Thursday, December 3, 2009

How many and for how long? Does the Obama administration think we're idiots?

It turns out that the Obama administration is not exactly being straight when it comes to troop numbers or the supposed 2011 withdrawal.

First, Democracy Now broke the following story this morning:
The Pentagon has acknowledged President Obama’s new troop deployment to Afghanistan could be higher than the 30,000 he announced this week. The Washington Post reports Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been authorized to deploy another 3,000 troops at his discretion. A senior Pentagon official said the number of additional US forces deployed under Obama’s escalation plan could ultimately top 35,000. Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gates said the first troops would begin to arrive in Afghanistan later this month.
So 30,000 becomes 33,000 becomes more than 35,000. The beat goes on.

Second, remember when Gibbs said the July 2011 date was "etched in stone." That was yesterday. Here's something else he said yesterday:
MR. GIBBS: The policy is -- let me be clear, let me be clear, because the President was clear -- our forces, in July of 2011, will transition out of Afghanistan. Again, understand what he said: This is a conditions-based drawdown, decisions made by the Commander-in-Chief, but that's -- understand where we're talking about. Let's understand where we got to July 2011 ...

Q So a drawdown will begin in July -- of some magnitude will be --

MR. GIBBS: A conditions-based --

Q -- if conditions warrant?

MR. GIBBS: A conditions-based drawdown will begin in July 2011.

We can invent a new game called "guess the conditions". I have a feeling the conditions will be based on whatever General McChrystal wants.

Finally, the real surge has already begun, as private military contractors flood Afghanistan. Contractors have increased 40% since the early summer, such that there are now 104,000 in Afghanistan, compared to 113,000 in Iraq. Private contractors are extremely expensive, often making 5-10 times what soldiers and other government employees make for the same work. They are also problematic on the battlefield, as they are unaccountable to the military command structure. We all know what happened with Blackwater in Iraq. For a president who claims to recognize the fiscal costs of war, he's sure not doing a lot about it....

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