# Obama to announce Afghanistan policy in speech Tuesday 12/01/09 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 1, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552 "2009-12-01T03:00:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/21 "2009-12-01T19:59:24Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Afghanistan is an Islamic fundamentalist third world shithole. Gonna go out on a limb and wager these exact words do not make it into Big O’s speech tonight! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/22 "2009-12-01T20:00:29Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Gonna go out on a limb and wager these exact words do not make it into Big O’s speech tonight! 😉 Likely not. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/23 "2009-12-01T20:07:29Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Any group of disaffected Pushtun teenagers could start blowing shit up and calling themselves, “Al Qaeda”. Which isn’t what I was talking about. > [@](#): > > Al Qaeda is a rallying cry, not an organization. Al Qaeda is a syndicate that basically pulled off one major heist and then went away as anything more than a vague notion of Jihadist political Islam. That’s a good point and I’ve said the same thing in the past. So I probably came at this from the wrong angle. But I think this point remains: the goal is preventing the country from once again becoming a terrorist haven and sponsor. AQ does not function there now, but is it going to function there again? Can that be stopped? That’s the issue. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/24 "2009-12-01T22:06:05Z")
No, I don’t think it can be stopped. I think that Afghanistan would have to go through a whole series of levels of growth civilizationally for us to be able to rely upon them to stop Al Qaeda from operating there. I don’t think that this is the sort of thing that can be done in the short term. What’s stopping Al Qaeda from operating out of Paraguay like Hezbollah supposedly does? What stops them from operating out of the Sudan or Somalia? Basically, I don’t think this is a reasonable strategy for stopping global Jihadi militancy. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/25 "2009-12-01T22:29:10Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > No, I don’t think it can be stopped. I think that Afghanistan would have to go through a whole series of levels of growth civilizationally for us to be able to rely upon them to stop Al Qaeda from operating there. I don’t think that this is the sort of thing that can be done in the short term. > > What’s stopping Al Qaeda from operating out of Paraguay like Hezbollah supposedly does? What stops them from operating out of the Sudan or Somalia? > > Basically, I don’t think this is a reasonable strategy for stopping global Jihadi militancy. You got a better idea? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/26 "2009-12-01T22:41:04Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > You got a better idea? Yes, actually. A rapid strike force that can be deployed or re-deployed within a short period of time. Rather than occupy Afghanistan have the ability to reoccupy it for short tours like a month or two at a time. The same force can be deployed to Somalia, Sudan, or wherever the threat might actually exist. Work through diplomatic channels as much as possible. Tell the Taliban that they either give up Al Qaeda or we come back. It would be much cheaper in terms of money, damage, and human life than an extended occupation. And the strikeforce can be much more nimble. Supply them with weapons like [these](http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/amatoya-reconnaissance-and-suppression-vehicle/#2). Setup a mobile forward base that can be setup and taken down and moved around the country as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/27 "2009-12-01T22:43:05Z")
So, Team America: World Police, then. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/28 "2009-12-01T22:44:37Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So, Team America: World Police, then. I was thinking GI Joe, but yeah. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/29 "2009-12-01T23:00:43Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Yes, actually. A rapid strike force that can be deployed or re-deployed within a short period of time. Rather than occupy Afghanistan have the ability to reoccupy it for short tours like a month or two at a time. The same force can be deployed to Somalia, Sudan, or wherever the threat might actually exist. Work through diplomatic channels as much as possible. Tell the Taliban that they either give up Al Qaeda or we come back. > > It would be much cheaper in terms of money, damage, and human life than an extended occupation. And the strikeforce can be much more nimble. > > Supply them with weapons like [these](http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/amatoya-reconnaissance-and-suppression-vehicle/#2). Setup a mobile forward base that can be setup and taken down and moved around the country as needed. Nah! Supply them with weapons like [these!](http://davidszondy.com/future/war/sky_cavlary.htm)😃 (See [Rule of Cool.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool)) ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/30 "2009-12-01T23:07:36Z")
**BrainGlutton** The marines already have helicopters. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/31 "2009-12-02T01:20:40Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Ok, so how is that accomplished? How do we keep the majority tribal population from gaining power in Afghanistan?.. Genocide. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/32 "2009-12-02T01:25:53Z")
I think he’s knocking this out of the park so far. I’m glad he made the point about never having ben asked to send additional troops before 2010, refuting the bullshit meme that he was dragging his feet or denying resources. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/33 "2009-12-02T01:35:14Z")
Who is Ben? -XT ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/34 "2009-12-02T01:37:49Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It takes an incredible amount of guts to stand up to the military when they want to have more troops. The word you’re looking for is “hubris”. It takes a lot of hubris to use a military setting to announce something he supported as a candidate but took 4 months to approve as a President. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/35 "2009-12-02T01:38:42Z")
Very well done, as always. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/36 "2009-12-02T01:48:45Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think he’s knocking this out of the park so far. I’m glad he made the point about never having ben asked to send additional troops before 2010, refuting the bullshit meme that he was dragging his feet or denying resources. You must have missed the 2008 election where he [pledged](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/15/barackobama.usa1) he would increase troop strength in Afghanistan. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/37 "2009-12-02T01:52:01Z")
He already _has_ increased troop strength in Afghanistan. McChrystal (a grandstanding asshole who needs to learn his fucking place) wanted a _further_ increase. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/38 "2009-12-02T01:52:41Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > You must have missed the 2008 election where he [pledged](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/15/barackobama.usa1) he would increase troop strength in Afghanistan. A pledge that he is keeping with this speech tonight. So what’s your problem? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/39 "2009-12-02T01:54:06Z")
You must have missed the part where he said ten thousand, roughly a third of this commitment. Somewhat different. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552/40 "2009-12-02T01:55:40Z")
He had me at, well, not “Good evening,” but when he reminded me that Pakistan has nukes. The goals and objectives made sense to me. I just hope we have competent and capable strategists and commanders and diplomats and translators and suppliers and soldiers, etc. to help carry out those goals. Does everybody know their job? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-to-announce-afghanistan-policy-in-speech-tuesday-12-01-09/519552.md?page=3)