I trust our Commander in Chief

[katanalori]

I knew his stance on escalation in Afghanistan when I voted for him. I voted for President Obama despite this, not because of it.

I'm not really understanding where all the outrage on the left is coming from on this one. During the campaign, I thought Pres. Obama made it abundantly clear that he thought it was going to take more troops in Afghanistan to end this thing. He wrote this in July, 2008:


"As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there. I would not hold our military, our resources and our foreign policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq."

It seems that many who voted for Obama now forget that part of his platform was to focus more attention and put more resources, both human and financial, into the war in Afghanistan, because Bush had screwed up when he had failed to see this necessary war through and had instead invaded Iraq.

He said so from the beginning. Shame on anyone who did not know or thought otherwise when they went into the voting booth. Obama made it very clear.



Full Disclosure: The above is, in part, a compilation of various comments found at http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com. I include those posts because they express my feelings as well.

[bigjohn16]

1. He was wrong during the campaign and he's wrong now. nt

[katandmoon]

3. BINGO

[IndianaGreen]

2. He is not your Commander in Chief, unless you are in the military

[NYC_SKP]

10. oh tomatoe tomahtoes... puh lease. He's my commander in chief if I fuckin want him to be.

[MattSh]

13. suit yourself...

If that's what makes you happy.

[BlueIdaho]

19. Then join up and go help fight his war.

[scubadude]

4. Two more brigades equates to about 8000 troops. Those were already sent.

The additional 30,000 are in addition to the more than 2 brigades already sent.

Scuba

[silverweb]

5. I do, as well.

There is nothing simple about the problems our President is facing, the decisions he has to make, or the actions he has to take.

I trust him and support him, even as I'm sometimes baffled and dismayed by steps he feels he has to take, and I hope for the best possible outcome for all concerned.

[midnight armadillo]

20. You have no business in a democracy.

"I trust him and support him, even as I'm sometimes baffled and dismayed by steps he feels he has to take, and I hope for the best possible outcome for all concerned. "

Blind faith in leadership is antithetical to the enterprise of democratic government.

"There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots. What is it? Distrust."
Demosthenes

[bread_and_roses]

6. How touching!

I have seen the light! He's our "commander in chief!" "He said so during the campaign!" All is well now. I'll just forget the blasted Afghan children - hell, half of them die before they're five anyway, or something like that. What are their lives compared to a campaign "promise" anyway?

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. He's quietly escalated this motherfucker since January with no results

Now he is trying this shit, what are you going to say when he makes a speech (or not) next year & sends another 60,000?
I lived through Johnson & Nixon, it's the same old shitpot.

[Cha]

22. Yeah, I trust his judgment ..not

some computer chair analysts on the internet.

[midnight]

8. I wonder how he would move forward with such a plan when:

It has become clear that the Karzai government does not have the confidence of the people because of corruption. A trusted government is essential to any counter-insurgency strategy working, otherwise it becomes impossible to transition out. How does this plan address corruption issues, especially as it pertains to the central government gaining the confidence of the people in a way that doesn't make it seem that it is a puppet-regime just doing what the western nations want? If we cannot guarantee that, what does a counter-insurgency strategy really achieve that could not be done with a counter-terror strategy that relies on fewer troops?http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=F9712EFF9A9DF85946CFAD07CF9D5126?diaryId=3510

[Name removed]

9. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FarLeftFist]

11. The fact is....

We all knew this day was coming, some just hoped it wouldn't more than others.

[avaistheone1]

12. Why divide our own country further by escalating Afghanistan when Obama already admits the country

is polarized on this issue? Obama's Afghanistan vision was not a popular one during the campaign of after. Getting out of Iraq was popular with voters and won him the presidency.

The primary lesson from Vietnam was not to go to war unless the country is united with you.

Obama is ignoring the lessons of history at his and our peril.

[eridani]

14. He's not my "Commander in Chief"

And he isn't yours either, unless you happen to be a member of the armed forces.

[LBJDemocrat]

16. Thanks.

This "my commander-in-chief" mentality is undemocratic.

[freddie mertz]

31. They seem to think we live under military dictatorship.

Or ought to.

Crazy stuff.

[Dreamsoldier76]

15. Earn it

As a Gay man, I find it irritating that he isnt working to end Dont Ask Dont Tell and isnt doing anything to put an end to DOMA. It shouldnt take 4 years to overturn discriminatory laws. Im in my 30s and the impact that legalized homophobia has had on my life is enormous. Homophobia ruins lives and kills people, it would be nice to see if Obama actually cares enough to put a stop to it. At least he and the democratic party passed the Matthew Shepard bill.

[LBJDemocrat]

17. This sounds eerily similar to another poster on DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x63614

Is it submit-to-your-leader day on DU?

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

23. ex-poster

[WeDidIt]

18. I don't any more.

Too many lies. He's lost my trust.

[asdjrocky]

21. Capitulater in Chief.

[IndianaGreen]

24. Are you in the military? If you are, then the term Commander in Chief applies

if you are a civilian, he is just the President not some Il Duce.

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. I do too. I trust him to be JUST like every other Commander in Chief that came before him.

"As president, I would pursue a new strategy..." That's where my attention starts to drift... how many times have I heard that in my lifetime? My first vote in a general election was cast in 1980. I've heard those same words, VERBATIM, in each and every election I've cast a vote in since then.

I'm hoping that those DU'ers younger than me are reading this... I'VE HEARD THE SAME THINGS YOU'VE HEARD, and I've heard them since 1978. NEVER have they changed. So many promises. So many statements. So many platforms.

How is this country different, how can it be considered to have improved between NOW, and THEN? Nary at all. Empty, hollow promises. Long strings of EMPTY, HOLLOW promises.

What worries me now, as opposed to THEN, is now some people have EXCUSES for those empty promises. "He/She needed to get elected in order to put those promises into effect, so if he/she EXAGGERATED a little bit in order to gain your vote, it's OKAY, because without your vote, those changes you hoped to see could never have been effected."

That this is the current strategy should worry us all. SOMEONE has convinced us that words spoken during election campaigns should not be taken as concrete proposals or even wishes for a certain outcome.

Our elected officials are treating us like cattle. "Hey, walk into this chute... be still... this little thing I'm going to press against your head won't hurt but for a fraction of a second..."

I don't trust a SINGLE elected representative, Dem or Repug. I Believe with all my heart that those elected representatives, from bottom to top, are in the game of "government" ONLY TO LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS.

I believe this about ALL OF THEM.

[pecwae]

28. Good god! Another sensible post.

"SOMEONE has convinced us that words spoken during election campaigns should not be taken as concrete proposals or even wishes for a certain outcome." What's worse is that a Democratic campaign and administration totally based on Change is hardly that.

I can see how someone voting for the first time or paying attention to politics for the first time got very excited last year. Obama's campaign especially spoke to them. But, when you've heard those speeches repackaged each cycle it definitely loses its luster. Oh, there's always hope, but even that word has been sullied.

If some folks would remove the stars from their eyes for just a minute perhaps they could clearly see the truth.

[angee_is_mad]

26. Everyone who is attacking him

did not always support him no matter what they say. Don't even get it twisted.

[m3e92man8850]

27. I'm finding it difficult to feel the same

[freddie mertz]

29. He lied to us over and over on Healthcare.

I will never trust him again.

[treestar]

30. There is a set of people here who are against everything the President does

Everything the Democratic congress does, and they blame the President for not being able to convince Congress of what they want. Yet they are superior and don't "march in lockstep."