Barack Obama Pledges To 'Finish The Job' In Afghanistan

Barack Obama Pledges To 'Finish The Job' In Afghanistan

www.bbc.co.uk

US President Barack Obama has pledged to "finish the job" and end the Afghan war, addressing the US public live from a military base in Afghanistan.

Speaking a year after Osama Bin Laden's death, Mr Obama thanked US troops and hailed plans to end combat operations.

He arrived in Afghanistan on a publicly unannounced visit to sign an agreement on future Afghan-US ties with President Hamid Karzai, ahead of a Nato summit.

Hours after his speech, at least seven people died in an attack in Kabul.

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All posturing once you look at the details. Obama has been promising this for some time now and as I see it, this is a strategic point in the election cycle where he has chosen to 'commit to commit' and thus honor his promise in the eyes of U.S voters.

Only 23,000 of the 88,000 US troops sationed in Afghanistan will be withdrawn by Summer with the rest falling in accordance with the NATO plan to extract the remaining troops by the end of 2014.

In the wake of the agreement, the US is to designate Afghanistan as a major non-Nato ally

Hmmm I think we all know what that means, if not think along the lines of a marionette stage show in Afghanistan.

Check the agreement out here;

Enduring Strategic Partnership between The United States Of America & The Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan



www.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

We can start by finishing with Barry.

OOOOOkay... NOW I get it. Not until this thread worded it in quite that way do I NOW get what has them scared.

THEY sure knew Obama's trip and this agreement was coming and ...tied to the Chicago Summit! Ahhh..... They see a terrorist or two being pissed about the rather ..ahem.. LONG term nature of the agreement here and a Summit Obama is hosting to get mad at, perhaps?

Thanks for the thread! It might explain some things.

The "terrorist" claim to be fighting to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan and presumably much of the middle east, so pledging to stay there seems to make the conflict indefinite. It's not like the U.S. to take their fingers out of pies so... violence and death will continue for a while.

On the other side of the argument, the U.S. did go in and wreck the place so it seems fitting that they help clean up the mess. Guess it is best to try to side with popular opinion and not "allow the terrorist to win" but at what cost?

Does anyone even know what the bloody hell the 'job' is?

I didn't read the "agreement", but did it mention any of this :

Introduction and Overview:

The sheer size and illicit nature of the opium economy mean that it infiltrates and seriously affects Afghanistan's economy, state, society, and politics. The opium economy is a massive source of corruption and gravely undermines the credibility of the government and its local representatives. While the chapters in this report cover diverse topics and use different research methods, their findings are broadly consistent and they have many common themes. This introductory chapter focuses on methodology, main themes, chapter summaries, and conclusions and recommendations.

World Bank Report

SHAHRAN, Afghanistan — For as long as anyone can remember, there was no need for paper money in this remote corner of the Hindu Kush. The common currency was what grew in everyone's backyard — opium.

When children felt like buying candy, they ran into their father's fields and returned with a few grams of opium folded inside a leaf. Their mothers collected it in plastic bags, trading 18 grams for a meter of fabric or two liters of cooking oil. Even a visit to the barbershop could be settled in opium.

But the economy of this village sputtered to a halt last year when the government began aggressively enforcing a ban on opium production. Villagers were not allowed to plant their only cash crop. Now shops are empty and farmers are in debt, as entire communities spiral into poverty.

Without opium, Afghan village economy spirals

related:
U.N. Report

Is it just me or does anybody else think the phrase "finish The Job" is the kind of language you hear around election season?

reply to post by xuenchen


I guess the war on drugs just took on a global agenda.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
Is it just me or does anybody else think the phrase "finish The Job" is the kind of language you hear around election season?

edit on 2-5-2012 by sk0rpi0n because: (no reason given)

Obama just got through using that same phrase a year ago .....

His writers must be getting forgetful. Or they can't come up with "new" material that's older


April 15, 2011

President Barack Obama on Thursday used his home town of Chicago as the backdrop to formally kick off fundraising for his 2012 re-election campaign.

The president told supporters they need to help him "finish the job" he began when he was elected in 2008, and he fired some political shots at opposition Republicans.

Obama in Chicago: Help Me Finish the Job in 2012

I don't think He's anywhere close to finishing any job

reply to post by Garfee


Attain as many overpaid contracts as possible for blackwater, or whatever they are called now? Hell if I know......

- He's posturing for re-election commercials.

- 'Finish the job"?? The job can't be finished. Not without reeducating the entire country and surrounding area. Terrorisim is a way of life over there. There is no way to 'finish' it without totally changing everything ... and that is something we can't accomplish.

Much like the Seal Team 6 action of one year ago, Obie Wan is going to, personally, take care of business.

the 2014 withdrawl of all 'combat troops'...most assuredly will not include the drones with hellfire missiles on board
because those unmanned drones will be remotely piloted by 'specialists' - not Combat personnel thus making the promise technically correct.

Also.... consider the promise (err, treaty) to have a strong presence there until 2024...(think of this as maintaining a 'puppet government')... the whole bundle is just a sack of Dung Beetles in my opinion

the CIA gets to orchestrate the opium crops , under a corrupt local govt until at least 2024...all under the watchful eye of the USA version of its own Skynet matrix that blasts targets via facial recognition thus 'getting the job done' of eliminating Al Qaida personnel

I swear, its like some people do not have a memory past 2009. The way these elections bring out the most toxic of peoples feelings...

So Obama didnt ride into Afghan on a white horse bringing peace... did we actually expect him too or something?

but even the other things, people are attacking him for..

When you’re handed an absolute balls of up a situation... and told, ''good luck'' by the previous owners..

there's only so much you can do, with the tools at your disposal.

Nobody knew what to do how to stop the rot.. do you all not remember the emergency meetings held for 2-3 nights during october 2008?

How on earth was Obama going to fix the economy.. stop the wars... when the whole way he has republican dogs biting his ankles and arguing at every step of the way, just for the point of arguing, just so he looks like an absolute waste of time having gotten nothing achieved.

Lets not forget, this isnt just Obama's fault.. This isnt just GW's fault... its been a long list of curropt decisions by atleast 4 administrations since the 70's.

BUT, lets not also forget that it was GWB that pushed the 'go' button on the Iraq war effectively bankrupting the USA.
Lets not also forget it was GWB and his republicans that handed the bankers $700bil of the peoples money. and said ' come back for more '

But its also other things... Like CEO's, Managers, Bankers and American firms outsourcing American jobs to INCREASE profits. No more work, no more income, no more economy..

Thank god we have SUPER ROMNEY, who has no association with - bankers, ceo's, firms, the military industrial complex or the GWB era republicans.

Because I mean, arguing that someone like that is BETTER Than Obama is kind of like comparing torture to being burnt alive.

If you chose Romney, your allowing further banker corruption, more wars, more profits for ceos, and more excuses to the American people.
If you chose Obama, you have a powerless suit.. who will never have a chance to try anything.. that is, if he even intends to.


lets be honest, your vote doesnt actually mean a thing..

.. as if the bankers, ceos, military industrial complex and Cheney era elite would ever let the people 'vote' them out of power!

reply to post by Garfee

Does anyone even know what the bloody hell the 'job' is?

I remember him saying that we aren't in Afghanistan to take resources...I don't know why he would even mention anything about resources in the first place I thought we were there to fight Al-Qaeda? This whole thing is BS if you ask me...Therefore we must be there for resources and nothing else...

Originally posted by Garfee
Does anyone even know what the bloody hell the 'job' is?

Continue to enrich arms and opium dealers. Keep a healthy Western presence in an important Geo-political location for the benefit of Western corporations, and maybe take advantage of enormous, untapped mineral reserves.

reply to post by Pirateofpsychonautics


Whats the job again? whose the enemy?
War in Afghanistan Planned Before 9/11