Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

I've said it for years: Out of Iraq, into Afghanistan, IF you expect the US to win this war.

My God, it it SO great to finally have a real Commander-in-Chief.

the 8-year-old war he inherited and then dramatically escalated.

Inherited it? He paid $500 million to become president. Just more of the Obama fuzzy math that he's famous for.

I do agree, though, that under his watch the war there has been "dramatically escalated".

Moderator: Please stop using every post for an anti-Obama rant. It adds nothing to the discussion.

Obama is truly a Commander-In-Chief the whole nation can be proud of. What a guy to take on the mess of Afghanistan and not shirk his responsibilities. I also have emphasized that we needed more troops in Afghanistan and that we needed zero troops initially in Iraq. This war could have either been won or in the final stages of reconstruction and reconciliation with the factions.

Obama is the first real president the U.S. has had this century.

Obama's doing a hell of a job as C-n-C. < :-)

The hits just keep on coming. Healthcare, deal with the ruskies on reducing the nukes and then flies to Afganistanland and stokes the troops. When he gets the taliban to make a deal with karzai and to give up OBL its lights out for 2012. What bush promised to do and failed Obama may just make happen, that is getting OBL punished for his crimes.

Agree with the above posts, what a difference a competent president makes. Like day versus night.

re "When he gets the taliban to make a deal with karzai and to give up OBL its lights out for 2012."

Lights out for all the idiotic 9-11 conspiracy theories too.

USAFdude:

My God, it it SO great to finally have a real Commander-in-Chief.

LOL!!

Obama's doing a hell of a job as C-n-C. < :-)

Obama is the first real president the U.S. has had this century.

LOL!!

manfromamerica all laugh and no comments? Maybe it's just frustrating that Obama isn't the disappointment that you hoped. All this from a community organizer.

I'm glad he made this trip. Gets a chance to look Karzi eye to eye after we increased the troops and his chance to give the boys an atta-boy. < :-)

May be the anointed one agrees that "the surge is working!(only in Afghanistan). The fact is that "dictators gone wild" such as Iran, N. Korea, Hugo Chavez, Castro brothers...under his watch, and Obama is hoping and dreaming that nothing will happen. Time will tell, you harvest what you sow. It is not about Hollywood movie, it is the future of America that our children will bear all the burden of biggest deficit in history. Also, the pot culture is spreading along the line of "social justice" under his watch. Wow what a real accomplishment, isn't it?

Good to see the U.S. now has a strategy for Afghanistan for the first time since bush/cheney blindly led the country into 2 wars. Iraq was a conservative-sponsored disaster and unparalled waste of lives and resources, and a key reason the Afghanistan confllict has dragged on for so long. But now that America is upping its game under Obama, we're seeing record numbers of militants caught and captured and conservatives denying progress is occurring every step of the way.

Bgood41 - dictators were 'going wild' and wilder - as was U.S. debt - under the previous GOP administration.

Why is it that the children in this sandbox cannot just get along with each other and discuss the issue at hand. Seriously, some of you seem to have ingested one of those little presents left by the neighborhood cat. Get over it!!!!

Anyway, with regard to Obama's visit to Afghanistan, I am glad that he has taken the time to get out of Washington and at least see something of what is happening in the country. Then again, I was happy that Bush also did the same thing when he was in office.

Obama's visit to Afghanistan was symbolically significant for the U.S. Forces there. It's time to extricate ourselves from Iraq and jump-start our involvement in Afghanistan. Glad now that President Obama had a brief respite from domestic politics which most of us are getting weary of.

There is not going to be peace in Afghanistan as long as the people do not have one common ground to stand and fight for. With different ethnics groups in Afghanistan along with the Taliban and al-Qaida it is going to be a long road ahead for peace and democracy to take place.

Obama, speaking to troops in a cavernous tent known as the “clam shell,” said, “We know there’s going to be some difficult days ahead, there’s going to be setbacks. We face a determined enemy, but we also know this: the United States of America does not quit once it starts on something. We will prevail, I am absolutely confident of that.”

Mr. President let's hope you are right in your assessment of the situation at hand...

Now we have to get him to see if he can find a polician in Japan that can make a decision.

President Obama is doing very OK. Hope that he will be the ONE who can fix the issue of Tibet as well.

I hope you are right too, Mr. President. I really hope so.

Sneaking in through the back door and then high-tailing out... when GWB did these sort of things, the ridicule came swiftly and predictably.

Not any more. Whatever the current media darling does, it is wonderful.

Afghanistan, like Haiti, is a money pit. Nothing will be changed for the better for long. Obamy ain't that magic. Cut the losses and leave, but remember that you'll eventually have to return to flush the toilets again.

For security reasons, doesn't it make perfect sence to arrive and depart under the cover of darkness? Especially when there are guys with rocket launchers trying to blow the airplane up?

Jbizzle - "For security reasons, doesn't it make perfect sence to arrive and depart under the cover of darkness? Especially when there are guys with rocket launchers trying to blow the airplane up?"

I think that makes too much sense for the anti-Obama crowd. :-)

On a practical level, I wonder how happy the troops were to see the C-in-C. Talking to an old American friend of mine (who I served with many years ago), he told me the story of when a junket from Congress decided to visit the boys and girls serving in Iraq a couple of years ago. Anyway, some of these politicians decided that they were not satisfied with the usual dog and pony show, and they asked for the opportunity to go out and meet the locals (this was when market bombings were all the rage in Baghdad). Let's just say that the grunts who had to screen this little photo opportunity were not too happy with their elected officials. I wonder what the normal grunt's view of Obama's visit was this time around?

Good for morale, I hope. However, if "we" are going to "win" in Afghanistan (which would be a first for anyone that I know of), perhaps the C'n'C could address the problem of Americans snorting up and lighting up the major Afghani export to the USA so that the Afghani can go back to raising food instead. Just my two bits.

Ranger: in order for him to adress drug use in America, he would have to travel many years back in a time machine. America's drug culture is here to stay.

I wonder what the normal grunt's view of Obama's visit was this time around?

Actually none too happy initially I'm pretty sure. Hold on though not a bash on the President at all! I'm pretty sure it went down like this though. The Enlisted guys and Gals were told sometime shortly prior to his visit that they had to muster in the at o-dark thirty in the assembly hall and to wear their best uniforms. A pre-inspection would be held to make sure every one was A.J squared away. Polished boots, haircuts etc. This is the 'Last thing' and enlisted guy wants to hear, some mucky muck General is coming for a suprise visit and darn it in the middle of the freakin' night. Same Military B.S........Service folks love to grip by the way. Had a saying in the Navy, "A bitching Sailor is a happy Sailor", true for all branches with the dog and pony brass shows and the all the spit and polishing that has to done prior to impress them as to how clean and shiny your windows are now that you've cleaned them 30 times prior to his arrival.

Then you find out it's the PRESIDENT of the United States when he walks in and you just got the word 10 minutes prior that it is him not General Smith.

Then your glad you wipe that window 30 times and that you shined that brass belt buckle of yours and your boots have been polished and that the Senior Enlisted guy was all over you for a good reason prior to the visit to square yourself away.

They were thrilled, believe me. It was a good gesture from the President Obama to do this. No critique on him on this one from a person pretty much opposed to him overall on his policies and direction he wants to take country on the domestic front.

Thank Mr. President the troops do appreciate it.

Interesting rundown Sail. Thanks for posting it.

If you say so...

It's interesting to note Conservatives supported a president who treated the Afghanistan war and troops' lives with little regard, and now slam a president who is actually taking the war seriously. It just goes to show conservatives slamming Obama don't give a toss about their soldiers in the battlefield.

Sushi,

good point, arm chair repubs do cheer on the deaths of GIs for basically no reason what so ever. Its called fake patriotism. "Yes we love you now go die for big oil."

And yes Obama has to clean up again another mess created by the bush invasion happy band of war criminals. There does seem to be some progress being made but in the end the US will leave and the Afgans will be left with the Taliban or something worse in charge.

The only American non-Democrat on this board who actually gives a damn about his country's men and women in combat is Sailwind.

The so-called 'patriotism' of the rest is nothing more than lip service.

Despite the lack of support from many conservatives, the troops can at least draw some comfort from the fact they have a president who is taking their mission seriously, unlike the last CnC.

telling troops whose numbers he is tripling that their victory is imperative to America’s safety.

We must indebt ourselves out of this war it is the only way to save Amerika.

Badsey -

This Amerika, with a "K", of which you speak doesn't exist, nor will it ever. Sorry if you don't like that fact.

Wow. Obama sure is singing a different tune. Hard to believe this is the same guy who opposed the surge in Iraq, declared the war lost, said we should pull out, and when speaking on Afghanistan would only say things like our forces are just kicking down doors and killing innocents. Looks like being around patriotic American men and women in uniform,in his capacity as C in C, has really made a diff. In particular, Army, Marine and Air Force members. Maybe there is some hope for us yet.

Obama can play a good game, -you just don't want to give him the ball. =A better cheerleader than a player.

good point, arm chair repubs do cheer on the deaths of GIs for basically no reason what so ever. Its called fake patriotism. "Yes we love you now go die for big oil."

Geez, that's a terrible thing to say about your fellow patriots. It just so happens that a relatively large percentage of those "repubs" are either in the military or are former military.

President Obama is right to increase troops in Afghanistan. It's the only thing he has done that most Americans agree with. I just hope he didn't say any of crappy things to their faces that he said about them during the campaign.

Wolfpack, isn't it good to see a U.S. president finally take this war seriously?