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| Afghanistan |
| Pelosi won't back Afghan plan |
| 2009-12-03 |
| US President Barack Obama's top ally in the House of Representatives has accepted but did not explicitly endorse his planned surge of troops in Afghanistan, saying she wanted more information. "The president has spoken, the decision has been made," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today. But Ms Pelosi said she had asked the White House for briefings for rank-and-file Democrats sharply divided on the war from Mr Obama's top national security and diplomatic aides before lawmakers make up their minds. She said those sessions should come "hopefully very soon, so that we can make some judgments about the nature of the threat, the nature of the mission and the need for the resources". "I think we have to handle it with care, listen to what they present, and then members will make their decisions," she said. Ms Pelosi said she had asked for briefings from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, Mr Obama's top uniformed military adviser, Michael Mullen, US national security adviser Jim Jones, and other officials. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 No, the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan is supposed to be completed by mid 2012. The surge itself is supposed to be done by 2010. The former helps the President. The latter target-date is designed to help the Democrats in the House and Senate. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-12-03 21:01 |
| #5 A few months shy of the 2012 elections. Same deal, slightly different time fame. The Bus can handle the 2010 elections. |
| Posted by: Perry Stanford White 2009-12-03 19:04 |
| #4 She'll squawk for a while to placate her base, but she'll go along. The surge is supposed to end a few months shy of the 2010 election. If it goes well, she'll stay quiet or figure out a way to get the Democrats the praise. If it doesn't, she can always claim she "had doubts" and buff her antiwar credentials. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-12-03 18:54 |
| #3 She just wants Uncle Rahm to invite her back to his basement apartment for another whipping. |
| Posted by: mojo 2009-12-03 17:21 |
| #2 Way to go, Gal! Will the house Dems support her or Obama? Probably some will stay with her and others will go the other way. This could mean a mighty split in the Democrats dam against the Republicans. The Republicans may regain some real power in the aftermath of this great division. |
| Posted by: Oregon Doodle 2009-12-03 16:54 |
| #1 Can we question their patriotism now? |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2009-12-03 15:33 |