Why is Obama expanding the war?

**johnsmith** · December-01-09, 02:17 PM

Obama said the first thing he would do if elected president would be to get our soldiers home from the wars.What is the holdup in Iraq and why is he expanding the war in Afghanistan? Is this what the people who voted for him want? Does he get a free pass for that doozy of a statement he made while campaigning? If so, why? Where are all the war protesters now? How can one believe anything he says? I'm all for ending the wars and there seems to be no end in sight.

Quote: "I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank. " - Barack Obama Campaign Promise - October 27, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsSppYxSHk

**EMG** · December-01-09, 02:29 PM

Because he's a devious liar? But, wait, we already knew that...and the intelligent among us actually knew even before the election....

dfunkycity · December-01-09, 02:30 PM

Its ok, he's a liberal. They are allowed to do this without any thoughts of a real public backlash because they control the media.

It doesn't matter that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed by his war machine, he is right because he is the messiah and he knows whats best for all of us.

**EMG** · December-01-09, 02:31 PM

Originally Posted by dfunkycity

Its ok, he's a liberal. They are allowed to do this without any thoughts of a real public backlash because they control the media.

It doesn't matter that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed by his war machine, he is right because he is the messiah and he knows whats best for all of us.

Exactly!!!!!

**elganned** · December-01-09, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by dfunkycity

Its ok, he's a liberal. They are allowed to do this without any thoughts of a real public backlash because they control the media.

It doesn't matter that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed by his war machine, he is right because he is the messiah and he knows whats best for all of us.

"His" war machine? You've forgotten who got us into this mess in the first place? Missed your ADHD meds this morning, did you?

I'm utterly disappointed and disheartened at this turn of events. I feel the same way I did when I voted for Reagan on his promise to balance the federal budget and then blew the budget to smithereens with defense spending. [[That was the last time I believed and voted for a Republican, BTW. This may be the last time I believe and vote for a Democrat. Wonder what the American Worker's Party looks like these days...?)

dfunkycity · December-01-09, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by elganned

" This may be the last time I believe and vote for a Democrat. Wonder what the American Worker's Party looks like these days...?)

Yea, its your last time , and don't wonder what the worker's party looks like Its already in the white house.

What's to wonder?

ccbatson · December-01-09, 04:48 PM

Elganned...who got us there in the first place is the islamic terrorists/OBL/the Taliban. That isn't the question now, now it is a matter of how do we rapidly win on that battle front and in the greater war with islamic terrorism.

**Sstashmoo** · December-01-09, 08:02 PM

Bush and friends took office with an agenda to put American boots on the ground in the middle east, they just needed a reason, they were handed one and allowed it to happen. We're there and we aren't leaving anytime soon.

Doesn't it strike anyone odd that both parties are for such an utter failure? Does it strike anyone odd that our present "leader" harped for two years about how he would pull troops out, and now we will have an unprecedented number deployed? Makes ya wonder.

**Jimaz** · December-01-09, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by Sstashmoo

Bush and friends took office with an agenda to put American boots on the ground in the middle east, they just needed a reason, they were handed one and allowed it to happen....

Rep. Hinchey: Bush Admin. 'Intentionally Let bin Laden Get Away' for Justification of Iraq War

Rep. Hinchey: Bush ‘intentionally let Bin Laden get away’

**elganned** · December-01-09, 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by dfunkycity

Yea, its your last time , and don't wonder what the worker's party looks like Its already in the white house.

What's to wonder?

What I'm really wondering is where your keepers are.

Lorax · December-01-09, 09:17 PM

Obama is making a mistake.

You'll never hear our friends on the Reich ever say Bush made a mistake, especially when he was in office. Hell, even Bush couldn't think of one when pressed for an example. I could have offered a few, starting with his mother's insistence on not having an abortion.

The wars are both mistakes, were from the start, and shows he's unwilling to stand up to our military-industrial complex, which probably is behind many of the threats to his life, so he's giving in.

There is no national security purpose to staying, no economic reasoning to staying, and there is only the contracting, and the wealth powers behind the military insisting on continuing this.

Pulling out the troops last January was what should have been done, starting immediately. He probably would have been assassinated, though.

No president wants to spend his time in office walking a tightrope. This is not of his choosing- his presidency will be determined by others, not himself.

He would be a one term president if he chose to really show us some change we could believe in. He's taken the course of least resistance, and constant equivocation as opposed to bold, transformative change.

The banks should be nationalized if things were done correctly. A single payer health care plan based on Medicare for all is the only way to providing coverage for all at affordable rates. And the list goes on.

**oladub** · December-01-09, 10:19 PM

"For unlike the great powers of old, we have not sought world domination. Our union was founded in resistance to oppression. We do not seek to occupy other nations. We will not claim another nation's resources or target other peoples because their faith or ethnicity is different from ours." -President Obama 12/1/09

Such a speech. It gives new meaning to Poppy Day!

FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's Speech on Afghanistan

Glenn Greenwald comparing Bush with Obama: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In [[Afghan) fields.

**Papasito** · December-01-09, 11:02 PM

It's funny how Obama was labed by the left as the candidate of peace
during the election....
He was [[and still is) nothing of the sort.
People voted for the shiny and heavily marketed exterior package,
but not what was inside the box

We will have nearly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan

The added troops will join an estimated 68,000 U.S. service members already in Afghanistan, and tens of thousands of allied forces.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news...-78273987.html

We have the satellite technology to find our enemies from orbit and then bomb them at will. We have the technology to hit our enemies however and whenever we want and bomb them into submission. Instead, the President of Peace decides to send half of what his General requests [[he wanted 60,000 more troops) and to make this into our turn to pour hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of lives into what the Soviets could never accomplish.

Every soft tyrant with an oversized ego needs a war,
Obama just made this one his.

**firstandten** · December-01-09, 11:23 PM

Obama never made a campaign promise that he would end the war in Afghanistan he also made it clear that Afghanistan was the war to be fought and it needed more resources.

dfunkycity · December-01-09, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Obama never made a campaign promise that he would end the war

Really? Maybe someone should tell him that. I dont think he knew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsSppYxSHk

How are those tax cuts coming along?

**firstandten** · December-01-09, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by dfunkycity

Really? Maybe someone should tell him that. I dont think he knew.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsSppYxSHk

The campaign promise was to end the war in Iraq and I believe thats what the you tube video refers to.

**barnesfoto** · December-01-09, 11:52 PM

A bit of historical perspective is necessary, for those who have conveniently forgotten who created the mess in the first place. [[Or maybe they never bothered to learn).

Thirty years ago, The Soviets invaded Afghanistan to prop up a guy who was trying to, among other things, create equal educational opportunities for women.

At the time, such ideas were called "communism".

Fundamentalist muslims began an uprising against such ideas, as well as the foreigners who were occupying the country.

A newly elected Ray-Gun administration began comparing the fundamentalist muslims to our founding fathers and sending them guns and money. They even sent CIA agents to show the fundamentalist muslims how to use rocket launchers, purchased by us, as in the American People.

One of the Fundamentalist Muslims that received guns and money was named Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Today he's one of the people that US Forces are fighting.

The US Forces are fighting for, among other things, equal educational opportunities for women.

Obama was always against the Iraq War, and called it a "stupid war" from day one.
He was more wishy washy about A-stan.

Today, perhaps he has made a foolish mistake, and perhaps he is merely continuing decades of stupid American Foreign Policy.

On the other hand, did he not say "After 18 months, our troops will come home"?

That's still better than the previous criminally incompetent administration, [[who bungled an opp to get OBL) but it could very well be an LBJ moment, and Pakistan may be our next Cambodia.
I hope not.

**1KielsonDrive** · December-02-09, 12:54 AM

Afghanistan and Iraq are now Obama's Wars.

**1KielsonDrive** · December-02-09, 01:00 AM

Let me see here.....failed Health Care Reform, Guantanamo still operating, no criminal indictments against previous administration officials, DADT not repealed. What else will he fuck up or ignore? No, please don't tell me, Obama has improved our standing and image in international circles. That really helps the poor and those without medical coverage, not to mention the unemployed and foreclosed.

**d.mcc** · December-02-09, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by dfunkycity

Its ok, he's a liberal. They are allowed to do this without any thoughts of a real public backlash because they control the media.

It doesn't matter that hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed by his war machine, he is right because he is the messiah and he knows whats best for all of us.

Um... Again, pardon my language, but are you fucking kidding?

Did the Iraq [[illegal) War and Afghanistan Invasion start on January 20, 2009? I don't think so...

**d.mcc** · December-02-09, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by oladub

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In [[Afghan) fields.

Maybe you should re-read "In Flanders Field"...

**d.mcc** · December-02-09, 01:21 AM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

Afghanistan and Iraq are now Obama's Wars.

This is where I disagree. There has been a significant draw down in the troop numbers in Iraq. I am not a fan of the move, but I bet you ANY money, those on the right would be clamoring for his head if he pulled the troops out of both. Now he's pissed off the left, and the right just smirks.

America Must Fail At All Costs. We love this country so much, we want to drive it into the ground just so we can say we told you so...

**Red Devil** · December-02-09, 02:46 AM

This paper is a few years old, but it outlines the reason why we are still in Afghani-land.

What happens if we cut and run from Afghanistan? India might get a pipeline full of energy from Iran, thats what! Uncle Sam says "hell to the no" to that prospect. Boy oh boy, its getting harder and harder to be a global hegemon these days.

www.pnl.gov/aisu/pubs/tapvatan.pdf

**oladub** · December-02-09, 03:04 AM

Originally Posted by d.mcc

Maybe you should re-read "In Flanders Field"...

My quote was, "Such a speech. It gives new meaning to Poppy Day!" Poppies are sold to remember our war dead on Poppy Day. The irony is that opium poppies are grown in Afghanistan and Obama has sent our youth to another killing field which is why I brought up "In Flander's Fields" and substituted [[Afghan) for Flanders. Hence,

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

I had thought about bringing in 'Poppy' Bush but couldn't figure out how to work Poppy Bush in with Flander's poppies and Afghan poppies.

d.mcc, This really is Obama's war now. He has almost tripled troops strength in Afghanistan and hardly reduced the number in Iraq. Where is your source to the big drawdown of Iraq troops you mentioned? Don't forget to include the Blackwater types.

Rideron · December-02-09, 06:21 AM

Obama will make good on his pledge to bring our troops home,

But there are still Afghan babies to kill,

It's just a Bush hang-over effect, nothing else Obama can do, really.