President Obama embarked on a hush-hush journey to his “right” war under the cover of darkness. The Middle East outing commemorated the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. It was just a year ago that Obama gave the once secret Navy SEAL Team Six the green light to complete a daring nighttime mission that ended with two bullets and the demise of America’s most wanted terrorist. Most Americans remember where they were on that fateful Sunday night. Fast-forward a year and Obama has overwhelmingly lost support for the “right” war, signed an executive agreement to remain in Afghanistan through 2024 and will face a skeptical electorate in November questioning the politicization of the war.
President Barack Obama and U.S. anointed Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) that is being described as a legally binding executive agreement. White House officials said, “the President’s goal in negotiating such an agreement has been to define with the Afghan government what's on the other side of transition and the completed drawdown of U.S. forces.”
However, the vague 10-page “executive” document is light on details and lacks acknowledgement that Karzai’s regime bribed the U.S. government by demanding a $20-40 billion slush fund. Equally as ambiguous is the number of non-combat troops that will stay in the war torn tribal nation, what their role will be and what safety assurances will the Afghan government provide U.S. soldiers to remain until 2024.
It’s no surprise that Obama’s “10-year extension” has met with substantial skepticism from civilians and military alike. Military leaders are criticizing Obama’s lack of leadership, failure to lay out a plan for victory and the uptick of execution-style killings of U.S. troops by the Afghan Security Forces they are training. Today, the administration posed for campaign photos and confirmed its new role to solidify an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, strengthen its sovereignty, stability, prosperity, and contributes to defeating al Qaeda.
“Addressing the viewing public back home, and opening himself up to Republican criticisms of electioneering, Obama said that America's war of destroying al Qaeda in Afghanistan were nearly achieved,” Army LTC Anthony Shaffer (ret) quipped. In typical Obama arrogance, the President took credit for dismantling al Qaeda’s network. “The goal that I set to defeat al-Qaeda and deny it a base to rebuild is now within reach," he said at Bagram Air Base.
Military personnel on the ground in Afghanistan took exception to the President’s claims. “First the President's comments regarding ‘breaking the momentum of the Taliban’ and having al Qaeda nearly defeated is NOT supported by the U.S. intelligence community and current National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Afghanistan,” LTC Shaffer explained. “The NIE is classified but I have spoken to three people who have read it and while they cannot share the details they have told me the intelligence DOES NOT back up President Obama's statements this evening.”
Shaffer said many members of Congress have asked that the NIE report be released in order to provide Americans with the “real” conditions in Afghanistan.
“The Director of National Intelligence – Lt. Gen (ret) James R. Clapper denied (Congress’) request and falsely claimed the report includes ‘sources and methods’ that are sensitive for NIE,” Shaffer said. “I've worked on NIEs in the past and sources and methods are NEVER included in any NIE because they are given to policy level folks - in other words Clapper lied to Capitol Hill.”
Unfortunately for U.S. forces much of the work they’ve completed will be unraveled upon departure and the Taliban will resume control of the war torn nation.
Shaffer, who penned the non-fiction New York Times bestseller “Operation Dark Heart” explained that al Qaeda is not in Afghanistan and the Obama Administration would be better served to focus on capturing Dr. Zawahiri in Pakistan.
Details included in the 10-page agreement will hamstring U.S. forces Shaffer said. While the Karzai government will take bribery money, they will not allow Americans to use Afghanistan as a base of operations to launch attacks against other nations. In other words, if the President was planning a mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan after 2014, U.S military could not have launched the successful Abbottabad operation, Shaffer concluded.
History in the making…
At the Presidential Palace signing ceremony both Karzai and Obama alluded to the “historic” nature of the SPA agreement. However, the “historic” agreement made by Mr. Obama isn’t without sacrifice and it could be argued that the President has redefined the “war powers’” act by bypassing Congressional approval.
An example of Obama’s interpretation of declaring war was spotlighted when he declared war on Libya, sent U.S. forces on behalf of the French, or more recently directed spec-warfare soldiers to Central Africa for his actor pal George Clooney and unilaterally based F-22 fighters in Yemen.
Obama’s continual snubbing of the required Congressional approval combined with the U.S. legislature’s lack of interest in the Constitution or governing the nation should concern all Americans. Unfortunately, both Congress and the citizenry seem unconcerned with Mr. Obama’s executive rule.
It doesn’t help matters when politicians in both political parties ignore America’s “historic” debt crisis. Last September Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told business executives the biggest threat to national security is the debt time bomb. “I’ve said many times that I believe the single, biggest threat to our national security is our debt, so I also believe we have every responsibility to help eliminate that threat. We must, and will, do our part.”
Those grave economic words have done little to slow the federal government’s drunken sailor spending spree.
Today, the President shirked his fiduciary responsibilities when he offered America’s hard-borrowed cash to the overtly corrupt Afghan Karzai regime (view story on Karzai corruption here). Maybe the taxpayer should ask the President to curtail Air Force One’s carbon footprint and electronically wire-transfer the bribery money directly to Karzai’s Abu Dhabi retirement account.
Good thing the economy has turned around, jobs are plentiful and America no longer needs to borrow money from China! This is fantastic news for the taxpayers and they owe an un-congratulations to President Obama--Osama is dead, the war on terror is over and world peace has finally been achieved.
Obama addresses the soldiers
Marine Gen. John R. Allen commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) U.S. forces in Afghanistan introduced the president to the warriors at Bagram Air Base. The commander informed the troops that the upcoming NATO summit paints a positive picture and their role was critical. Ironically, Gen. Allen claimed the U.S. soldiers’ sacrifice was worth the war.
“When they are in Chicago they are going to celebrate your achievement and they’re going to plan the future of this great cause,” Allen said. Really? A different American commander talked about the reality he sees. “It's no wonder the average citizen doesn't have a clue. We can neither afford a 10-year stay or a one-year stay or even a six-month stay. We (the troop’s) moral are not going to make it.”
Even with all the classified intelligence at the Commander in Chief’s disposal, Obama seems unconcerned with war fatigued U.S. soldiers and missing endgame rule book.
Instead when the President addressed the soldiers he highlighted Afghanistan’s transition to leadership: “We’re not going to do it overnight. We’re not going to do it irresponsibly. We’re going to make sure that the gains, the hard fought gains that have been made are preserved but the reason we are able to do that is because of you.”
“We did not choose this war this war came to us on 9/11. We don’t go looking for a fight but when we see our homeland violated, when we see our fellow citizens killed then we understand what we have to do and because of the sacrifices now of a decade—a new greatest generation—not only were we able to blunt the Taliban’s momentum, not only were we able to drive Al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, but slowly and systematically we have been able to decimate the ranks of al Qaeda and a year ago we were finally able to bring Osama bin Laden to Justice,” the President insisted.
Details of the Strategic Partnership Agreement
The U.S. claims to recognize progress during the past 10 years, and according to White House officials the Strategic Partnership Agreement includes mutual commitments for both countries. They include protecting and promoting shared democratic values, advancing long-term security, reinforcing regional security and cooperationsocial and economic development, strengthening Afghan institutions and governance.
The U.S. cost for the bi-lateral 10-year extension will cost taxpayers billions of dollars and offer no guarantees that Afghanistan will remain free from Taliban/extremist barbaric policies.
“Western officials argued for months that the first demand was not practical and the second could undermine the military effort, but eventually agreed compromises on both,” according to a story in the UK Guardian. “Washington and its allies wanted to have the US-Afghan strategic partnership agreed before a major NATO conference to be held later this month in Chicago where members of the alliance are expected to pledge long-term help to Kabul with finances and military training."
Yes it’s true, President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan under cover of darkness... the unknown freshman Senator from Chicago arrived in America shrouded in secrecy and once he reached the Oval office his first official presidential act was signing an executive order sealing his history, and essentially lock boxing his official records. Why the secrecy? Why the war?
To read more about Afghanistan:
Afghanistan War lingers- military deception for political expediency
Afghan War ain’t about hearts and minds- ‘just win baby’ (http://www.examiner.com/article/afghan-war-ain-t-about-hearts-and-minds-...
Part one-http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/u-s-troops-fi...
Part one-http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/u-s-troops-fi...
Part two- http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/us-payments-t...
Part three- http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/billion-dolla...
Part four- http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/terrorism-s-d...
Part five -http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/obama-begins-...
For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/homeland-security-in-national/kimberly-dvorak
© Copyright 2012 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.
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