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Obama Official Denies Report of 40k More Troops for Afghanistan

By Jeralyn, Section Afghanistan 2009
Posted on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 07:53:19 PM EST
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The report that President Obama had decided to send 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan is false, according to his national security adviser.

“Reports that President Obama has made a decision about Afghanistan are absolutely false,” [National Security Adviser James] Jones said in a e-mailed statement today. “Any reports to the contrary are completely untrue and come from uninformed sources.”

The AP reports the number will not be quite 40,000, as CBS reported. I bet it's close.

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    Obama Official Denies Report of 40k More Troops for Afghanistan | 9 comments (9 topical)

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    It must be the extra glass of wine (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Anne on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 08:33:44 PM EST
    on this Monday night, but all I could see was:

    "Reports that President Obama has made a decision...are absolutely false"

    and it struck me as almost a satire on what seems to be his great difficulty in, well, making decisions on issues of great importance.

    Are they really, seriously, coming out with denials over what may turn out to be less than 1,000 troops?

    A postcard. (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by Addison on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 11:07:12 PM EST
    Dear President Obama,

    You have put me in the awkward position of agreeing with former VP Cheney, as I too think you are dithering.

    Please rectify. Undither yourself.

    Thanks,

    Addison

    I think (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by AlkalineDave on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 06:28:36 AM EST
    counterinsurgency offers us moire than we get with counterterrorism.  I have to say that I'm with General McChrystal on this, and I'll actually be impressed if the President goes 40k vice half-assing it.  Personally, I think we give it our all or bring everybody home.

    "we" are not giving it our all. (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by BobTinKY on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 08:15:59 AM EST
    Make no mistake about that.  Some are very definitely giving it their all.  But unless "we," i.e. 100 percent of the US, want to give this our all then "we" should get the some of US who are there the Hell out.

    Parent
    So unless (none / 0) (#9)
    by AlkalineDave on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 07:10:06 PM EST
    a war has 100 percent support it should not be fought?

    Parent
    All the candidates for President, Democrats and (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by BobTinKY on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 08:13:25 AM EST
    GOP promised to "focus" on Afghanistan, except Kucinich and Gravel.  So why are we surprised?

    The only thing that will stop this insanity is people in the streets, or a draft as Bill Moyers recently called for.  Charlie Rangel and Fritz Hollings called for a draft back in 2001.  Had we as a nation taken their advice I believe both the Iraq debacle and this ratcheting up in Afghanistan would have been prevented.  

    People in the US are saddened but generally accepting of seeing fellow citizens who they don't know coming home in a box or with limbs or important parts of their mental health missing.  Their opinion on foreign entanglements changes dramtically when the killed or wounded could be themselves or their loved ones.

    Jones Doesn't Dispute the Numbers (none / 0) (#1)
    by kidneystones on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 08:21:31 PM EST
    Just the date of the 'final' decision. Click through the links. I may have mis-read the reports, but I don't see Jones pushing back on the numbers, just whether the final, final, final decision has been made.

    What's he going to do? Afghanistan is a fifty-year project and sooner or later somebody is going to have to come clean about the scope of the challenge.

    AP story in my Sunday paper (none / 0) (#3)
    by Cream City on Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 09:06:02 PM EST
    said 30,000.  I started going through my classlists in my head, counting up how many students are on call-up.  And remembering others lost there already.

    We got home late last night (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Nov 10, 2009 at 06:08:33 AM EST
    But I haven't heard a peep about any of it yet.

    Obama Official Denies Report of 40k More Troops for Afghanistan | 9 comments (9 topical)

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