Obama to spend night in Afghanistan
- added July 19, 2008
- 20 responses
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- kushan
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Sen. Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday, met with American forces and, according to a U.S. official, is expected to meet Sunday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was visiting the southern Asian nation before he embarks on a tour of the Middle East and Europe, a trip aimed at boosting his foreign policy credentials.
The trip, which comes four months ahead of the presidential election, marks Obama's first visit to Afghanistan.
On Saturday, the senator from Illinois traveled to eastern Afghanistan to visit Americans forces under NATO's Regional Command East. Obama is accompanied by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska and Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island.
The senators met service members at Jalalabad airfield in Nangarhar province. The governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Shirzai -- formerly the governor of Kandahar province -- also met the senators at the air base. Shirzai and Obama embraced briefly at the end of the meeting. VideoWatch Obama's visit to Jalalabad »
Upon arrival at Bagram Air Base, the senators were briefed by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commanding general of the Regional Command East.
Ahead of the trip to Afghanistan, the senators stopped in Kuwait to visit U.S. troops, said Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs. They left Washington on Thursday.
In Kuwait, the senators visited Camp Arifjan for about two hours to meet with U.S. Army Central leadership, take a brief tour of the base and talk with soldiers, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Nutter said.
They met with about 1,000 military members at a gymnasium, and Obama played basketball with some soldiers before conducting a meet-and-greet there which included photo opportunities, Nutter said.
Following the events at the the gymnasium, they met with Lt. Gen. Jim Lovelace, the U.S. Army Central Commander, and senior leadership who gave them an overview of the command, Nutter said.
Obama spoke briefly to a pool reporter about his trip just before leaving Washington.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama said. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."
Asked if he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he was "more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."
"I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama said. VideoWatch Obama's foreign policy adviser discuss overseas trip »
The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died this month in Afghanistan, compared with Iraq. July's death toll for coalition troops in Afghanistan reached 22 Saturday, after the Friday death of a Canadian soldier was announced.
The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died in July in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
On Sunday, nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fight with about 200 Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee was visiting the southern Asian nation before he embarks on a tour of the Middle East and Europe, a trip aimed at boosting his foreign policy credentials.
The trip, which comes four months ahead of the presidential election, marks Obama's first visit to Afghanistan.
On Saturday, the senator from Illinois traveled to eastern Afghanistan to visit Americans forces under NATO's Regional Command East. Obama is accompanied by Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska and Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island.
The senators met service members at Jalalabad airfield in Nangarhar province. The governor of Nangarhar province, Gul Agha Shirzai -- formerly the governor of Kandahar province -- also met the senators at the air base. Shirzai and Obama embraced briefly at the end of the meeting. VideoWatch Obama's visit to Jalalabad »
Upon arrival at Bagram Air Base, the senators were briefed by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commanding general of the Regional Command East.
Ahead of the trip to Afghanistan, the senators stopped in Kuwait to visit U.S. troops, said Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs. They left Washington on Thursday.
In Kuwait, the senators visited Camp Arifjan for about two hours to meet with U.S. Army Central leadership, take a brief tour of the base and talk with soldiers, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bill Nutter said.
They met with about 1,000 military members at a gymnasium, and Obama played basketball with some soldiers before conducting a meet-and-greet there which included photo opportunities, Nutter said.
Following the events at the the gymnasium, they met with Lt. Gen. Jim Lovelace, the U.S. Army Central Commander, and senior leadership who gave them an overview of the command, Nutter said.
Obama spoke briefly to a pool reporter about his trip just before leaving Washington.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama said. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."
Asked if he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he was "more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."
"I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama said. VideoWatch Obama's foreign policy adviser discuss overseas trip »
The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died this month in Afghanistan, compared with Iraq. July's death toll for coalition troops in Afghanistan reached 22 Saturday, after the Friday death of a Canadian soldier was announced.
The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died in July in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
On Sunday, nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fight with about 200 Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.
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I can't help but imagine that woman is smiling because she might be able to go home come January.
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- bishopobispo
- 2 months ago
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What about that guy behind her..
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He cant wait to come here either..
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- SandCrabDisco
- 2 months ago
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Obama doesn't need to go to afghanistan to get an idea of what the "commanders" have to say about things "on the ground" . it's a great PR gesture , but if Obama has to travel all the way to afghanistan to understand what's going on there then it would seem he'd have to live there in order to manage things . i'm sure the tour Obama will be given will amount to a scenic drive thru .
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Afghanistan- where we should be concentrating are efforts
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I think Obama should just stay in The UK and maybe they can make him king, they appear to really really like him and I hear they are into that outdated Monarchy thing.
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The "Outdated Monarchy thing" seems to be SLIGHTLY more representative than the whole "unitary executive thing" that's been imposed in the States for the past 7 years though, eh?
Malathion, you're wrong about there being no need for him to go and see things on the ground. More political leaders should be going to see the places they've elected to send other people's families in order to get a picture of what the daily struggles really are. It's all very well getting a report sent to you, but a lot of information can be hidden in numbers and it's very easy to remain detached.
How could you truly know the state of troop morale unless you spoke to the troops themselves? -
He's spending the night in the country? Him and the entire population of the country. The only thing special about him doing is his armed guard that none of the citizens get.
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- SilenceNoMore
- 2 months ago
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wow one night and people are applauding for him... ... he'll prolly his own little army of soldiers protecting him throughout the whole time.. and one night makes him a better person or potentially candidate?
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It is sort of a lame headline, but constant disregard has an important point. You just don't get a good feel for a situation like that from reports. You need to walk down those streets, talk to those people, and see it for yourself, or it can never make the same kind of impact as some secondhand report.
I don't think Obama is some hero who is going to save us all, but I'm voting for him, and hoping he can help pull us toward the shore, cause we're way effing off-course. I may be disappointed, granted, but I think still think it's worth it. America needs to have some empathy in it's actions toward the rest of the world and I believe he has the ability to help with that. -
I hope his hope in how this will do go for him or for Earth as a whole is worth hoping let alone doing.
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I'm surprised by all the negative comments, it's like the guy can't do anything without someone taking an unfair shot at him.
This is a revolutionary thing for potential candidates to be checking out the situation in the warzone themselves. They should have started doing this a long time ago, it forces the war into the people's eyes. Even if they are just going for PR, they WILL see the area for themselves. They can't bullshit what they see with their own eyes.
I'm really glad McCain and Obama are doing this, people aren't giving them enough credit. -
Some people should understand that hope in humanity doesn't mean that those in humanity hold the same kind of hope.
Going into the lion's den on purpose in hopes to make a point or gleam some insight or show people you're willing to do what it takes to get the job done is not at all smart if you risk your life and lose it in the process.
This is like ingredients for a tragedy.
It is one of those things that are FANTASTIC if they work and STUPID if they fail. -
It's so nice to see how much Obama can do for our country. With the Republican wing that calls Iraq "I-RACK" and shows so much disrespect, belligerence, and condescension to the global community, it's no wonder that Obama is favored in every other country. Instead of spinning it as "the terrorists want Obama," it's clear that "everyone wants Obama."
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Do you think we could talk him into spending the rest of his life there?
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As much criticizium as he gets, I think it is a bold move. He is going to risky war torn areas, to listen to what people who are dealing with the situation feel. It is a short trip but some thing is better then nothing, in fact its some kind of effort to show he cares. Maybe I am just overly optimistic but I like to think he is genuinely interested in the welfare of people and is curious as to what is really going on abroad. Of course he is going to get extra protection, thank god! He is, after all, the next president of the United States.
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