Gates to Brief Obama on Shifting Troops to Afghanistan

[Beacool]

Monday, February 2, 2009

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Barack Obama will get the nuts and bolts when Defense Secretary Robert Gates briefs him Monday afternoon about specific plans for adding 15,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Three U.S. military sources have confirmed to CNN that Gates will present the plan when he meets with Obama and Biden Monday afternoon.

On Friday, Gates received the military's plans for sending three additional brigades to the war zone, but deferred on signing off on the plan until he could brief the new president.

The plan calls for ultimately sending two additional combat brigades — most likely one Army and one Marine Corps unit — and a brigade of trainers for Afghan security forces.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/02/gates-to-brief-obama-on-shifting-troops-to-afghanistan/#comments

[Runcible Spoon]

1. *sigh*

Here we go.

[Beacool]

2. I was starting to think that no one cared.

Thanks for responding. We may be leaving Iraq some time by 2010, but I get the feeling that we're going to be in Afghanistan for years to come.

:-(

[Runcible Spoon]

3. well now there's another story in LBN saying the generals are ratcheting up to push for delaying a

pulling out of Iraq, and hell knows how many are headed straight for Afghanistan anyways. I fucking can't believe we are right back here again, having to defend ourselves on DU of all places. I am so disgusted that Gates is still this close to power, and still pushing for more lives sunk into brutal guerrilla wars we cannot win.

But Obama wants to escalate the war effort, so we're just supposed to swallow it. I don't care, I was against that quagmire in Afghanistan when Bush was gunning for it, and I'm still against it. I guess it's as unpopular stance now as it was back then, too. So be it.

[Beacool]

4. Well, I always believed that it was all campaign B.S. anyway.

Politicians say and promise many things that they later on do not do. Sometimes because they didn't intend to do them in the first place and other times because circumstances prevent them from fulfilling their promises. In time we'll see in which category this falls into.

:eyes:

[ieoeja]

5. What was all campaign B.S.?

Throughout the campaign Obama called for expanding the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan. How does this news make that promise bullshit?

[Beacool]

I'm referring to the pulling out of Iraq.

Politicians promise the moon and the stars and then reality sets in. Who knows how long we'll be in Iraq? Hopefully, within the 16 months as expected, but anything can happen between now and then.

Call me cynical, but I don't trust 100% any politician.

:shrug:

[Runcible Spoon]

6. there are several connotations for "bullshit"

In this context, I think we mean "it fucking sucks" not "it was all a lie".