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02 Dec 2009 10:34

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U.S., World: Daily Poll: Obama’s plan for Afghanistan; is it the right way?


Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Dec 2009 10:05

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U.S.: The Senate is in the middle of debating Obama’s Afghan plan

  • Success is the real exit strategy, and when conditions on the ground have decisively begun to change for the better. That is when our troops should start to return home with honor, not one minute longer, not one minute sooner, and certainly not on some arbitrary date in July 2011.
  • John McCain • Discussing the troop increase Obama has planned as well as the pullout. The Senate hearings on the event are currently going on, and The New York Times has a pretty thorough liveblog about what may be the moment that defines Obama’s diplomatic legacy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Dec 2009 21:08

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U.S., World: Obama on Afghanistan: Push ’em in fast, pull ’em out quick

  • We will continue to advise and assist Afghanistan’s security forces to ensure that they can succeed over the long haul. But it will be clear to the Afghan government – and, more importantly, to the Afghan people – that they will ultimately be responsible for their own country.
  • President Barack Obama • On his choice to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, but begin to pull them out by July of 2011. Will 20 months be enough to move to the next step? We’ll find out. Obama’s plan, BTW, is in that mushy area where liberals don’t like it, but neither do conservatives. But it’s not burning fury, either. So he’s doing OK. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2009 09:55

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U.S., World: Report: The Bush administration let Osama Bin Laden get away

  • He was within grasp in 2001, but reinforcements weren’t sent. First off, let’s state the obvious: We’d still have terrorism troubles if Bin Laden were captured – though they might be less focused. However, a Senate report says that the U.S. was close to catching him in Afghanistan, only to drop the ball by leaning on air strikes instead of putting people on the ground. Donald Rumsfeld is specifically blamed for his lack of action. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

28 Nov 2009 12:18

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U.S., World: The U.S. still has an operational secret prison in Afghanistan

  • The black jail was the most dangerous and fearful place. They don’t let the ICRC officials or any other civilians see or communicate with the people they keep there. Because I did not know what time it was, I did not know when to pray.
  • Detained Kandahar spare-parts dealer Hamidullah • Describing the scary situation he faced when he was held at a secret prison at the Bagram Air Base. Hamidullah, who doesn’t use a last name, faced a windowless concrete cell lit by a single light bulb and twice-daily interrogation sessions – the only contact he had with the outside world. Obama had shut many of these secret prisons down in January, but his order only applied to those run by the CIA. This prison is run by Special Ops forces. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2009 09:45

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World: An Afghan airstrike leads top German minister Franz Josef Jung to resign

  • He’s the third top official to resign this week. Jung and others were under pressure after a September attack in Afghanistan killed civilians. It came out in local newspaper Bild that Jung and others likely knew of the civilian casualties from the point it happened. Those who resigned all assumed responsibility for the attacks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Nov 2009 19:24

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U.S.: Obama has to make a big decision. Time for a speech!

  • After eight years, some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job.
  • President Barack Obama • On his Afghan troop announcement, which many expect him to make during a live television address Tuesday – just around the point you should be making Turkey (or Tofurky) soup out of your leftovers. As with seemingly everything in his presidency, he’s either going to piss off his base or piss off the right with his decision. We hope he does the right thing and figures out a way to piss off both sides. Now that would be awesomely presidential of him. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 Nov 2009 09:13

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World: Hamid Karzai’s ready to be Afghan president again or something

Karzai hopes to move on from the election controversy: “I call on all dear brothers, presidential candidates, to co-operate with me in building Afghanistan’s future.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2009 10:23

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World: U.S. to Pakistan: Increase your efforts against the Taliban

  • The U.S. says Afghan troop increase useless without more Pakistan help. Question: If you’re trying to smoke out a group like the Taliban, do you focus on one country when they’re clearly seeping into another one? Of course not. Which is why the U.S. is trying to increase pressure on Pakistan, sending Gen. James L. Jones (along with a sternly-written letter) to make a case for an expanded effort. In fact, some officials advocating minimal troop increases suggest that it’s merely a matter of keeping the Taliban smoked out near Pakistan. We’ll see. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Nov 2009 10:41

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World: Gordon Brown says that he can twist arms to ensure NATO help

  • 5,000 the number of troops the British PM says he can bring into Afghanistan from NATO source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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