President Obama is at odds with US military over his promised Afghanistan troop drawdown this July

[ClarkUSA]

Military leaders and President Obama’s civilian advisers are girding for battle over the size and pace of the planned pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan this summer... Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top allied commander in Afghanistan, has not presented a recommendation on the withdrawal to his superiors at the Pentagon, but some senior officers and military planning documents have described the July pullout as small to insignificant, prompting deep concern within the White House.

At a meeting of his war cabinet this month, Obama expressed displeasure with such characterizations of the withdrawal, according to three senior officials with direct knowledge of the session. “The president made it clear that he wants a meaningful drawdown to start in July,” said one of the officials, who, like the others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.

Hmm... so President Obama is at loggerheads with his generals. But he's their Commander-In-Chief and they -- especially Gen. Petraeus, with his alleged Republican presidential ambitions -- had better remember that when push comes to shove.

[msongs]

1. the military just got another undelcared war, it should be ecstatic nt

[ClarkUSA]

2. Prove it.

[tekisui]

4. Okay. L I B Y A.

For the interests of the military industrial complex, they have a new money maker. The poster was suggesting a drawdown in Afghanistan would be acceptable because they have a new military action ongoing, which will cost the US $40 million a month after our initial $300+ million rain of missiles there.

[ClarkUSA]

7. Wrong. Participating in the Libyan no-fly zone is not a war.

The poster is blathering without an ounce of proof to back him up. I had no idea you were his translator, either.

[former9thward]

12. What is your definition of a war?

[ClarkUSA]

13. It sure isn't any military action arising out of a humanitarian UN-sanctioned no-fly zone.

If this were a real war, I assure you the opposition rebels would not be asking for a ceasefire today, with a UN envoy by their side. The UN envoy arrived yesterday, BTW.

[golfguru]

29. His war definitions probably are as follows:

War on Poverty
War on Drugs
War on smoking
War on pollution
War on carbon emissions

Lob a few hundred missiles costing Millions at a sovereign country? That is not a war!

[tekisui]

18. Regardless of the semantic game, the military industry is going to

see more revenue from our participation in Libya, which was the point of the poster. And the point you choose to willfully ignore. Call it what you will, but military contractors will call it profitable.

[ClarkUSA]

21. So what? What are we going to use in no-fly zones? Paper airplanes and pea shooters?

BTW, msongs only mentioned "the military"; it's you who is adding all the rest in your rather subjective translation.

[tekisui]

23. LOL!

[woo me with science]

22. +1000

Semantic games grow tiresome after a while.

[ClarkUSA]

3. Here's the link to the OP news story -->

http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2011/03/31/u-s-military-balks-at-promised-afghan-drawdown/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog

[flpoljunkie]

5. Thanks.

[opihimoimoi]

6. Sun Tsu: For best results: The Soverign must let his Generals run the effort w/o interference

[vroomvroom]

17. Does it say anything about having this war for the sake of Corporate War Profiteering?

A war that only benefits the most to gain if it never ends at all.
Congress and the WH must keep their big campaign donors happy. The only issue is coming up with a new excuse to tell the public for maintaining it for another year, every year.

[ClarkUSA]

27. Link? Wasn't that also Bush II's mantra during his entire two terms?

Furthermore, the US government is not a sovereignty.

[Mimosa]

8. I'm feeling like I am on a Republican board back in early 2003

People on D.U. are rationalising actions they would oppose if a Republican president were doing them.

[ClarkUSA]

14. Wrong. Trying to equate the run-up to the Iraq war to this UN sanctioned no-fly zone is ridiculous.

Did Bush have the blessing of the Arab League? Did Qatar and the IAE join the war on Iraq?

FYI, the opposition rebels sat down beside a UN envoy who arrived in Libya yesterday and have asked for a ceasefire today. How long did the Iraq war last until President Obama ended it last year?

[Arkana]

9. Can't cave on this, sir.

I'm one of your biggest fans, but if you crack on the Afghan drawdown you may just lose me.

[hulka38]

28. You know it's going to happen

dont you?

[polichick]

10. Actually, the prez is the one who needs to remember that he's Commander in Chief...

He'll have to stand up to the mic this time.

[ClarkUSA]

15. Where in the news story does it appear that Pres. Obama has any doubts about that?

Petraeus' predecessor, Gen. McChrystal, wanted 80K troops for 10+ years in Afghanistan. Where is he now? Gen. Petraeus knows that he'd better tread lightly.

[bigwillq]

11. Let's hope Obama remembers that (nt)

[ClarkUSA]

16. Where in the news story does it appear that Pres. Obama has any doubts about that?

Petraeus' predecessor, Gen. McChrystal, wanted 80K troops for 10+ years in Afghanistan. Where is he now?

I guarantee you that Gen. Petraeus knows that he'd better tread lightly or else he'll be gone, too.

[tekisui]

19. Um, hate to tell you. We will be entering year 10 with well over 80k troops.

[ClarkUSA]

20. Um, Gen. McChrystal wanted 80K more troops for another 10+ years starting in 2009.

President Obama shot him down, no pun intended. Much to "retired" Gen. McChrystal's dismay, Pres. Obama will start a "meaningful" drawdown beginning in July. I wouldn't be surprised if we heard some more public complaints from him before that.

Where is the source that says there are 80K troops in Afghanistan now?

[tekisui]

24. Seriously? As of December 2010 there were around 100,000 US troops

in Afghanistan. I thought you would have known that. There was no mention of any reduction of Obama's surge to come until July 2011.

The most recent figures from Brookings can be found here: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Programs/FP/afghanistan%20index/index.pdf

And that doesn't count US contractors operating in Afghanistan.

[ClarkUSA]

25. There would have been alot more there if Gen. McChrystal and Hillary would have had their way.

Plus, there would have been no drawdown of troops to look forward to or a foreseeable end to the war.

Thanks for the info. News reports have conflicting numbers.

[Vattel]

26. It will be intersting to see what happens.

I've got my money on the pentagon, but I truly hope I'm proven wrong.