REUTERS/Jim Young/FilesThere is only one news story tonight. This is the moment when an "inherited" war becomes Obama's war.
Afghanistan Drawdown to Begin in 2011, Officials Say
President Obama plans to announce Tuesday night that he will begin to transition American forces out of Afghanistan beginning in July 2011, setting the first time frame to wind down the war there nearly a decade after the United States first sent troops in to topple the Taliban government, senior administration officials said.
Accelerated Troop Surge in Afghanistan Faces Logistical 'Challenge'
It took four months to plan and now will take only six months to deploy 30,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a rapid pace that surprises observers both inside and outside of the Defense Department.
Barack Obama's war: the final push in Afghanistan
Barack Obama is to set an ambitious timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, with the first troops pulling out by July 2011. The announcement is aimed at countering US public fears that the country is being sucked into a Vietnam-style morass.
Obama’s Afghanistan War Plan Sparks Skepticism Among Democrats
President Barack Obama’s plan to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan is being greeted with skepticism or outright opposition by Democrats and support from Republicans in Congress.
Liberal Group Seeks To Rally Opposition Against Afghanistan Strategy
Hours before President Barack Obama was expected to announce a troop buildup in Afghanistan, the liberal group MoveOn.org sent emails to hundreds of thousands of supporters arguing that the president’s strategy “deepens our involvement in a quagmire.”
Size Matters
Ackerman calls out the WSJ:
How is this a “limited” troop increase? The Journal says that the troop increase will total around 30,000. The Washington Post’s headline says 34,000. If either figure is correct, that means Obama will order tonight a greater troop increase into Afghanistan than President Bush ordered into Iraq in 2007 for the iconic troop surge. What’s more, there are about 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan today, versus about 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq in January 2007, so relative to the existing base total of troops, this Afghanistan troop increase is way bigger than the Iraq one. Agree with it or disagree with it, there’s nothing “limited” about it.
Predictably, Obama Chooses to Escalate Afghanistan War
It is sad to say that Barack Obama has cowardly allowed himself to be bullied by the military and the hawks in his own party and the Republicans. In choosing to send 30,000 more troops to the endless black hole that is Afghanistan, Obama has shown he has no stomach to fight the establishment when it comes to the expansion of the U.S military empire.
Briefing the Afghanistan speech
Here's the full transcript (minus the part where officials identify themselves) of the background briefing for reporters off of which you've seen stories and blog posts this afternoon. If you're looking for something to read in advance of the 8:00 address, might as well go to the source:
Unplugged: A Troop Increase to Set Up Withdrawal
"In contrast to the surge in Iraq, where everything happened in five months, Afghanistan is such an undeveloped country that you can't just fly troops in. You've got to build bases for them," Martin told moderator Bob Orr.
Afghanistan: UK and US troops to launch new onslaught against Taliban within weeks
Thousands of soldiers will be deployed to "deliver a punch" to insurgents responsible for attacks in Helmand province. The move is part of President Barack Obama's plans to increase US troop numbers by 30,000 to be announced in a speech to the nation. He will send 9,000 US marines to fight with British forces in an offensive early in the New Year as the advanced guard of a major surge.
Afghanistan: 'Graveyard of empires' - 01 Dec 09
Obama's hard sell of war policy - 01 Dec 09
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