We are pulling out of Afghanis.....what? We aren't?

[subdjoe]

Obama turns back on his promise

American officials have realized that conditions in Afghanistan are unlikely to allow a speedy withdrawal.
By NANCY A. YOUSSEF
McClatchy News Service

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has decided to begin publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to deemphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he would begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011, administration and military officials have told McClatchy News Service.

The new policy will be on display next week during a conference of NATO countries in Lisbon, Portugal, where the administration hopes to introduce a timeline that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan by 2014, the year when Afghan President Hamid Karzai once said Afghan troops could provide their own security, three senior officials told McClatchy, along with others speaking anonymously as a matter of policy.

The Pentagon also has decided not to announce specific dates for handing security responsibility for several Afghan provinces to local officials and instead intends to work out a more vague definition of transition when it meets with its NATO allies.

Well, at least we will be totally out of Iraq on sched.....Oh?  That might not be true?  You say that objective reality is starting to trump ideological dogma?

Gates: US open to request from Iraq to stay

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The United States is open to the idea of keeping troops in Iraq past a deadline to leave next year if Iraq asks for it, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

"We'll stand by," Gates said. "We're ready to have that discussion if and when they want to raise it with us."

Gates urged Iraq's squabbling political groups to reconcile after eight months of deadlock. Any request to extend the U.S. military presence in Iraq would have to come from a functioning Iraqi government. It would amend the current agreement under which U.S. troops must leave by the end of 2011.

"That initiative clearly needs to come from the Iraqis; we are open to discussing it," Gates said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have said for months that they expect Iraqi leaders to eventually ask for an extension of the military agreement with the U.S., but the political impasse has put the idea on hold.

Sounds like the guy in the Oval Office is getting the idea that he actually has to produce results, not just promise the moon and blame his predecessor. 

Well, I guess he can point to his closing of Guantanamo. 

Oh...

Wait....

[Dee]

joe, is that sarcasm I hear, or did I just misunderstand? What I personally would like for the president (little "p") to do, is load up all our troops and gear and get out of Afghanistan AND Iraq, THIS WEEK! I don't give a damn about those little sand monkeys over there. And while he's at it, leave them, an endless supply of AK47 parts, and 7.62x39 ammo, so they can go back to shootin EACH OTHER, like they were doin before we butted in. But that's just me.

[subdjoe]

Sarcasm?  Me?  No, never!

Just that he was so adamant that as soon as he took office we would be out of Iraq and AF, and have Guantanamo closed. 

[Pat/Rick]

Yep, we've been there long enough. Let them go back to killin themselves.