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NEWS ABOUT: Afghanistan war

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McCain, Graham, Et Al. Pile on 'Unwise' Steele

GOP chair needs to make 'appropriate decision' about his future

(Newser) - If Michael Steele was hoping his GOP pals on the Sunday airwaves today has his back, let's hope his cable went out. John McCain called Steele's comments about the Afghan war "wildly inaccurate," while Lindsey Graham slammed them as "uninformed, unnecessary, unwise." The Maverick further suggested... More »

Petraeus: 'We Are in This to Win'

General officially takes the reins in Afghanistan

(AP) - Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan today, declaring "we are in this to win" despite rising casualties and growing skepticism about the nearly 9-year-old war. "We have arrived at a critical moment," he told a crowd of hundreds, also... More »

Biden Makes Surprise Stop in Iraq

In Afghanistan, meanwhile, Petraeus calls for unity

(Newser) - Joe Biden and his wife will be spending the Fourth of July weekend with the troops in Iraq. The vice president landed in Baghdad today for the surprise visit, where he will also meet with Iraqi leaders. It's likely an attempt to reassure Iraqis that the US is still engaged,... More »

Steele Backs Off Afghan War Smack Talk

RNC chair rushes to declare support for troops

(Newser) - Having enraged conservatives and delighted Democrats by criticizing the decision to engage in Afghanistan—a policy advanced by President Bush and supported by congressional Republicans—the RNC chairman is scrambling to defuse the controversy, reports the Washington Post . "For the sake of the security of the free world, our... More »

Michael Steele, Please Resign

RNC president's Afghanistan comments are the last straw

(Newser) - William Kristol has a holiday weekend request for Michael Steele. Perform "an act of service for the country you love: Resign as chairman of the Republican party," he writes for the Weekly Standard . Kristol says he's been willing to ignore Steele's gaffes in the past, but now that... More »

Joe Biden Becomes Backstage Powerhouse

The 'skunk at the family picnic' has Obama's ear

(Newser) - It may have looked as though Joe Biden lost last fall’s argument over strategy in Afghanistan, but he actually emerged with a powerful, well-defined role in the administration. His position, in his own words: “the skunk at the family picnic.” Biden has been the in-house skeptic on... More »

Senate Confirms Petraeus (99-0)

As expected, he'll be running the war in Afghanistan

(AP) - The Senate has unanimously confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the next commander of the Afghanistan war. The vote was 99-0. Petraeus replaces Gen. Stanley McChrystal, whose career spanned three decades before ending in disgrace because of inflammatory remarks he and his aides made to Rolling Stone magazine. Petraeus spent much... More »

McChrystal's Potty Mouth May Have Cost Him His Job

Rolling Stone piece's impact helped by vulgar language

(Newser) - What does a journalist have to do to effect a major change in US foreign policy? In the case of Michael Hastings' Rolling Stone profile of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the answer may be to use lots and lots of curse words. The piece uses "fuck" 18 times, from the... More »

It's Time to Negotiate With the Taliban: Brit Army Boss

We're winning battles, but not the war

(Newser) - It's time to negotiate with the Taliban, because NATO forces will not defeat them in battle in Afghanistan, the head of the British army said yesterday. General Sir David Richards said that while allied forces can continue to "punish" the Taliban in individual battles, overall victory is now looking... More »

'Permanent War' Threatens US Democracy

Mounting Disrespect Should Trigger Alarms

(Newser) - An age-old truth is rearing its ugly head in the US Afghanistan command: long wars and democracy don't mix, Andrew Bacevich writes in the Washington Post . Finding itself in a state of endless war—that folks back home can and do ignore—the military has adopted a "culture of... More »

Kristol: Obama's Betting on Victory

President is clearly looking to win in Afghanistan

(Newser) - President Obama's decision to can Stanley McChrystal got a round of applause from predictable circles, but now it's William Kristol at the Weekly Standard giving the president props. In appointing David Petraeus to lead the Afghan war, Obama is committing to victory, Kristol writes, rather than the arbitrary deadline favored... More »

Troops Glad McChrystal's Gone: Rolling Stone Writer

Reporter 'very surprised' by 'unfireable' general's ouster

(Newser) - The journalist whose Rolling Stone exposé got Stanley McChrystal fired says troops in Afghanistan are thanking him. "Over here, soldiers were happy that he got fired," Michael Hastings, who's embedded in Afghanistan, tells the Huffington Post . "I've had a number of people come up to me, I... More »

Taliban: McChrystal Firing a Victory

Terrorist group say sacking gives it more time

(Newser) - The Afghan Taliban likes to say, “Americans may own the watches. But we’ve got the time.” That’s why the terror group is thrilled to see Stanley McChrystal exit, commander Sirajuddin Haqqani tells the Daily Beast —it gives the Taliban even more time. American generals talk... More »

Forget About That 2011 Withdrawal Date

Petraeus won't let the US draw down, even though he should

(Newser) - With David Petraeus running the show in Afghanistan, you can forget about US troops beginning to withdraw as promised in July of next year, writes Andrew Sullivan. Obama's pledge is "now kaput," he writes at his Daily Dish blog at the Atlantic. "It won't happen. I doubt... More »

Lawmakers, Afghan Leaders Welcome Petraeus

McChrystal replacement likely to have 'fastest confirmation in history'

(Newser) - President Obama's choice of David Petraeus to replace Stanley McChrystal has met near-universal praise in Washington and Kabul. Democrats and Republicans alike say the general is guaranteed a swift Senate confirmation to take charge of the Afghanistan war, Politico reports. The general's confirmation "may be the fastest in the... More »

Smart Move, Mr. President

Replacing McChrystal with Petraeus wins over critics

(Newser) - President Obama's decision to replace McChrystal with Petraeus is playing well among pundits on the left and right:
  • Victor Davis Hanson, National Review : "Obama had no choice but to do what he did, and the wise Petraeus move was obviously a mitigating factor. Obama’s speech, despite the customarily
... More »

Top Choices for McChrystal's Job

Mattis, Rodriguez, Allen head candidate pack

(Newser) - With Gen. Stanley McChrystal looking like a goner, attention has turned to the Afghanistan commander's possible replacements. Marine Gen. James Mattis and Marine Lt. Gen. John Allen appear to be frontrunners, though Thomas Ricks notes in Foreign Policy that Mattis, ironically, "has a reputation... for speaking a little too... More »

Report: McChrystal Offers to Resign

But his White House fate is far from settled

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal has offered to resign in the wake of his unfortunate interview with Rolling Stone, reports Time. (The magazine's Joe Klein initially told CNN that McChrystal had actually submitted his resignation, but Time clarified with this Tweet .) Either way, it doesn't mean much at this point, notes... More »

McChrystal's a Bonehead

Pundits can't understand how the general let this happen

(Newser) - Stanley McChrystal’s Rolling Stone stunner has pundits baffled—no one can understand how he let this happen. Here’s what they’re saying:
  • Joe Klein of Time defends the “McChrystal I know” as “an extraordinary man” who, unfortunately, has no PR skills and is “incapable of
... More »

Karzai Doesn't Want McChrystal Fired

Afghan president says general 'is a person of great integrity'

(AP) - Hamid Karzai believes Gen. Stanley McChrystal is the "best commander" of the war and hopes President Obama doesn't decide to replace him, a rep for the Afghan president said today. The leader of American forces in Aghanistan, under fire for his and his staff's indiscreet comments to a Rolling ... More »

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