Obama Travels to Afghanistan
[Guest post by DRJ]
Barack Obama traveled to Afghanistan to support the troops:
“One of the main reasons I’m here is to just say thank you for the incredible efforts of our US troops and our coalition partners,” Obama said. “They make tremendous sacrifices far away from home, and I want to make sure they know how pround their commander-in-chief is of them.”
It’s appropriate that allies acknowledge each other with public courtesy and respect before getting down to business, even serious business, and that’s what Obama did with Karzai (unlike his treatment of Netanyahu):
“The Afghan government had not been informed of Obama’s unannounced trip to the presidential palace in Kabul and Bagram Air Base until Thursday, according to the White House. The president arrived at Bagram aboard Air Force One at 7:25 pm local time, after a nearly 13-hour flight. And Obama arrived at the presidential palace by helicopter shortly after 8 pm Kabul time.
Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai emerged from the embattled palace along a red carpet to the parade grounds in the middle of tree-lined palace complex. They stood fro their national anthems, reviewed the assembled troops and returned inside the palace.”
The main goal of the visit appears to be a discussion with Afghan President Karzai:
“Obama was there to “engage” Karzai on the benchmarks that the U.S. expects of the Afghan government, according to Marine Gen. Jim Jones, the National Security Adviser, who briefed reporters aboard Air Force One en route. Obama was there “to make understand that in his second term, there are certain things that have been not paid attention to, almost since Day One,” Jones said. “That is things like…a merit-based system for appointment of key government officials, battling corruption, taking the fight to the narco-traffickers, which fuels, provides a lot of the economic engine for the insurgents.”
“To make understand”? Hopefully, The Swamp’s Mark Silva needs to work on his transcriptions and that isn’t the way James Jones speaks.
I’m curious how Karzai will respond to Obama’s complaints. Most people don’t respond helpfully to being scolded.
— DRJ
“Let me be clear, as I’ve always said, let no one say I do not support the military.”
– Barack Obama
GeneralMalaise (2bc526) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:40 pmBarry must know he’s in trouble to be playing the commander in chief card so quickly after his health care cram down.
FatBaldnSassy (9520fd) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:41 pmare there any pictures of him bowing?
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:41 pmHe’s doing his typical MO in attempting to nag people into doing his bidding. However, I’ll still give him credit for finally performing his actual duties as Commander – in – Chief, instead of carpetbagging around the country in support of a domestic agenda.
Dmac (21311c) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:48 pm“Ask not what Barack Obama can do for you… ask what you can do for Barack Obama.”
– Barack Obama
GeneralMalaise (2bc526) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:53 pmUnilateral cowboy diplomacy !!!
JD (df3a77) — 3/28/2010 @ 2:55 pmI am glad the President went to where our warriors are.
I support his support of the men and women in harms way.
I pray that their efforts which are OUR EFFORTS succeed.
highpockets (c5de3a) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:28 pmthe one – …”a merit-based system for appointment of key government officials, battling corruption”
Karzai – “You first”
MD in Philly (59a3ad) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:29 pmHah! You read my mind, MD in Philly!
Patricia (e1047e) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:49 pmCorruption and drug trafficking? In Afghanistan???
That’s unacceptable. I hope Obama made that clear.
I’m glad he went. Should be smooth sailing from this point forward now that the Karzai Gov’t knows where he stands.
shipwreckedcrew (c0d6cd) — 3/28/2010 @ 3:51 pmWhy was Jones talking about Barcky’s 2nd term?
JD (241e9b) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:18 pmBecause he’s on a roll, plus that’s how Obama does foreign diplomacy. It’s similar to Bush’s “You’re with us or you’re against us” only with Obama it’s “You’re with me or you’re against me.”
DRJ (daa62a) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:24 pmI find the irony of Jones’s comment, about Karzai’s
ian cormac (349188) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:38 pmsecond term, more than a bit ironic, considering the background of his sponsor
I find it suspicious that Obama suddenly needs to see the troops with healthcare running crummy numbers and the fact that new numbers released show that our Afghanistan troop deaths have doubled – I bet nobody heard THAT in the media over the last 48 hours!
Metallica (bb58d8) — 3/28/2010 @ 4:43 pm“General Jones said that the Afghan president ‘needs to be seized with how important’ the issue of corruption, in particular, is for American officials…”
Yeah, he’s gotta try to keep it more on the down low like President Obama tries to, Jones said.
daleyrocks (718861) — 3/28/2010 @ 7:59 pmI might have been paraphrasing a little at the end there.
daleyrocks (718861) — 3/28/2010 @ 9:11 pm[…] In his visit, Obama told US troops the war in Afghanistan is “absolutely essential”. Obama said he was humbled by the sacrifices the military makes and declared, “The USA does not quit, you do not quit…we will prevail!” In his remarks, Obama said: […]
Mr. Obama Goes to Afghanistan « Cynical Synapse (d1ca75) — 3/29/2010 @ 10:18 am