"WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

"Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces"

You and I both know that this initiative is about as fruitful as pissing in the wind.

(10-15-2015 10:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  "Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces"

You and I both know that this initiative is about as fruitful as pissing in the wind.

with the wind or against it? haha jk

(10-15-2015 10:40 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:34 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  "Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces"

You and I both know that this initiative is about as fruitful as pissing in the wind.

with the wind or against it? haha jk

Against it, considering the "Afghan forces" we train likely still piss in their mouths like apes.

There goes another promise, but who's counting anyways.

If you have seen this season's opening episode of "Homeland", it certainly isn't typical Hollywood fare. In it, Peter Quinn, the CIA's front man for wet work, gives his opinion to the Nat'l Security Council, on the state of US activity in the Middle East, in particular ISIS but it represents the administration's overall policies. The president's adviser asks "How is our strategy working?" to which Quinn replies "What strategy? Tell me, what is our strategy? If you tell me our strategy, I'll tell you how it's working."

A fine example of art imitating reality.

You can check out the scene here

Link

Oh and for balance, I searched HuffPost and Salon for their take. However, neither, and both have covered Homeland in prior seasons, had anything to say about the episode.

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

Might have to give back that Nobel Peace Prize

(10-15-2015 01:42 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

There are presidential candidate promises and then there is reality.

(10-15-2015 02:29 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 01:42 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

There are presidential candidate promises and then there is reality.

Too bad almost an entire generation was too stupid to know the difference.

(10-15-2015 02:29 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 01:42 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

There are presidential candidate promises and then there is reality.

I'm aware of this. My issue is that Obama was elected to demobilize the US military from global operations, specifically the Middle East. People seem to think that is a rational foreign policy plan and I want it followed. None of this big show of coming home while still keeping forces abroad because reality demands it.

Not to mention he's sending troops to fight Boko Haram. I'm sure that'll go well.

(10-15-2015 02:51 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Not to mention he's sending troops to fight Boko Haram. I'm sure that'll go well.

A paltry 300 no less. Why not just send special forces and support groups and keep quiet about it if he isn't going to send but 300? Otherwise send 1000-1500 troops and get it over with quickly.

(10-15-2015 02:41 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 02:29 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 01:42 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

There are presidential candidate promises and then there is reality.

I'm aware of this. My issue is that Obama was elected to demobilize the US military from global operations, specifically the Middle East. People seem to think that is a rational foreign policy plan and I want it followed. None of this big show of coming home while still keeping forces abroad because reality demands it.

Like I mentioned, that's just not reality, even more so now than back when he made the promise. It is unfortunate people fell for the promise back then.

(10-15-2015 03:01 PM)200yrs2late Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 02:51 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Not to mention he's sending troops to fight Boko Haram. I'm sure that'll go well.

A paltry 300 no less. Why not just send special forces and support groups and keep quiet about it if he isn't going to send but 300? Otherwise send 1000-1500 troops and get it over with quickly.

(10-15-2015 02:51 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Not to mention he's sending troops to fight Boko Haram. I'm sure that'll go well.

Nah, he's sending troops over to be targets for Boko Haram.

http://time.com/4074393/cameroon-boko-haram-us-troops/

Quote:U.S. President Barack Obama ordered 300 members of the armed forces to Cameroon on Wednesday to counter the militant Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram.

The mission is “part of a broader regional effort to stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist organizations in West Africa,” the BBC reported White House spokesman Josh Earnest as saying.

An advanced team of 90 troops began deploying on Monday, with additional troops joining to “conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations in the region,” Obama wrote in a letter addressed to Congress.

“These forces are equipped with weapons for the purpose of providing their own force protection and security,” the president wrote.

And I thought leftists hated open ended military engagements?

Quote:The current expansion of anti-terror operations in the region is part of U.S. “national security and foreign policy interests,” Obama wrote, adding that the troops “will remain in Cameroon until their support is no longer needed.”

(10-15-2015 03:06 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 02:41 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 02:29 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 01:42 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-15-2015 10:27 AM)UTSAMarineVet09 Wrote:  "WASHINGTON – President Obama announced Thursday he will keep 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2016, in a stark reversal from earlier pledges to end the war on his watch -- though Republicans still questioned whether the residual force will be enough to support Afghan forces and U.S. allies."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/...tcmp=hpbt1

I guess he is starting to realize that isis isnt a JV team

I'm disappointed the President has wavered in his commitment to do the one thing the American people elected him to do.

There are presidential candidate promises and then there is reality.

I'm aware of this. My issue is that Obama was elected to demobilize the US military from global operations, specifically the Middle East. People seem to think that is a rational foreign policy plan and I want it followed. None of this big show of coming home while still keeping forces abroad because reality demands it.

Like I mentioned, that's just not reality, even more so now than back when he made the promise. It is unfortunate people fell for the promise back then.

I was interested in seeing the error of such a position play out. Everyone believes that diplomacy is better or contemporary partners would fill the void. I don't think that would happen, but now we will never know.

Had this been a Republican president taking such action against a promise that he was largely elected on, the thread would be 10 pages long by now.

I have a question.......is the training of Afghan forces worth the price of one more American life?

(10-16-2015 10:22 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  I have a question.......is the training of Afghan forces worth the price of one more American life?

Hell to the no. Those guys cant even do a proper jumping jack.