Afghanistan

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McChrystal Meets With Obama to Make His Case

(Newser) - President Obama squeezed in a quick, unannounced meeting this morning with Gen. Stanley McChrystal during his trip to Copenhagen. The two met for about a half-hour aboard Air Force One, where McChrystal presumably made his case in person for more troops in Afghanistan. The general flew in from London, where...

White House Split on Afghanistan Strategy

'Skeptic-in-chief' Biden challenges McChrystal's call for more troops

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal's call to beef up the war effort in Afghanistan is proving a tough sell with senior administration officials.  White House advisers challenged many aspects of the commander's assessment at a meeting this week, including his belief that al-Qaeda would again find sanctuary in Afghanistan if the...

US Troops: It's 'Vietnam Without the Napalm'

(Newser) - The US troops patrolling the Arghandab River area in southern Afghanistan have one of the most arduous tasks of the war: winning the support of the locals in a region where the Taliban is gaining strength. Hal Bernton of McClatchy Newspapers checks in with the soldiers of Bravo Company and...

Obama May Need GOP to Send More Troops

Democrats uneasy about Afghan buildup

(Newser) - If President Obama decides to go along with Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan, he’s probably going to need Republican help to do it. Democrats are increasingly opposed to the buildup, with party leaders telling the Washington Post they worry that more American...

Rove Warns Prez: Don't Leave Afghanistan to Biden

Obama should drop his 'aloof' approach and start listening to his commanders

(Newser) - President Obama's hands-off approach to Afghanistan may suit his governing style but it's no way to win a war, writes Karl Rove. The president has only spoken with his top commander in Afghanistan once since June, notes Rove. This apparent indifference to conditions on the ground contrasts sharply with his...

Gates, Jones Split on Afghan Troop Timetable

DoD chief: decision in 'a few weeks'; general says 'no deadline'

(Newser) - The White House appears slightly out of sync on when exactly it expects to make a decision on troop levels in Afghanistan. "I don't have a deadline in my mind," national security adviser James Jones told Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, adding, "The most important thing...

Clinton: Obama Not 'Dissing' McChrystal on Troops

Former first couple dominates Sunday morning shows

(Newser) - Bill Clinton came to President Obama's defense today, saying on Meet the Press that the president isn't "dissing" Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for more troops in Afghanistan. Both Clintons emphasized that settling the Afghan election is vital in determining whether the US has a legitimate partner in Hamid Karzai....

Americans Fed Up With Afghan War
 Americans Fed Up 
 With Afghan War 
OPINION
Sep 26, 2009 9:59 AM CDT

Americans Fed Up With Afghan War

(Newser) - The Obama administration is busy figuring out how to fine-tune its Afghan strategy while most Americans by and large just want us out of there. "A clash is coming," warns Bob Herbert. Most people are tired of the war, worried about the recession, and in no mood for...

Brooks: Listen to McChrystal
 Brooks: 
 Listen to McChrystal 
opinion
Sep 25, 2009 9:12 AM CDT

Brooks: Listen to McChrystal

President Obama must dismiss 'graveyard of empires' remarks

(Newser) - Talk to people who have a superficial sense of Afghanistan, and you'll hear the same thing: It's a "graveyard of empires," and the US needs to get out. Genuine experts, people who live there, dismiss the stereotype as "rubbish" and take a more "guardedly optimistic" view....

McChrystal Surprised by 'Breadth of Violence'
McChrystal Surprised by 'Breadth of Violence'
Interview
Sep 25, 2009 7:22 AM CDT

McChrystal Surprised by 'Breadth of Violence'

Civilian casualties all-important in Afghanistan, commander says

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal, whose mission for the last few months has been to size up the situation in Afghanistan and redirect US strategy, says he found the violence to be worse than he expected going in. “I think that in some areas that the breadth of violence, the geographical...

Heard Gupta's Swine Flu Spiel? Well, He Got It, Too

CNN doc, and onetime Surgeon General candidate, falls ill in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Now just imagine how embarrassing this would’ve been if he had been Surgeon General: Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s medical talking head, got swine flu on a recent reporting trip to Afghanistan, he writes in a blog post today. “I am not someone who gets sick, really ever,”...

McChrystal Denies Rift, Says He's Not Quitting

General will not resign, even if his requests are not honored

(Newser) - General McChrystal says his bleak assessment of the US effort in Afghanistan has not created any ill will between him and the Obama administration, and he welcomed the national debate over the mission. In an interview with the New York Times, McChrystal also denied rumors that he will resign he...

Congress, Military Question 'Protect Afghans' Rule

(Newser) - With US casualties mounting in Afghanistan, some members of Congress are questioning recent orders that have put troops at greater risk in order to protect Afghan civilians, the Washington Post reports. Gen. Stanley McChrystal recently berated the military for being “preoccupied with protection of our own forces.” He...

Biden Plan Would Target al-Qaeda, not Taliban

 Biden Plan 
 Would Target 
 al-Qaeda, 
 not Taliban 
Afghan war rethink
Sep 23, 2009 7:27 AM CDT

Biden Plan Would Target al-Qaeda, not Taliban

No consensus has emerged in White House war room

(Newser) - The Obama administration’s national security heavyweights have yet to reach any kind of consensus on a strategy for Afghanistan, the New York Times reports. Obama is considering both increasing troop levels to carry out his original counterinsurgency strategy, and an alternative plan from Joe Biden that would pull troops...

US Redeploys to Afghan Cities, Leaves Rural Areas to Taliban

(Newser) - Gen. Stanley McChrystal has ordered a major shift in US troop deployment in Afghanistan, telling his commanders to pull out of the sparsely populated, Taliban-controlled areas and focus instead on protecting population centers, the Washington Post reports. US officials say they’ve realized that they’re not going to wrest...

Obama May Boost Drones Instead of Troops

Shifting focus to Pakistan may avoid increasing forces

(Newser) - The White House is looking at expanding counterterror operations in Pakistan as an alternative to a major military escalation in Afghanistan, two senior officials tell the AP. The military would rely on armed drones that could contain al-Qaeda in a smaller, if more remote, area and keep its leaders from...

Pragmatic Style Makes Gates White House Heavyweight

Defense secretary helps dismantle missile shield program he backed under Bush

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has bridged the gap between the Bush and Obama administrations and become a major player in reshaping national security policy in the process, officials tell the New York Times. His pragmatic style—as seen in his decision to ditch the missile defense system he signed off...

'I Was Black Before the Election'
 'I Was Black Before the Election' 
'late show' sneak peek
Sep 21, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

'I Was Black Before the Election'

Obama and Letterman tackle the tough topics, including potatoes

(Newser) - President Obama's media blitz continues tonight on The Late Show With David Letterman, where he'll remind the host, "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election." Snippets CBS released after this afternoon's taping reveal lighthearted moments and more serious stretches, as well...

Obama Rethinks Afghan War
 Obama Rethinks Afghan War 
Sep 21, 2009 11:57 AM CDT

Obama Rethinks Afghan War

As President mulls change of tack, military wishes he'd mull a bit faster

(Newser) - With Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment in hand, President Obama is conducting a "very, very serious review of all options" in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports. The president, once confident in the plan to boost counterinsurgency efforts, now faces a game changed by last month's botched Afghan elections and eroding...

German Officer May Have Misled US Fighters in Civilian Disaster

Gave false info to pilots in Afghan tanker strike

(Newser) - Just before 2am on Sept. 4, German Col. Georg Klein gave a two-word command—"Weapons release!"—and US fighter jets bombed a pair of tanker trucks in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing 100 Afghans clustered around them, many of them civilians. Although his tour has ended, the officer is...

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