Obama: No Rushing on Afghanistan Decision
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/world/asia/27policy.html
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Obama defended taking his time as he rethinks his strategy in Afghanistan and considers whether to send more troops, telling a military audience on Monday that he would not “rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way.”
“I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Mr. Obama said. “And if it necessary, we will back you up to the hilt.”
The president’s speech at Naval Air Station Jacksonville offered few clues about where the review of his policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan was heading. He flew here after huddling with his national security advisers at the White House in the sixth such session in the last six weeks, and the first since President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan agreed to participate in a runoff election.
Whether Mr. Obama plans to make his decision before that vote on Nov. 7, or before the results are finalized a couple weeks later, remains uncertain. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said the decision “could come at any moment” but then added that it could still be weeks away.
The president’s latest strategy session and his subsequent trip here came on the deadliest day for American troops in Afghanistan in four years as 14 service members died in two separate helicopter crashes. “They were willing to risk their lives, in this case, to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda and its extremist allies,” Mr. Obama said.
In a 15-minute address in an open hangar, standing before hundreds of uniformed personnel, Mr. Obama in effect was preparing the ground for a decision that could escalate the war for a second time since he took office. At the same time, he rebutted critics like former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has complained that Mr. Obama was “dithering” in deciding whether to send more troops.
“While I will never hesitate to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests, I also promise you this — and this is very important as we consider our next steps in Afghanistan,” Mr. Obama said. “I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way.”
end of excerpt
Source: The New York Times
“I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Mr. Obama said. “And if it necessary, we will back you up to the hilt.”
The president’s speech at Naval Air Station Jacksonville offered few clues about where the review of his policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan was heading. He flew here after huddling with his national security advisers at the White House in the sixth such session in the last six weeks, and the first since President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan agreed to participate in a runoff election.
Whether Mr. Obama plans to make his decision before that vote on Nov. 7, or before the results are finalized a couple weeks later, remains uncertain. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said the decision “could come at any moment” but then added that it could still be weeks away.
The president’s latest strategy session and his subsequent trip here came on the deadliest day for American troops in Afghanistan in four years as 14 service members died in two separate helicopter crashes. “They were willing to risk their lives, in this case, to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda and its extremist allies,” Mr. Obama said.
In a 15-minute address in an open hangar, standing before hundreds of uniformed personnel, Mr. Obama in effect was preparing the ground for a decision that could escalate the war for a second time since he took office. At the same time, he rebutted critics like former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has complained that Mr. Obama was “dithering” in deciding whether to send more troops.
“While I will never hesitate to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests, I also promise you this — and this is very important as we consider our next steps in Afghanistan,” Mr. Obama said. “I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way.”
end of excerpt
Source: The New York Times
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JonRaymond
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Adding troops will cost $500,000 to $775,000 per person
- 2 years ago
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JonRaymond
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Chique
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A reasonable approach to a volatile situation.
- 2 years ago
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Chique
