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As President Barack Obama considered adding as many as 40,000 U.S. forces to a backsliding war in Afghanistan in 2009, Vice President Joe Biden warned him that the military rationale for doing so was flawed, a new book about Obama's expansion of the conflict says.
The book, "Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan," also says that in planning the drawdown of troops two years later, the White House intentionally sidelined the CIA. Obama purposely did not read a grim CIA assessment of Afghanistan that found little measurable benefit from the 30,000 "surge" forces Obama eventually approved, the book quotes a U.S. official as saying ...
"I do not see how anyone who took part in our discussions could emerge without profound questions about the viability of counterinsurgency," Biden wrote to Obama. To work, the counterinsurgency or "COIN" doctrine requires military gains to be paired with advances in government services, a "credible" Afghan government and Afghan security services that can take over, Biden's memo said. Although the U.S. military could accomplish any technical assignment related to the new strategy, such as sweeping insurgents from a village, "no one can tell you with conviction when, and even if, we can produce the flip sides of COIN," Biden wrote. He supported a buildup of 20,000, half the number requested by then-war commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal
Originally posted by neo96
What the hell does Biden know about warfare?
He ever in the military, go to West Point, and all those war colleges?
Biden is flawed, and oh so many ways.
That coming from a guy who got 2 deferments for Vietnam, and has his law degree not that Obama the lawyer is any sort of military genius.
Lawyers playing war for crying out loud.
Biden seemed to have supreme common sense. and anybody that remembers Viet Nam can explain to you.
Can you please point out to us where his reasoning was and is wrong? As a matter of fact, his points are becoming clearer and clearer every day as we try to disengage with that country and the country itself cannot uphold its own duties. As much as I hate to say it, Biden was exactly right. Many non-polltica military men will agree with Biden in spades.
Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by FlyersFan
More and more...I think they are setting Biden up to step down and allow Hillary to come on in as the VP.
This is the 3rd or 4th negative story on Biden in the past few months.
Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by FlyersFan
More and more...I think they are setting Biden up to step down and allow Hillary to come on in as the VP.
This is the 3rd or 4th negative story on Biden in the past few months.
Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
More and more...I think they are setting Biden up to step down and allow Hillary to come on in as the VP.
Originally posted by FlyersFan
Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
More and more...I think they are setting Biden up to step down and allow Hillary to come on in as the VP.
Hillary is smarter and better positioned in the world than Obama.
She'd outshine him in every way.
(IMHO .. they should have gone with her to begin with ... )
Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
You want a VP to shine in the 2nd term of the Presidency...it sets them up nicely for the next election.