What they’re saying about Obama’s Afghanistan speech….

by George Bennett | December 1st, 2009

President Obama tonight ordered 30,000 more U.S. troops to be deployed in Afghanistan and pledged to begin withdrawing forces in 18 months.

The president delivered a prime-time speech from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Some Florida reactions after the jump…..

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson: “ I think the president has a sensible plan, both short- and- long term, to empower the Afghan people and allow for U.S. troops to complete their mission and come home,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat and member of two key Senate Committees overseeing the war effort, Intelligence and Armed Services. “The plan will allow 50,000 additional Afghan troops to be trained by next July so they can hold areas that are turned over to them. And our overall mission remains the same: wiping out Al Qaeda and diminishing its supporters, like, Taliban insurgents, while keeping up the pressure in the Pakistan border region. ”

LeMieux

Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux: “I am both encouraged and concerned by the President’s remarks on the way forward in Afghanistan. I commend the President for making this difficult decision to increase our troop commitment in Afghanistan. Additional troops are needed to build security and prevent the Taliban and al Qaeda from again using Afghanistan as a base for Terrorism. However, success cannot be measured by a timetable for withdrawal, but rather must be judged by demonstrated accomplishments in the field. Setting a date certain for withdrawal only gives our enemies hope to hold out one day longer than our troops are on the ground.

“We all want our troops home as soon as possible, but if our goal is to leave Afghanistan as a stable partner in the war on terror, our goal must first be on accomplishing the mission. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to reviewing the details of the President’s plan to determine if it is the best approach for our nation and our security.”

Meek

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami; Senate candidate: “President Obama’s strategic review and subsequent policy decision on Afghanistan puts us on a course for success that we lacked for many years. The decision to wage a second war in Iraq prevented the completion of the mission in Afghanistan. As a member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly who has traveled to Afghanistan, I know that our mission will be completed with the help of our allies who are also shouldering the heavy burdens of war alongside our military, and these sacrifices and dangers are shared between all of our citizens. Our success will be realized when terrorists and their accomplices no longer view Afghanistan as a safe haven to plot murderous attacks on innocent civilians.”

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 11:07 pm and is filed under Barack Obama, Bill Nelson, George Bennett, George LeMieux. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “What they’re saying about Obama’s Afghanistan speech….”

1. mark Says:
   December 1st, 2009 at 11:50 pm

   This is exactly what the Israeli lobby told the pres to do. A.I.P.A.C. is in charge of Mid-East policy…NOT Obama!
   War-Hawks always get their way. America produces nothing these days except weapons. BTW…which stocks should I pick for a LOOOOOOOOONG drawn out war so I can make a profit? Oh I guess I can just look at what stocks Cheney is buying.

2. John Smith Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 5:24 am

   You got it Mark. That’s exactly right!

3. Debra Lilson Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 6:31 am

   VOTE them all out. BUSH WAS WRONG AND SO WAS OBAMA. No more Wexler puppets, no more Senators that just want to get re-elected.

   They are part of the wasteful spending and a dumb group of elected.

4. One for ALL Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 7:29 am

   Obama=Bush

   When Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff, and ran to fight in the first Gulf War for Israel instead of the USA, that gives you an indication where his loyalty are first placed.

   America first!

   Jonathan Pollard will be pardoned.

5. LionDoll Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 7:37 am

   It gets me how the americans haven’t got a clue about what the word troop means.

   Troop does not mean one soldier!

   Main Entry: troop
   Pronunciation: \ˈtrüp\
   Function: noun
   Etymology: Middle French trope, troupe company, herd, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English thorp, throp village — more at thorp
   Date: 1545
   1 a : a group of soldiers b : a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company c plural : armed forces, soldiers
   2 : a collection of people or things : crew 2
   3 : a flock of mammals or birds
   4 : the basic organizational unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under an adult leader

6. LionDoll Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 9:04 am

   U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami; Senate candidate

   A$$ KISSER

7. ciro Says:
   December 2nd, 2009 at 9:19 am

   IF MY VOTE MEANS ANYTHING HE WILL BE A ONE TERM PRESIDENT