced everyone we killed Osama.
Where are the pictures? Where is the Doctor who supposedly ratted him out? Why are there no names or any real evidence?
Not sure we should blame GWB for starting this – his team knew the 9/11 guys came from there – but immediately After Obama got Bin Laden, the USA should have Pulled Out – MISSION DONE – - WHY hang around ? There is NOTHING else to "win" – Stupid thinking perhaps – but the USA should GET OUT NOW – and do NOT do like Iraq and BUILD a NEW base nearby – having 50,000 troops in Kuwait is STUPID – just BRING EM HOME – and put them to work on the Borders -
Bring the troops home.
No! Let's stay for a while longer and kill some more sand nigras! It's funny when brown subhumans die!
2-3 Trillion dollars in debt would have been saved. 1 Million people would have been saved if we had not started these wars.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let's not start another war with Iran. I say this not because I'm some crazy hippy, but because unlike the loons in Washington who believe these issues can be solved with Invasion, I actually do not want more innocent Americans dying (as well as innocent women/children/men from these nations). Who's the patriotic one here?
So you agree with Bush that we shouldn't have been concerned about bin Laden after 9/11?
I didn't want the nearly 3000 innocent people to die that were killed in 9/11 either.
Bring all the soldiers home without further delay. We don't need to dig any more graves for the young men that are fighting and dying over there. The government in this regard has become the real enemy. The military industrial complex that President Truman warned about is alive and well but the youth of our nation must die to support their God forsaken alliance. Please remember in November that the decision to remain through 2013 was made on Presidents Obama's watch! Exercise your right to vote in November and remove those elected officials who failed to dispute this 2013 deadline; a deadline which may very well be extended!
1 MILLION more people would have been alive right now if we had not started these wars.
So what? They're just a bunch of sand nigras! It's funny when they die. Oh, boo hoo: the world would have had another 1 million sand nigras were it not for us. Boo freakin' hoo!
The US debt would have been around 12-13 Trillion right now if we had never started these wars.
So tell me... what did Iraq had to do with catching Bin Laden again? As a matter of fact... why did we even go to war with Iraq again? Where are the WMD's Bushy? So you're telling me that over half a million people would have been alive if we chose NOT to go to war with Iran? Not to mention over a trillion dollars would have still been with us. Oh that Bush...
But why re-write history? Sure Bush didn't explain it well and he came up with the WMD excuse so that stupid people would feel extra-motivated. But as almost everyone knows, we went to war with Iraq because Saddam Hussein was in violation of every single one of the 10 Resolutions he had agreed to in order to end the first part of the Gulf War. Review what actually happened – almost every single Democrat in Congress and elsewhere was in favor of this. It was only *after* it went badly that they started looking the other way and pretending that wasn't true. The true history of this thing IS going to be told despite all the mis-information and lies that are circulating on the Internet.
Tim Rigney
"But why re-write history? Review what actually happened – almost every single Democrat in Congress and elsewhere was in favor of this"
Wow! You talk about re-writing history! Wow. Obviously, you didn't "Review what actually happened" at all.
FACT: Bush's war in Iraq would NEVER have happened if left to the Democrats in Congress or Barack Obama.
FACT: The MAJORITY of Democrats in Congress voted AGAINST the war.
FACT: 97% of all Republicans in Congress voted FOR the war.
Take your own advice next time.
You're just very simply lying or buying into the lies of others. By the way, in his list of suggestions for Bush when he left office, BEFORE the attacks, Clinton told Bush that it was absolutely essential for world stability that the center of his foreign policy be regime change in Iraq, i.e. the removal of Saddam Hussein from power.
Have you also conveniently forgotten about the big huge yellow stain that appeared in the Euphrates River right before the second part of the Gulf War started, which was concluded to almost certainly be toxic chemical weapons of mass destruction? Stop buying all these media lies and ommissions of details.
Tim Rigney,
"You're just very simply lying or buying into the lies of others"
Before you make an even bigger fool of yourself, do some research. THE MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS VOTED AGAINST THE WAR.
Don't call someone a LIAR when you are CLUELESS about the FACTS. Get an education so you won't embarass yourself again. YOU are one of the people who are spreadling "all the mis-information and lies that are circulating on the Internet.". Grow up. Do some research next time.
So how many hours did your spend taking part in protest marches against the second part of the Gulf War *before* it started? You're unhappy it went badly; were you *actually* so unhappy at the time it was starting that you took to the streets? Did you write the President to tell him you were against it? Did you write anyone in Congress at all? If the majority of Democratic voters were *actually* against this they would have taken to the streets en-masse the way they did during Vietnam. That didn't happen, because most Americans weren't actually against this before it started; they were in favor of it.
Tim Rigney,
So now it's a different approach after falsely accusing someone of LYING. So much for integrity.
The truth is that there were very mixed emotions at the time. Some people, like Barack Obama, publicly said it was a bad idea and he opposed it.
Where you have chosen to re-write history again is to ignor that many people actually thought that George Bush was telling the truth at the time. Looking back, we realize he just wanted an excuse to start the war. His cabinet was full of Republicans that had publicly advocated such a war for years. (I'm sure you knew that from the amount of RESEARCH that you've obviously done).
I'll believe it only when it happens. Meantime, there's Iran to contain & they seem to be threatening to bomb America directly!
When that happens Americans will finally wake up to the 21st century.
GWBush fooled us all once let's get out of Afghanistan and wish them well just like Iraq,,
the Iraq war was about getting back the WMD's that Reagan sold Saddam from 1980 to 1988 to kill Iranians in the Iran Iraq war..and the Iraqi Kurds..Reagan took Iraq off list of terrorist nations in 1982....Reagan's foreign policy was to arm anyone who would fight our enemies for us...Reagan sold Saddam Anthrax,Sarin Gas, Mustard Gas, diluted Agent Orange–Roundup..using His VP GHBush..former head of the CIA, and Rumsfeld as point man to Saddam, and Rumsfeld's number one guy was Cheney.. 4,500 US troops dead 35,000 wounded in just last ten years..not counting the 1991 war..and those with Gulf War Syndrome.. The GOP and the top 1% play a mean game of politics all the time waving their bibles and the American flag..
If you're a politician and you voted for Iraq, get out of my country.
There sure are a lot of idiots on here that seem to forget 9/11, and know nothing about the military, nor Afghanistan or war. Unless you know what you're talking about then you should shut up, otherwise you look like a fool!
9/11 was a direct result of harsh US presence in Saudi Arabia, as well as our support for the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan and trusting Pakistan. Furthermore, 9/11 occurred because of our support for Israel. I'm not saying I agree with those policies listed, but it occurred because of our foreign policy. You can't justify stupid people like laden, however, and I'm glad he's dead. However, the wars we've waged... you know, the ones that killed over a MILLIOn people and drained 2-3 TRILLION dollars, well they did little to catch Bin. As a matter of fact, Iraq strayed from the purpose all-together. At the end, we caught him by A. not trusting Pakistan like Bushy did. B. not invading nations and C. careful interrogations. War is highly stupid.
Ethan, what propaganda have you been reading? "harsh behavior of Americans in Saudi Arabia?" – Bin Laden simply regarded Arabia,the Hijjaz, as sacred land where no infidel can set foot. Nothing to do with how Americans behaved. 9/11 because of Israel? the 1st time Bin laden used Israel to justify his acts was several years after 9/11, when he saw he was losing support within Moslems. Go on the web and listen to Bin Laden speeches directly. They are clear enough.
Newt Gingrich on foreign policy.....
Newt Gingrich is raising funds and speaking out against Obama's decision to withdrawl from Irag...
Funny in a very sad ironic way, because Mr. Gingrich played such an important secret role in the planning of the war in the first place.. Hired as a consultant to the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board, by Rumsfled, and Cheney, Newt was involved from the start, that is in September of 2001, just days after the September 11th attack, invited to a 19 hours planning meeting at the Pentagon, on what to do in response to the 9-11-2001 attack. Even at this early date Newt was pushing the invasion of Iraq as the opportunity to replace Saddam... the members of that meeting agreed to attack Iraq as soon as the initial phase of the war with Afghanistan was over. Newt has stated ”If we don’t use this as the moment to replace Saddam after we replace the Taliban, we are setting the stage for disaster.” Newt was right there with Cheney and Rumsfled involved in several meetings at the Pentagon and the CIA. One reference to back this up is a March 16th 2011 story by Megan Carpentier, just google it.
Who decided to disband the Iraq army leaving the pipeline, power plants, arms depots unprotected, even Patton used Nazi's to run the country until he had people to replace them...
Disbanding the Iraqi army led to looting, blown up oil wells and pipelines, looted weapons, and IED's...
Was that your idea Newt?
Newt failed in his foreign policy...
He is too reckless with the lives of our soldiers...as many who never serve in uniform...Cheney took 5 deferments to stay out of Vietnam, Bush trained on an obsolete aircraft...
After how many dead, and wounded U.S. soldiers, maybe Newt should just call it a day, and go home and file for bankruptcy
Newt even talked against SAM sites around Washington and New York when Richard Clarke was asking for them before 911..James Kallstrom knew about the warnings of planes as weapons from his flight 800 investigation so did his friend John P. O'Neill...Google John P. O'Neill for a sad, true story..
Get real Steve! 911 was a horrible event, but it's time to move on. We have lost so many lives and spent billions of dollars for what? Nothing!!! Lock up this country and keep the garbage out of here and we won't have to worry about another 911 again.
No, it's not. It's a mortal sin to forget what happened to 3,000 innocent civilians ten short years ago. Especially to the 3 and 4 year old girls who burned to death while they were minding their own business trying to go to pre-school.
A year from now or 20 years from now, the second we leave they'll tear each other to shreds. Why bother waiting a whole year the result will be the same. These savages are unable of self governing, they lack basic human civility.
Muslims killing Muslims, it was a good idea in the 7th century, It's STILL a good idea today. Let them kill each other, who cares!
Vote Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich, and you're voting for another dispute (another war, very-likely) with Iran. I don't care who you vote for. I Just do not recommend voting for these three clowns.
More lives and money well spent... We never learn...!!
this is great news, so that we can go and start another pointless, bigger, illegal war based on lies with Iran, and thus bring the world into WW3 and total economic collapse.
They kicked Russia's butt and the Russians tucked tail and ran. Then they kicked our butt, and we're running, too. Another illegal, stupid war where old men get their egos inflated and young men die.
Yes, even the Russkies knew when to get out and they lived right next door.
Man, Fox News must be having a heart attack right now. Poor Rush. "WE NEED WAR!" I say we ship off any politician who voted for these worthless wars to Canada.
my brother died this morning in Afghanistan ... may every politician knock the bottom out of hell for this useless war
Limbaugh (and a few other fat, well fed, over paid lunatics in the country) need a bullet behind the ear – I’m cleaning my scope as I write...
Leave now.. stay forever... nothing changes.
USA elites, corporate USA and their politician figurehead lackeys have failed We, the People but the masses of brainwashed citizen-sheep continuously bleat their delight with those and the many "systems" that delude the masses.
"All" is futile.
Nothing will change.
How sad.
yeah, and in the mean time, 600 of our guys will lose their lives, but they are just pawns and this is all fun and games for elite politicians.
The problem is whether we like it or not we (America) took it upon ourselves to start the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We think of it (the wars) in terms, they think of it in generations. War coming to a town near you soon.
I want it over just as much as anyone but this will be a product of leaving too soon.
All our problems would have been solved had all the conservatives enlisted ,
flush limballs, been there done that buddy.
Osama- 0
Obama- 1
Game over. Come home.
We are all beyond doomed so much BS going on even news media running out of fresh ideas.
Every time Obama succeeds at anything , the Right runs around and says this is a bad , we are doomed , You may be right .The Right may be doomed at least for 4 more years . Good Job Mr President .Way to slam dunk after Bush dribbled for 8 years
Biden- 5 – 2 x 4 ÷ 3 – 10 + 6 =0
You're forgetting order of operations. Try harder if you want to use wit.
They are learning from Dr. Ron Paul and taking a page out of his foreign policy. At least they are not as dumb as the warmonger Republican who are also running for president. No matter what its Dr. Paul 2012
We went to Afghanistan to get Bin Laden and the planners of the 911 attack we did that..
Exactly! Let's the the F outta there!
Iraq was behind 9/11, so we have to go to war with them. Lie #1.
Bin Laden's hiding in Afghanistan, so we have to go to war with them. Lie #2.
It was 15 of 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis. Why didn't we attack them?
Bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan. Why didn't we attack them?
Short answer: It's like the kid looking for his lost quarter in the kitchen, where it's brightly lit, instead of the basement where he dropped it. No matter how ineffective it is to be looking there, it's more comfortable and easier, and you don't get nearly as dirty. Besides which, Saudi Arabia has our 2nd-hand weaponry, and Pakistan has nukes.
Can you say "ignorant bully"? I knew you could.
It's sometimes fun to revise history and facts, isn't it? bin Laden was indeed hiding in Afghanistan when the war started. It's where most of al Qaeda was being hidden and protected by the Taliban. Yes, he wound up being in Pakistan and here's a thought...he relocated from Afghanistan (where he was at the start of the war) to Pakistan. We didn't go to war with Afghanistan, we went to war with al Qaeda and the Taliban, both of whom happened to be based in Afghanistan at the time. Yes, 15 of the 19 hijackers were of Saudi Arabian citizenship, but they didn't carry out the attacks in the name of Saudi Arabia, they did it in the name of al Qaeda (not affiliated with Saudi Arabia). If I and 14 of my friends attack another country because of our extreme religious beliefs and feel the targets of our attacks violated those religious beliefs, does it make much sense to you that the United States should be attacked just because we're from the United States? The country of their origin or citizenship had absolutely nothing to do with why they carried out the attacks, other than they were enraged we used Saudi land as an airstrip during the Gulf War. They (the hijackers) were as enraged with the Saudi government for allowing that as they were with the US for doing it.
As for your question on why didn't we attack Pakistan because bin Laden was hiding there...uh, because obviously we were able to go in and get bin Laden during a mission and without starting a war. Would you have preferred we started a war with Pakistan instead of simply taking care of bin Laden? How, odd.
now lots of people will not be able to make crazy money.
lol WEACHOCK
U MUST HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT, U UNDERSTAND, TOOTHLESS WONER OF THE WOLD, BURT REYNOLD DELIVERCE MOVIE SEEEEWWEEEEE SCREAM BOY
Remember: meds at 6. Don't forget again.
Nixon smarly lost LBJ s war,Obama smartly loses Idiot Georges two...
American troops in the streets of Berlin. No doubt among the Germans who lost that war. How many Taliban troops do you see patrolling DC?
JFK was getting ready to pull out of Vietnam..but LBJ expanded it big time..and his wife's company made millions supplying the troops...
I've read about JFK and Viet Nam, and it's been debated whether he would have gotten us out of that debacle. It has been discovered recently that JFK was given conflicting information from his people and the army in the field which might have affected his actions. But we'll never know. My own personal view is that his brother probably would have. But......
Viet Nam destroyed LBJ, especially after TET. He was in shock and it's been said that that's a major reason why he did not seek reelection in 1968.
I remember watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite which reported the causality/fatality figures on a weekly basis. It hit home when a friend of mine from high school's name showed up....and for what? Lots of people have a lot to answer for for those ten years but most of them are dead.
Babooph, there's something very concerning to me, and I don't think it's due to my hair color, or any of the other jokes which blondes have to cross.....but this Administration seems to do more with the Great Navy Seals" team than, the 3 past Administrations did All Out Wars. Can the Obama Administration truely be concerned about the useless wasted lives of an American woman's child???? President Obama has opened a very dark door, surely for myself, he has shown that America is fully capable of running a Mission Impossiable operation on anyone in the Known world, I"ve always known this, does this mean Navy Seals can't loose their lives, ofcourse not, it leaves to wonder WHAT THE HELL WERE THOSE OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS THINKING, none of those Nations can hold a candle to this Great Nation.
MARY, DYE YOUR HAIR, RENT A PORN JENNA JAMISON WILL DO LET YOUR HAIT DOWN AND HAVE A FEW OOOO'S U NEED A CHILL PILL AND A BUNCH OF OOOOO'S
MARY A LEARN HOW TO BECOME A SQUIRTER, NOT A POLITICIAN, YOU WILL SMILE MORE
It has been scientifically proven that muslims cannot be turned into humans. Oh well, leave them in their own holes.
AS A WHITE AMERICAN,, EVER BEEN TO KENTUCKY, NOT MUCH BETTER !!!!!!!!!
Alabama too. In fact, anywhere in the deep south.
Hey fellows you know it's 2012 AD, Not 2012 BC this color thing......it was just a joke with my hair, I don't know how old you guys are, and I do find some older men attractive, but I'm guessing you all are.........to well done..... I'm just saying death is good
Whites are good.
ACTUALLY PEOPLE ARE GOOD, BUT U STAY IN KENTUCKY, TOOTHLESS ONE
Damn right!!
I heard the same of Mexicans...
Wow. Imagine that! They want to get out of a country we illegally invaded to begin with. What a deal!! Bush's legacy just keeps on givin' doesn't it? So, how many trillions of dollars did we squander on that little party for nothing?
I'm not quite certain what you mean by "illegally invaded." al-Qaeda attacked the United States by levelling its Financial Center, heavily damaging its Military Center, and attempting to level its Political Center; while killing over 3,000 innocent civilians including men women and children of all ages. After Diplomacy turned out to not be effective in persuading the Taliban to stop harboring them, they and the members of al-Qaeda had to and did die. NOTHING more to it as far as I'm concerned. Would you like to see a photo of one of the four-year-old girls that burned to death in the fire from the burning airplane fuel? I can post that if you like.
We invaded a country. Al Qaeda is a group of religious fanatics that do not run the government of Afghanistan. Also, did congress formally declare war? I don't remember that if they did. just because some clueless, psychopathic, lying President and VP feel the need to look like macho cowboys isn't a very good reason to spend trillions and ruin countless American lives.
Hey Tim,
I'm sure that we killed plenty of "their" civilian kids due to "collateral damage" to even the score for your four year old girl. All were equally innocent, but I'm assuming that killing a few of theirs to get even helps you to feel that justice has been served.
Yes but i.m.o. the difference is that we did our damndest to avoid it; they did it intentionally.
We told them turn over Osama bin laden and they didn't. So we didn't invade them illegally. You remember that guy right? the one who planned out the terrorist attack that took down the twin towers.
Ending the wars and bringing the troops back home...Check-mark!
GREAT LETS BRING EM HOME CELEBRATE PARTY, THEN RE-DEPLOY TO IRAN
McCain was planning to do the same thing within the same time frame. I'm actually a Democrat but I'm getting sick and tired of all the lies and misrepresentations.
McCain? the guy who didn't know how many homes he owned? Or was the genius that chose Sarah Palin as his VP? You really take stock in anything that guy said?
But he chose Pailin as his running mate because like it or not she had incredibly strong support from Republican voters, and those votes were absolutely crucial for him to have a chance to beat Obama's rising star. Don't forget, most Americans don't vote so the only way to get elected into high office is to motivate people who wouldn't ordinarily vote to go out and do so. Pailin, whether we like her or not, was the only efficient way to accomplish that.
nothing short of ridding ourselves of murderous, thieving, lying, conscience-free parasites will save humanity.
YOU MEAN WASHINGTON RIGHT
I'm assuming that you're referring to the low life politicians who sent our troops to that hole to begin with. If so, I totally agree 100%!
OF CORSE THATS WHAT I MEANT U DONT SEE THEM OR THEIR CHILDREN THERE I MEAN HOW STUPID HAS OUR NATION BECOME
My Dear Felllow American I couldn't agree with you more, now I must admit I have a problem with, that Golden Rule: Let He Who Has Not Sinned Cast the First STONE, as I'm sure you do as well. That being said, let us take Much Pride in the Attitude of the Obama Administration: SOMEBODY MESS WITH AMERICA.....WE GONNA MESS WITH HIM, because we've got the specialized know how! To All the mothers out there; Ladies....you got the right man in the White House now even if America thinks he can do nothing else right he loves saving lives....and ofcourse money and it is indeed in that order not many like him unless it's their son, OMG......I think i've been target, I'm moving away from my keyboard, and I'm coming out, with my hands up Mr. President...... Like I said Zionistsamongus MY FRIEND, I couldn't agree with you more!
As an Afghan it is sad to see this and it is sad to read some of these comments. I think everything we see today it involves politics and we have lost ourselves and our human soul. We have lost so many people good people. I am sad as not an Afghan or American but as a human that people die (innocent people) or the American soldiers scarifies their lives for a good cause. Unfortunately there will be always war or conflicts in the world. That is the fact of life and this nature. It is going on for millions of years and unfortnatly it will go on. Some of you will not agree but Peace to me it is just a nice WORD and that is it. I know this is good news especially for those families that they have their love once to serve but how about the Afghans. You might say it is not my problem but we are talking about people real people (kids, women, elderly) all. I think neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. Obama had a good strategy on this war. The base was wrong. You have to know why you are going and what you need to do. You need to know the history and plan the future. I don’t think Mr. Bush or Mr. Obama wanted to send our soldiers to die (it doesn’t matter what party you belong and believe but NO one wants someone to die especially these young and brave man/women) but the politics that was in place and still is caused to fail. If you wanted to go and get Al Qaeda then just use the rocket and few talented Seals but now that is not the case. You invaded a country, supposedly created a government, build a base, lost so many lives both sides (good people) and now the solution is pack and go.
WOW. Tell me if you don’t have a heart when you read articles about Afghan women was killed because she give birth to a girl or a 13 year old was sold by her dad or people are dead in a bomb. If that is the case then I don’t think you should be part of this world. But if it hurts then please be against this decision. Mr. Obama declared that US largely achieved its goal in Afghanistan. Really? I am not asking US to be everywhere and help every signal person in the world while we got issues here but don’t play politics with peoples life either. Change your strategy. I think Mr. Obama is aware of that word so apply it. You can only win if you educated and push for education in Afghanistan. That is it. If you can’t educate these people then it would be hard to differentiate between religion and culture. Once you do that then you achieve your & their goal. You can’t go to a country and use them and say thank you and sorry about the mess.
So to all of you people be responsible and vote for the right human thing not for their politics.
OUR PEOPLE ARE ABSOLUTLY NO BETTER THEN YOUR OUR PATHETIC GOVERMENT HAS MIND SCREWED 4/5 THS OF THIS COUNTRY IT TRULY IS SAD THIS WAS ONCE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, NOW WE ARE JUST SHHEP BEING LED BY BEAURACRATS, VERY VERY SAD
The problem seems to be that whenever we try to educate them we're accused of trying to "Westernize" them and that just makes the situation worse, not better. It's just seen as "more American Imperialism" and seen as "just one part of an overall plan to conquer them." So it's a "Catch-22" kind of situation.
Well said! When will the Afghani and their diaspora stand up and fight for their own liberation? True change only comes from within. We can not fight their battle, we don't know the rules or the players.
I am not saying that you are wrong but there are ways that could be done. This way doesn't take have to be expensive since we have wasted a lot of money already but just simple. Teaching alphabet and Math would not cause too many issues and it is simple. The Russian did to the extreme which I was there during that time. We just did it. I think the politicians are making it to complicate as it is without thinking. Good example they (politicians) do things because of politcaly correct and not to hurt people’s feeling. Oh well, get over it. Westernize not westernize you will learn how to read and move forward.
Marquise I think you need to know a little bit more about Afghan history. You are talking about a country which is fighting for as long as I remember and US went to help but took a wrong direction. So afghans fight AQ and own afghan with what? Also, few years from now if Al-Qaeda is going to plan attack again from there then what would be the answer?? What I am trying to say I think it would be wise for US to have a station there (I know it is not the best country to stay) but change strategy and have a good base to watch Iran, Iraq (if it falls in hand or extremist), Russian, Korea and China
Is this announcement a good idea from a military standpoint? Or only from a political standpoint in an election year? Those rabid leftwingers will DEFINITELY be voting for Obama now!!
ONLY THIN U PREDICT IS U OBEY WASHINGTON LIKE A DOG U MORON
Weachock, you coudnt be more right. our so called "leader" Obama has turned our country into a socialist pot hole.
Stay away from muslim countries, they are all rabid.
Sometimes a rabbid dog has to be put down to prevent it from infecting others...
WERE NO BETTER IDIOT WHITE TRASH PAYING TAXES AND VOTING FOR WASHINGTON
SAD I REMEMBER THE 60'S WHEN WHITE PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAD A BRAIN, NOW WASHINGTON TELLS US WHAT TO DO WHAT TO PAY AND WE WHITES BLCKS OR YELLOWS SIMPLY OBEY F-ING SAD
It has been scientifically proven that muslims cannot be turned into humans.
Good news. Bring these kids home and project our borders, airports, subways, etc. Send covet people over there. Save a lot of money and improve our economy.
Protect our boarders? Are you kidding? Then Dem's want these immigrants here, they like entitlements, they vote Democrat. Entitlements for votes is the Dem party engine.
Just shut up with your pathetic right wing garbage. Democrats want illegals here? Fukin idiot
You are a sterling example of too much interbreeding! Who is fighting immigration reform? The Repubs. They like that cheap labor cleaning their mansions, landscaping their many properties, and working in their sweat farms.They want to make us all endentured servants, better yet slaves. They want disposable workers, who they use and abuse and discard.Why do you think they want to do away with OSHA, The EPA and collective bargaining?
Dont be silly, the US never actually pulls all of it troops out of anywhere unless they are defeated or forced to leave. That's why they specify "combat troops" when talking about who is being pulled out. And bringing troops home is always good in an election year. But we will be hearing about US deaths in these places for years to come because "advisors" are left in place for "training, support, and assistance". We still have those troops in Japan and Germany 70 years later; Korea 60 years; Iraq 21 years; Afghanistan 12 years. A few places we would still have troops stationed if we hadnt already been forced to leave: Phillipines, Thailand, Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia, France, Somalia, Iran, Panama.
CORRECT THIS IS A 50-100 YR WAR 2-3 GENERATIONS OF KIDS DYING, FOR WASHINGTON ? REALLY ITS REVOLUTION TIME
they must not teach history to democrats. more liikely you suffer from selective memory EVERY major conflict in this country's history has been started by a democrat president sane the iraq and afgan conflicts. really, get an education
FORGET PARTY ALLIANCE ONLY CASH $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ MY MORON
I didn't know that Madison was a democrat – thought he was a democratic-republican. The federalists had become weakened. Look it up.
We've been in Afpakisand for about 10 yrs too many.
SURE LETS GO INTOO IRAN NEXT FOOL
Yeah, thanks to Obama. He started the war, remember? It was right before he bailed out the crooks on Wall Street.
LIKE WE ALL KNOW ITS ABOUT WASHINGTON $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
So who do I send the bill to for a pair of legs for my nephew, and continued PTSD treatment for my son ? Mr Bush? Mr. Cheney? I am eternally grateful I was too old for recall on this clusterphuk. From this I learned one very valuable lesson....NEVER vote GOP again. Your disaster is now over. A Democrat fixed it for you, as usual. As for Us? My families will continue for decades to come.
MONEY TALKS BLACK WHITE YELLOW WALKS GUESS WHO HAS $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ WASHINGTION,, NEVER BEEN ABOUT RACE ONLY CASH $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
So we should have just sat on our duffle bags after 9/11 and did nothing?
One of the few times I ever agreed with Bush was when he advised us after 9/11 to "go shopping".
No, we absolutely should NOT have sat on our duffel bags. We shouldn't have been thinking duffel bags at all. We should have been thinking POLICE tactics to catch a brutal criminal, not MILITARY tactics to lay waste to the 2 WRONG countries in an effort to apprehend the guilty parties. Look at what actually WORKED: low-level, low-cost intelligence gathering and small, elite, covert strike force got bin Laden, not all the bombs and bullets we've been using to blow up innocent civilians and piss off the next generation of the world's billion+ Muslims.
Let me connect 2 dots for you: money and war. It is very much in the interests of those who have money to keep starting wars, because war is an outlet for energetic, ambitious, frustrated young men who would otherwise be agitating over why our country hasn't provided decent jobs and affordable education for them. And then the riches can rope in the super-patriots to wave their flags and insist that we KEEP the wars going because gawdammit, we'ze Amurricans, God's very own people, and don't nobody push us around noway nohow.
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a waiver January 18 under which the United States can provide Uzbekistan with "non-lethal" defensive equipmen" – Bedding down with the devil again.
So Obama will start a withdrawal just after the election? Kind of starting Obamacare right after?
Its all politics.
What make the different, If they Republican win the election In NOV 2012 they will just send them some where else. Like maybe Pakistan or Iran. You know how the Republican like wars. And It there ways to find Jobs.
Actually it looks like the Iran invasion will happen on Obama's watch. Should be interesting to see how the Dems handle the "warmongering," lol
You lie!
Seems the motto of conservatives is The only war you win, is one that never ends . Thank God Obama don't think that , 3 tours for some of these soldiers was very sad ,And to see all these arm chair soldiers wanting them to stay there forever . is sad .Thank You Mr President for having enough guts and courage to end that mess.
Dear Omar buddy, Just sit tight until 2013 and you can resume you reign of terror. Time for us to do the cut and run. Sign, your friend Barak
wow racist much?....btw there is no longer a draft, folks sign up because they want to....yikes your scary.
u are made of poop we all are made of poop and the p and that creepy guy in the corner is made of poop
they look like dirtbags
Don't get me wrong, this is good news. But how different is this from the last time we left there? Is the Taliban just going to regain power in a few years and have this whole cycle repeat itself?
Holy crap, did the unending war just get an end date?! Budget fixed.
No, the budget will be balanced once the entitlements end...
What entitlements do you speak of?
Welfare only accounts for 5% of the budget.
Social Security is already paid for through your payroll taxes and does not affect the budget.
Medicare is a mostly successful government program but is definitely in need of some fraud catching measures.
CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that "Obamacare" will produce a net reduction in federal deficits of $143 billion over the 2010-2019 period.
The Military Industrial Complex and the Bush Tax cuts are the main problems with our deficit and the future of balancing our budget. You should get your head out of FAUX News' bum and check real facts before you make yourself look like a fool on the internets.
Or maybe it was the "corporate welfare" which accounts for at least 10% of our budget...
If any brain dead Republicans bitch I suggest we send an ALL republican unit to get their behinds wiped all over Afghanistan, then maybe the fools of the Republican Circus will finally get wide. But somehow I think if we were to send only Republicans the story would change very quickly. They always prefer sending the poor and non whites to fight, after all, white trash that livesin trailers doesn't have the brains to do anything besides bend empty beer cans on thier foreheads.
Hey don! YOu sure you aren't brain dead? You comment smells of stupidity all around. I am an independent, so dont make this a political thing.
Shame on you for insulting our children. You're so far behind the times it is SCARY. My college-educated daughter, with an Aeronautical Science degree (and minors in Chinese and Russian) recently returned from her Iraq tour.
Your daughter is a brainwashed idiot!
Isn't it nice to know we have a grown-up running our country for a change?
Intelligent people: make sure to get to the voting booth this year and give him a second term!
Much better than a drunken Texan who hasn't seen his way out of a whiskey bottle for over 20 years that is for sure.
I'll do whatever I can to stop that. We need to get out of Afghanistan, but Obama doesn't deserve any kudos on this one. The country will be back under Taliban rule within a year of the troop pullout. Mullah Omar is just waiting for us to leave.
Oh I see. So Obama didn't have to approve of the pullout?
Let me guess. It was Newt Gingrich! Or maybe Rick Perry, huh?
Absolutely. And look how we "left" Iraq- oh I mean left a huge State Dept. contingent, complete with thousands of "security guards" who fly drones over Bagdad
well, Bush got us into these messes , and you probably voted for him , so its your fault , now Obama pulls you fat out of the fire and look how you act
Hey ,, bush wasn't drunk, He was a pretty decent boy till he started hanging around that bum prick chaney
Yeah, bring those troops home and then try to figure out what to do with them. If the military discharges them, there's no one to hire them. I want to see us out of Afghanistan as much as the next person, but I'm just saying, where are they going to put these people?
Even unemployed, at least they're not being shot at... well. Unless they live in Detroit, anyway.
Or Chicago
Or ANYWHERE south of the Mason Dixon line where the most shooting accidents and crimes occur.
Hey Don, Goole the 10 most dangerous cities in the US. Most are far north of the mason dixon line
Really Bill? Hey, lets keep people employed in a combat zone, sounds like the real American Dream to me. Moron
Gee, I dunno, Bill, how many of them do you suppose we could hire with the $100,000,000,000 we WON'T be spending next year in that godforsaken hellhole?
Iran.
ANOTHER YEAR IN THIS FKHOLE??? UNACCEPTABLE
I guess Obama and company have finally thrown in the towel with regards to Afghanistan. At this point, I can't say I see much in the way of alternatives.
Back when Obama first did the Afghanistan surge, I thought that it was necessary because I was worried about the Taliban taking over Pakistan and gaining access to their nuclear arsenal. Since then, it's become more and more clear that it's too late for that...
Get out now. No more lives wasted.
Yeah that "letting the ____ country take the lead on security" worked so well in Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq ... why not try it again? Einstein said the definition of insanity is repeating an action, expecting different results. How about we try letting them rot in their forsaken hellhole of a country this tme instead?
Isn't that pretty much what we're doing?
Yeaaaaay! Ding Dong, Osama's dead.
Now, let's free the Afghan Women + get the hell outta there!
Afghanistan $ucks, Pakis $uck, all muslim countries $uck. Stay away, they are rabid.
Hahahaha
Who told you to go there in the first place
haha I like the way you think! People like the guy spewing hate towards all muslims are ignorant and generally very stupid. I just hope you all known that his view is not all Americans view, nor the majorities view.
thats better..now US can urgently work on getting paki nukes as pak is the real hub of terror....isolate pak and secure their nukes...then there will be peace in afpak.....
Anything for a potential vote. We have no business being there NOW.
I agree 100%! Enough Americans have died and in the name of what? And people from those countries that are in the the U.S. want to turn this country into what they left behind.
alex smith, your English is as bad as your football.
iHmm i never heard "I will pullout before anything else happens" Nine months later...
heh
first these god damn ldiots were bltching about not being out of iraq and than we leave iraq and then they bltch about leaving iraq too soon.
THEN these morons were bltching about not being out of afghnaistan soon enough and then when we start LEAVING they bltch about that too! holy shlt you ldiots are annoying as hell!
Show us your perky breasts!
hahah exactly! They'll never be happy. I think they think no one see's their hypocrisy
Thank God we are pulling out. We cannot afford this war. The military industrial complex brought down Russia. We came very close to destroying our own economy. These wars have contributed heavily to our debt and the financial mess we have been in. When all the B.S. of the current election season is behind us, this is what will be reflected in the history books. We almost brought the country down, and in the end got nothing for it, except huge debt, and tragically a lot of dead and wonded soldiers.
we need the terrorists to be supresed, the only reason why we should pull out is to regroup and attack pakistan, espesialy after 4,000 pow interagations showed that pakistan is helping the terrorists directly.
BS. The only time any of the "terrorists" have ventured outside their region is in direct response to occupation or oppression from outside. Britain found that out. So did France and Belgium. Russia lasted a lot longer but finally got out. Seems like the chickenhawks in our government just don't seem to learn the lessons. If Iran is such a threat, why haven't the other Arab countries taken care of them? I think it is because Iran is keeping the focus off of their own oppressive regimes.
Well, Obama is now unbeatable.
Got Bin crazy, out of Iraq and AFPAK.
Pretty hawkish POTUS with strong foreign policy. Unemployment falling....
And, of course, no actual opponent.
LOL if only the news reported things more properly.
1) Navy Seals got Bin Laden, and frankly if you want to credit Obama, you have to credit Bush too.
2) Bush actually got us out of Iraq. It was called the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement. Bush signed it with Al-Malki to have our troops out by the end of 2011. Obama had not a thing to do with it.
3) AFPAK? Obama increased troops in Afghanistan, but now Al Qaeda ran down to Yemen, and North Africa, and Obama sent troops to Central Africa to find a warlord. We gave a heck of a lot of money to Pakistan only to have to revealed, publicly though everyone knew, that Pakistan has been playing us.
4) The US is in the tank.
What happens overseas has not done a thing to fix what is here domestically. If you want to hinge his reelection on those flimsy reason then good grief we are in deep trouble.
None of that will matter at election time – whoever was in the office at the time gets the blame/credit.
No, Bush does not need or deserve any credit for getting Bin Laden.. unless you want to give credit to every president in office while Bin Laden was alive. Bush himself said he didn't know where he was and that he wasn't important. The office specifically looking for him was closed and its operations folded into other offices and the only excuse the Bush administration had for this was that it was planned before 9-11 even happened. I guess 9-11 "changed everything".. except that.
Im going to have to agree with you on that LV
We are at war with EastAsia. We have always been at war with EastAsia.
So glad we have Thinkpol looking out for us.
East Asia? It has been a LOOOONG time since we had a war in EAST Asia. Now, SOUTH WEST Asia is a different story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four#The_War
Awww.. how cute. Another conspiracy theorist who has read 1984 a few times too often and insists everything in politics and history must conform to its plot in one way or another.
Awww, how cute. A descendant of Ned Ludd intentionally blinding himself to the future.
The day after we got bin Laden the US should have cut off all funding to pakistan and withdrawn completely from Afganistan. If we stay anywhere it should have been Iraq to clean up the mess we made.
Times like this I wish CNN had "like" buttons.
YES! And we should have told them we were gonna do it beforehand.
Good job, SecDEF!
About time! Thanks Mr. Obama! You done more for the war on terror than any of the GOP clowns in office!
Obama has done nothing, if you were in the seals and saw bin laden would you blow that pigs head off, or let him live just for some anti war idoit in the U.N. to let him go free?! Obama never deserved presedency in the first place, and nothing will make me change my mind.
The very idea that nothing will make you change your mind makes your opinion worthless. That means your stuck in your ignorant views to the death. So therefore, it doesnt matter. Atleast have the common sense to look at the facts and then re-arrange your viewpoints accordingly. Otherwise your just a fool.
Nice to hear after my little brother was shot and killed this morning
you sorry excuse for leaders will knock the bottom out of hell....may you rot forever for maintaining this senseless war
If our elected leader's children were in the military we would see much less war. And yes I'm a decorated vet from both Iraq and Afghanistan. Let these tribal cave dwellers do what they do best..grow poppies and prey on each other. It's all they know. Oh spending our money too while protecting the enemy. Nuke anyone?
I am so sorry to hear that. May God be with you and your family.
Wouldn't it have been nicer to hear a year ago? Or 3 years ago? Or 10 years ago? It's sad about your brother, and it's sadder still that he's just one more tally mark on the wall under the motto "Old men's war, young men's blood".
what really makes me sick is that they can not give me a reason why we are there....we are burning our future and I have to here dirty secrets from campaigners trying to grab at power....like I said may they rot forever
I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
My deepest sympathy for the loss of your brother. Your own wound must be great. May time bring you peace.
I'm so sorry to hear about this tragedy for your family. My thoughts are with you and them.
Nuke the bastards on the way out – no one is ever going to change these savages into himans.
or humans either for that matter.
Sorry everyone he hasn't taken any of his medications today
Well, we certainly know that repeatedly going to war with them and trying to manipulate their governments for our own benefit with no care for what it does to the people there will certainly never make them "human". But I guess if your country were invaded and occupied you wouldn't even think of fighting back, right? Also.. maybe you haven't noticed, but WE invaded THEIR country... on the other side of the world.
The end of combat mission doesnt mean we pull out 100%.
yes the article clearly states that.
Great! Time to bring them home. Russia was in Afghanistan for 10 years fighting and would have been there for 100 years more with the same results. Our best policy is to transition to mitigation of the Taliban on the political front but we cannot change a cultural mindset – We, as Americans, would resent Russians invading our country and trying to make us act Russian – why should we expect other people not to feel the same about their culture? The Taliban is bad, I agree (kinda like the TEA Party here) but we must help the present Afghan leadership defeat them through their political process.
There is a reason they call it the place where empires go to die.
Still keeping our guys there? This is BS of the first degree! Fire Panetta and impeach Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you yell "fire Bush" when he sent our troops to Afghanistan and Iraq?
Bush and the Republicans started the OPTIONAL $1,000,000,000,000 war for false reasons that left over 4,000 Americans dead and over 30,000 wounded. Blame them.
Tribes will be tribes. Ain't anything NATO/America can do about it. America needs to concentrate on getting Mexican cartels out of American cities
Obama, let the enemy know what day you will pull out. mark your calendar so that they can mark theirs. How did iraq work out for you? this next one will be the same. LOL obozo, idiot-in-chief
Obama should take up singing! He sure does not know how to lead! Wonder if he ever served in the Boy Scouts?
There is not boys scouts of islam.
how on earth are you blaming Obama for Iraq? ignorant moron!
You're just the fringe and your job is to always be the fringe.
Speaking of idiots, Bush read "The Pet Goat" while our nation was being attacked and then started a war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. He gave them a deadline and started the war right on cue with CNN already in place. He later followed that up by saying he wasn't concerned about bin Laden.
Actually, he did not start it "one cue". He gave them 48 hours to surrender and attacked after only 24 hours passed because the Baath party was meeting in the Baath party Convention Center, supposedly watching "Pretty Woman" in the auditorium. He wanted to wipe out as many Baath party delegates as he could in one shot. For all we know, they were planning their surrender when three Tomahawk Cruise Missiles slammed into the building. 250 Baath party members dies, and 200 bodies are still entombed in the rubble.
HRPuckinfutz,
"Saying the United States "will not be intimated by thugs and killers," President Bush gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons a 48-hour ultimatum Monday: Leave the country or face military action." March 18, 2003
Invasion: March 20, 2003.
Try again.
You try again. The invasion began then. But the bombing started 24 hours earlier. How do I know this? I spent 18 months in Baghdad working for the Air Force. I've been in the Baath Party Convention Center. I've attended the Army's lecture on the war. We do not invade until we soften up the enemy with air power. It would be stupid to send in an invasion force without first bombing the crap out of the enemy.
You want more information? I can copy and paste, too.
"The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on March 19, 2003. The following day coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border."
That was not the only target that night. Also hit were both Uday and Qusay Hussein's homes, as well as, the Victory Over America palace, which was under construction. And the Baath Party Convention Center. These were all places that it was suspected that Saddam Hussein might be located and hopefully killed, which did not happen (except for the Victory Over America Palace, which was not a strategic target at all, but more of a symbolic target to send a message to Saddam Hussein). The Baath Party Convention Center was also targeted to kill as many Baath party members as possible in order to cause instability in the government. All of this occurred a mere 24 hours into the 48 hour ultimatum.
shut_up, you should do exactly what your name says. You are ignorant and obviously at least mildly retarded.
Boy oh boy, Bush at the helm of this country. Would you entrust this great nation with a mediocre student? That's exactly what happened for 8 years, and look where we are now. I'm surprised this country is not more messed up than it is; all thanks to that retard.
We're not worse off thanks to Obama.
Read some news, man.
Not an election year stunt nor even politically motivated (although I'm sure there will be political charges that fire up both parties political base).
There is a VERY real reason we need those troops... It's because it is 50/50 that there is going to be some sort of conflict (no claim on the scope, but something...) with Iran in the next 12-24 months.
Israel isn't gonna sit on their hands for long, and with the Iranian state almost on the brink of economic failure (due in large part to the current administration's speak softly and carry a big stick style isolation of Iran – which I might add that Republicans decry as do nothing and it's freaking worked brilliantly), the chances for someone in the region doing something to ignite it all is quite real...
While we NEED to disentangle ourselves from Afghanistan as well as Iraq, for our own National reasons, per your reasoning of eventual conflict with Iran we would rather want to retain large ground forces in BOTH Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, our troop presence in countries "Bracketting Iran" has probably been a damper on their saber-rattling for the past decade. Once we are indeed out of the Region, Iran will have less reason to fear the repercussions of their incursions into the Straits of Hormuz.
Iran should actually be more concerned. As our forces are no longer entangled in Iraq, and will be drawn down in Afghanistan, they will be more readily available for a conflict with Iran. However, a conflict with Iran will likely involve more technological weapons than ground forces, much like the conflict in Libya, minus the opposition army. We and our allies, who would likely actually support his conflict, would bomb the crap out of Iran until the point that it submitted. As for the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian navy would be decimated by the combined navies of the allied force they would face. So, in my opinion, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan does not change the landscape of a possible conflict with Iran, other than to free up the funds previously used for those conflicts for a war with Iran. Basically, Iran should be afraid. VERY afraid.
We should leave now. We can't afford it anymore. Suzie Orman says to get rid of debt!
Well, that ought to give the bad guys something to shoot for, eh? All they have to do is hold out, until we're gone, and they take over the country again. Really brilliant, giving them something to shoot for like that. Smooth move, Ex-Lax!!
Sure, as opposed to what genius?
Missions should have ended 8 years ago, they are pointless. Afghanistan is a feudal society, our young people dying there will not change that.
The saddest part of this is that years and years of constant deployment have turned our veterans into virtual space aliens. If you haven't talked to an Afghan veteran, try it some time. They did their job. They did it well. But many of them are even more messed up in the head that the Vietnam vets. Next time there's a war, we need to spread the pain around more fairly.
I have family members that were over there and they are just fine.
BS, you would not write that if a 18 year old family member barely out of High School was killed in such a third world hole.
We have a volunteer military, if they can't handle the heat they should have never signed up.
YES , they enlist , but does that give a leader a right to use them as disposable tools ? Gee don't the American people think more of their soldiers that that ? I must say , i often heard the "well they enlisted " comment made by those whe were to cowardly to serve .
You have to be messed up in the head to join the military anyway. Every "war" we've been in since WWII has been a mistake. Today's soldiers are simply pawns willing to get their legs blown off for some sleazeball politician.
I'm a combat vet and would NOT want a draftee next to me. As it is, to many people whine, moan, bitch, and complain. That goes for all income levels and the political spectrum.
The only person I want next to me is one who joined voluntarily, since the rest of you only think about "me" and not your country.
Its still combat... Dont let the name change fool you
Afghanistan is and always has been a lawless country made up of rival , ruthless, cutthroat tribes. From Alexander the Great to China to Britain to Russia. . . anyone who has tried to tame it has failed (the USA is no exception). Going into Afghanistan is a waste of time and money. You would think that our leaders would learn from the past.
How about we pull out all together and stop playing World Police.
invest more with canada with their oil sands project and slowly ween ourselves from the middle east. they all hate the U.S even our supposed allies. end our overseas outsourcing job programs in that region and bring them back home. to hell with that region let them destroy each other.
That won't be US oil.
more the cheaper
The sands oil is not clean enough for US consumption. It will be exported to third world nations, but only after being refined in the US, which will be an ecological disaster. The oil companies are already exporting record amounts of refined fuels in order to create an artificial fuel shortage in the US and cause fuel prices to rise. Why do you think gasoline prices have risen so dramatically in the past month? The oil companies simply want to line their pockets with $$$. They care not about the citizens of this country. And the VAST majority of oil company executives are Republican.
Oil from Alberta's Oil Sands is expected to remain more expensive than Middle Eastern Crude, even with the associated shipping costs. And when it comes to environmental costs, you get the double-whammy of not only the exhaust pipe pollution of the refineries and the cars but also the loss of compensating greenery as the boreal forests are stripped in order to mine the Oil Sands in Canada.
Another huge success for Barck Obama. Unlike Bush, he went after bin Laden and got him.
It's an election year! Duh.
Panetta alone gave the order to go after bin laden, and the Navy Seals got the job done...NOT Obama.
I thought that whatever happened under a president's watch (good or bad) was his/her responsibility.
If you think that Panetta, and the military, would attempt as sensitive an operation as that was, without the full knowledge, support, and authorization of and by the President of the United States, you are truly clueless.
got_a_clue, GET a clue. Obama gave the order to get Bin Laden after both Panetta and Biden recommended NOT approving the mission. Biden recently disclosed that information in an interview. Obama approved the mission before heading to Alabama to view the devastation caused by intense storms. Panetta does NOT have the authority to approve such a mission. Only the POTUS have that authority.
LOL you can not talk to these people rationally , they have an insanity about them , they can not admit Obama is winning on every front . Now we can see how if Obama had been President when all this started , the Wars would have been over years ago. Thank you Mr President
got-a-clue,
GET A CLUE. Don't be so clueless.
From wikipedia:
Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack Obama and carried out in a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs.
Afghanistan would make a great parking lot.
Well if you already have the parking lot...
Might as well build the worlds largest indoor/outdoor waterpark.
I bet Dubai and the UAE will get in on it too....if its big and grand enough.
This is really good news. It would be even better if you brought them home now. They've accomplished their main mission over there, and it should be done.