U.S. Senate Rejects Exit Timetable for Afghanistan

[IndianaGreen]

The war that never ends for the Afghans, but always ends badly for the foreign troops in Afghanistan. Vietnam redux!

Published on Thursday, May 27, 2010 by Reuters

U.S. Senate Rejects Exit Timetable for Afghanistan

by Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON - The Senate rejected a proposal on Thursday to require President Barack Obama to submit a timetable for pulling U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, despite unease among some members of his party over the nine-year-old war.

The 80-18 vote nixed a bid by liberal Democrat Russ Feingold for a detailed troop timetable, which he argued would avoid future "emergency" war spending bills such as the $33 billion one now before the Senate.

But most members of the Democratic-majority Senate proved unwilling to dictate to the president, with a buildup of 30,000 additional troops still underway that Obama ordered to Afghanistan and a new military push in the Kandahar area.

Adopting Feingold's plan would "reinforce the fear ... that the United States will abandon the region," Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Democrat, said.

Levin said this was unwise as the Taliban is "doing everything it can" to convince Afghans that U.S., NATO and Afghan forces cannot protect them.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/27-7

[LakeSamish706]

1. It would seem like there only 18 intelligent people in the senate, hmmm guess we

will continue to blow needless money and lives.

[mvd]

2. Feingold is right

As much as I would like it, it might not be possible to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan immediately. But without a timetable, there will always be some excuse - until we stay in the region indefinitely without there even being a clear "victory."