Below, interspersed into the actual text of President Obama's speech, is my analysis and my response.
This may seem very arrogant on my part (to critique the President's speech). However, I was deeply incensed and insulted by the patronizing, self-serving tone, and the ridiculous arguments presented in this speech.
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Good evening. Nearly 10 years ago, America suffered the worst attack on our shores since Pearl Harbor. This mass murder was planned by Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network in Afghanistan, and signaled a new threat to our security — one in which the targets were no longer soldiers on a battlefield, but innocent men, women and children going about their daily lives.
In the days that followed, our nation was united as we struck at al-Qaida and routed the Taliban in Afghanistan. Then, our focus shifted. A second war was launched in Iraq, and we spent enormous blood and treasure to support a new government there. By the time I took office, the war in Afghanistan had entered its seventh year. But al-Qaida's leaders had escaped into Pakistan and were plotting new attacks, while the Taliban had regrouped and gone on the offensive. Without a new strategy and decisive action, our military commanders warned that we could face a resurgent al-Qaida, and a Taliban taking over large parts of Afghanistan.
No matter how long we stay, no matter how many more lives are lost and people maimed, in the end the Taliban will regain a major role in Afghanistan. al-Qaida is probably no longer significant but other forms of Muslim extremism will emerge. Thus. all additional casualties and all additional money spent will be a complete waste.
For this reason, in one of the most difficult decisions that I've made as president, I ordered an additional 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan. When I announced this surge at West Point, we set clear objectives: to refocus on al-Qaida; reverse the Taliban's momentum; and train Afghan security forces to defend their own country. I also made it clear that our commitment would not be open-ended, and that we would begin to drawdown our forces this July.
The successes against al-Qaida, as in killing bin Laden and other leaders, is completely separate from the military operations in Afghanistan.
The Taliban's momentum (whatever that means) has not been reversed -
this is their home; they will just sit back and wait until the US leaves.
The Afghan security forces will continue to be a joke and no match for the fanatical education of the Taliban, no matter how long we train them and how much we pay them.
Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment. Thanks to our men and women in uniform, our civilian personnel, and our many coalition partners, we are meeting our goals. As a result, starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year, and we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer, fully recovering the surge I announced at West Point. After this initial reduction, our troops will continue coming home at a steady pace as Afghan security forces move into the lead. Our mission will change from combat to support. By 2014, this process of transition will be complete, and the Afghan people will be responsible for their own security.
All additional casualties between now and 2014 (if indeed that date holds) will be completely in vain, and the President and military leaders who advocate for this delay in removing all our troops will have to live with these unnecessary and senseless casualties on their consciences.
We are starting this drawdown from a position of strength. Al-Qaida is under more pressure than at any time since 9/11. Together with the Pakistanis, we have taken out more than half of al-Qaida's leadership. And thanks to our intelligence professionals and Special Forces, we killed Osama bin Laden, the only leader that al-Qaida had ever known. This was a victory for all who have served since 9/11. One soldier summed it up well. "The message," he said, "is we don't forget. You will be held accountable, no matter how long it takes."
These types of actions against al-Qaida, if necessary, can be continued without a single US soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq.
The information that we recovered from bin Laden's compound shows al-Qaida under enormous strain. Bin Laden expressed concern that al-Qaida has been unable to effectively replace senior terrorists that have been killed, and that al-Qaida has failed in its effort to portray America as a nation at war with Islam — thereby draining more widespread support. Al-Qaida remains dangerous, and we must be vigilant against attacks. But we have put al-Qaida on a path to defeat, and we will not relent until the job is done.
Again, nothing to do with retaining troops in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, we've inflicted serious losses on the Taliban and taken a number of its strongholds. Along with our surge, our allies also increased their commitments, which helped stabilize more of the country. Afghan security forces have grown by over 100,000 troops, and in some provinces and municipalities we have already begun to transition responsibility for security to the Afghan people. In the face of violence and intimidation, Afghans are fighting and dying for their country, establishing local police forces, opening markets and schools, creating new opportunities for women and girls, and trying to turn the page on decades of war.
I predict with virtual certainty that, no matter when the US finally leaves Afghanistan, the Taliban will return in full force, and quite possible topple the hapless buck we leave in charge as the "government".
Of course, huge challenges remain. This is the beginning — but not the end — of our effort to wind down this war. We will have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that we have made, while we drawdown our forces and transition responsibility for security to the Afghan government. And next May, in Chicago, we will host a summit with our NATO allies and partners to shape the next phase of this transition.
We do know that peace cannot come to a land that has known so much war without a political settlement. So as we strengthen the Afghan government and security forces, America will join initiatives that reconcile the Afghan people, including the Taliban. Our position on these talks is clear: They must be led by the Afghan government, and those who want to be a part of a peaceful Afghanistan must break from al-Qaida, abandon violence and abide by the Afghan Constitution. But, in part because of our military effort, we have reason to believe that progress can be made.
This observation is "politically correct" but ignores thousands of years of historical experience. This part of the world has never been "pacified" into a nation-state; it has always, and will for the foreseeable future be dominated by tribal rule, which we do not understand. America, in its simple-minded foreign policy, still believes that it has the one and only correct answer to how countries should be governed. America barely knows how to govern itself, let alone telling other societies how to do it.
The goal that we seek is achievable, and can be expressed simply: no safe-haven from which al-Qaida or its affiliates can launch attacks against our homeland, or our allies. We will not try to make Afghanistan a perfect place. We will not police its streets or patrol its mountains indefinitely. That is the responsibility of the Afghan government, which must step up its ability to protect its people; and move from an economy shaped by war to one that can sustain a lasting peace. What we can do, and will do, is build a partnership with the Afghan people that endures — one that ensures that we will be able to continue targeting terrorists and supporting a sovereign Afghan government.
Here we go again! Another definition of "achievable goals" for Afghanistan.
Complete fantasy.
Of course, our efforts must also address terrorist safe-havens in Pakistan. No country is more endangered by the presence of violent extremists, which is why we will continue to press Pakistan to expand its participation in securing a more peaceful future for this war-torn region. We will work with the Pakistani government to root out the cancer of violent extremism, and we will insist that it keep its commitments. For there should be no doubt that so long as I am president, the United States will never tolerate a safe-haven for those who aim to kill us: They cannot elude us, nor escape the justice they deserve.
If we think we need to, and if we are arrogant enough to feel we have the right to, we can continue the anti-terrorist activity in this region without any soldiers on the ground. I would argue that the death of Osama bin-Laden was not at all aided by US troops in Afghanistan.
My fellow Americans, this has been a difficult decade for our country. We have learned anew the profound cost of war — a cost that has been paid by the nearly 4,500 Americans who have given their lives in Iraq, and the over 1,500 who have done so in Afghanistan — men and women who will not live to enjoy the freedom that they defended. Thousands more have been wounded. Some have lost limbs on the field of battle, and others still battle the demons that have followed them home.
An now, with your inability to LEAD, more will die and be maimed fo no good purpose whatsoever.
Yet tonight, we take comfort in knowing that the tide of war is receding. Fewer of our sons and daughters are serving in harm's way. We have ended our combat mission in Iraq, with 100,000 American troops already out of that country. And even as there will be dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end.
What is a "responsible end" to this war? As I have stated above, Afghanistan will NOT be a stab country after we leave (whenever that is), forget about being a "democracy". The goals stated above will not be achieved!
As they do, we must learn their lessons. Already this decade of war has caused many to question the nature of America's engagement around the world. Some would have America retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security, and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. Others would have America overextend ourselves, confronting every evil that can be found abroad.
We must chart a more centered course. Like generations before, we must embrace America's singular role in the course of human events. But we must be as pragmatic as we are passionate; as strategic as we are resolute. When threatened, we must respond with force — but when that force can be targeted, we need not deploy large armies overseas. When innocents are being slaughtered and global security endangered, we don't have to choose between standing idly by or acting on our own. Instead, we must rally international action, which we are doing in Libya, where we do not have a single soldier on the ground but are supporting allies in protecting the Libyan people and giving them the chance to determine their destiny.
What is the threat to the US from Afghanistan (or Iraq and Libya, for that matter)? The events of 9/11 could and should have been prevented is our "intelligence" operations had indeed been intelligent, rather than being characterized by petty turf-wars and incompetent leadership ("slam-dunk").
A recurrence of 9/11 will not be averted by maintaining large US military presence in countries such as Afghanistan.
A believable argument can be made that the massive military reaction to 9/11 was nothing more than a smoke screen to hid the complete failure of our intelligence agencies.
And let's get real about "America's singular role in the course of human events" -- one could make an argument that this was true through the end of WW II and the demise of the Soviet Union. However since then, the US, as the only super-power left, has been singularly inept in using its power to bring about a better more peaceful world.
And in terms of how America is handling its own democracy, and its "standing" in comparison to other "advanced" nations, it is a pretty dismal picture.
See Death of Democracy in America | http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053T3OJ2
In all that we do, we must remember that what sets America apart is not solely our power — it is the principles upon which our union was founded. We are a nation that brings our enemies to justice while adhering to the rule of law, and respecting the rights of all our citizens. We protect our own freedom and prosperity by extending it to others. We stand not for empire but for self-determination. That is why we have a stake in the democratic aspirations that are now washing across the Arab World. We will support those revolutions with fidelity to our ideals, with the power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings deserve to live with freedom and dignity.
This is a disgustingly disingenuous statement and an insult to any intelligent person. Bombing Libya, it seems, is "fidelity to our ideals, with the power of our example, and with an unwavering belief that all human beings deserve to live with freedom and dignity".
If we were serious about this, then we would NOT use military power in Libya, but instead invest these monies in those place (like Egypt and Tunisia) which have a reasonable chance of making meaningful changes.
Above all, we are a nation whose strength abroad has been anchored in opportunity for our citizens at home. Over the last decade, we have spent a trillion dollars on war, at a time of rising debt and hard economic times. Now, we must invest in America's greatest resource — our people. We must unleash innovation that creates new jobs and industry, while living within our means. We must rebuild our infrastructure and find new and clean sources of energy. And most of all, after a decade of passionate debate, we must recapture the common purpose that we shared at the beginning of this time of war. For our nation draws strength from our differences, and when our union is strong no hill is too steep and no horizon is beyond our reach.
America, it is time to focus on nation building here at home.
In this effort, we draw inspiration from our fellow Americans who have sacrificed so much on our behalf. To our troops, our veterans and their families, I speak for all Americans when I say that we will keep our sacred trust with you, and provide you with the care, and benefits, and opportunity that you deserve.
This too is a bold-faced lie. Veterans are left to their own devices to rot on the streets. Only the high-tech, media-effective medical interventions of those "lucky" enough to have had their legs blown off get some initial treatment. But even they, once their PR effectiveness has been exhausted, are left to fight the VA for follow-up treatment. And those poor should, who come home psychically and emotionally destroyed, get virtually no help. I run across Vietnam era veterans every day on the streets of our cities, begging for handouts, and trying to survive off the garbage in the alleys.
I met some of those patriotic Americans at Fort Campbell. A while back, I spoke to the 101st Airborne that has fought to turn the tide in Afghanistan, and to the team that took out Osama bin Laden. Standing in front of a model of bin Laden's compound, the Navy SEAL who led that effort paid tribute to those who had been lost — brothers and sisters in arms whose names are now written on bases where our troops stand guard overseas, and on headstones in quiet corners of our country where their memory will never be forgotten. This officer — like so many others I have met with on bases, in Baghdad and Bagram, at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital — spoke with humility about how his unit worked together as one — depending on each other, and trusting one another, as a family might do in a time of peril.
That's a lesson worth remembering — that we are all a part of one American family. Though we have known disagreement and division, we are bound together by the creed that is written into our founding documents, and a conviction that the United States of America is a country that can achieve whatever it sets out to accomplish. Now, let us finish the work at hand. Let us responsibly end these wars, and reclaim the American Dream that is at the center of our story. With confidence in our cause; with faith in our fellow citizens; and with hope in our hearts, let us go about the work of extending the promise of America — for this generation, and the next.
May God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America.
Just wonderful! Even on this solemn and hugely important issue, we're in political campaign mode again.
