The content of President Obama’s Thursday speech surprised no one, after all officials had been promising an upbeat report with claims of great progress for several days before the speech was ever given. But the decidedly non-credible claims appear not to have convinced anyone.
Beyond his inner circle, even allies seem to be steering clear of making any comment related to the claims of progress, and critics are piling on with the fairly obvious complaints about the public report, which stands in such ridiculous contrast to the classified National Intelligence Report and all other reports to come in recent weeks.
Even Taliban spokesmen felt comfortable mocking the claims of progress as clearly in stark contrast to the reality of the ongoing war. Though winter weather will likely lead to a decline in Afghan violence for a few months, most experts are predicting an even worse year of violence in 2011.
The administration’s claims seem to have been designed as a media-friendly collection of sound bites at the end of a disastrous year of war, but topping off such a terrible year of violence with a claim of non-specific progress must inevitably be doing serious damage to their credibility.
critics like…… our favorite israeli spy
Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.),
"a longtime Intelligence Committee member viewed as an authority[sic] on security issues, called the Obama review “finely parsed.” She complained in an interview with POLITICO that the narrow assessment of progress and challenges fell short of the searching policy review and exploration of alternatives that she had expected."
im guessing she was hoping that all troops in Afghanistan were withdrawn across the border in to iran?
This is clearly a government for the people…of the Military Industrial and Financial Complexes
A government of the corporations and for the corporations is more accurate.
Progress is slow, but it is steady. The greatest military in the history of mankind is working steadily against the numerous, bakers, herders and mud layers who continue to resist America’s desire to free them from their primitive lifestyle.
Though the greatest army, navy, airforce and marines in the history of mankind have been fighting for about 10 years against these simple people who have no tanks, planes or uniforms, our glorious army IS MAKING PROGRESS. America should be scheduled to win the war some time in the 2040’s. That may seem like a long time to some, but the taste of freedom sometimes tastes better the longer you have to wait for it.
We must be patient. Give Obama a chance. He’s only been in office two years.
He will get the job done. The Afghan people will someday be free and shed their cumbersome clothes and their rural lifestyle. They someday be a people who not only resemble human beings, but actually are.
For your own good, I hope that was sarcasm.
Nicely done. Very dry.
"They [will] someday be a people who not only resemble human beings, but actually are"
Either "white" or tucked neatly into a box for underground storage..
Unfortunately the only people that need to be convinced reside in the WH. And as long as Obama is "smarter than the average bear" then that's that!
Forget Congress, when the "liberals" or "progressives" had a majority they did nothing to de-escalate the war.
I retain, from my childhood, great affection for Yogi Bear. Please do not defame this innocent — if fictional — icon of my childhood by comparisons to the craven slickster currently in the White House.
History does indeed repeat itself! They were invaders; they did not know the terrain; they did not win the hearts and minds of the people; they were not accustomed to guerilla warfare tactics; and despite winning most of the battles; the BRITISH lost the American Revolutionary War – sort of what happened to the Americans in Vietnam – sort of what is happening to the Americans in Afghanistan. As the saying goes: "The only thing we learn from History is that we do NOT learn any lessons of History."
In my view, what "we" — and here I mean those among "the people" who have good sense and integrity — need to learn, is to be studiously diligent in holding accountable — ie putting in jail — those in high places who break the law.
Accountability, real rock solid accountability, would probably take us 80% of the way to a rational and orderly society. Solve our problems.
In the preface to "The Gulag Archipelago", Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quoted an old Russian saying:
“Dwell on the past and you’ll lose an eye. Forget the past and you’ll lose both eyes.”
Americans, generally, HAVE forgotten the past and are blind.
I've been reminded of Solzhenitsyn quite a bit lately. How ironic but sadly true.
Obama has turned out to be the biggest liar in the history of the US. And lord knows the US has spawned a great deal of liars.
But but, we're supposed to believe our dear leader. Aren't we? I mean, even when our dear leader is blowing smoke out his arse? I mean, even when the credible intel estimates state categorically that our dear leader is clueless and out to lunch?
Alrighty then, "progress in the Afghaniscam" and I've got this Brooklyn Bridge 4 sale cheap…
It's time to replace Obomber with a store dummy!
Why a store dummy, you ask? A store dummy has a higher IQ and it doesn't make promises it can't keep!.
As an anti-US advocate it is great to watch the empire crumble. When you have a house built on this crap and what came before it, what else can you expect? When the American people let Bush steal a second election there was no turning back.