The "Escalating Afghanistan is ok because Obama said he would during campaigning" argument is stupid

[howard112211]

It is really flat stupid. Here is why: If any person who voted for Obama is not allowed to criticize this decision because Obama announced it prior to his election, and any person who states they didn't vote for him and abstained of went third party because of this issue catches a shitstorm and is called a Palin enabler, what options remain? So its a choice of either being "on our side" which then apparently implies that one should "shut up and get with the program", or being a Republican? I seriously doubt anyone would be any happier if the people who voted for Obama despite disagreeing with his Afghanistan stance just stayed home.

You can be for the Afghanistan escalation all you want, but to use "because Obama promised he would" as some sort of argument is just plain idiotic.

I think nobody deserves one's vote a priori. I think voting for a person earns one the right to complain about everything this person does.

[DCBob]

1. Then don't ever complain Obama promised this or that during the campaign on other issues ...

deal?

[howard112211]

3. lol. No I don't think I like that deal.

[DCBob]

6. Good answer..

I agree.

[Arkana]

2. No one said it's OK--they're just puzzled as to why people

are accusing him of duplicitousness on the subject.

I don't support the increase in Afghanistan either, but I was under no illusions when I voted for Obama--I knew what I was getting.

[howard112211]

7. Some people are using it as an argument.

I'm not even saying wether I am against the increase or not. I just said I don't like that argument.

[stray cat]

4. However, saying he didn't keep his promise is LYING

or pure IGNORANCE

[frylock]

5. shithead promised to escalate the war in iraq as well..

i don't remember folks around here being to accepting of that just because bush said that's what he was going to do.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. Just because one cannot claim to be surprised doesn't mean

one cannot also be displeased.

If I'm understanding the OP.

To wit I would say: I agree and I'm displeased. I had hoped he was only trying to look strong on military matters. There would be better ways of achieving that though i suppose the election climate demanded that.

Let's face it the pro-Afghanistan faction of our national electorate aren't likely to cut the president any slack on the balance of his agenda.

Let's stop spending money and lives--both ours and theirs--and get out.

[GodlessBiker]

9. He was wrong on the issue then and he's wrong now.

[frylock]

10. bottom line

[pleah]

11. K&R

[PufPuf23]

12. During the campaign I thought his AfPak statement was rhetoric

and there would be more attention paid to get us out faster once in office.

I have been surprised that under Obama:

1. Gates and other generals such as Petreaus and McChrystal were retained.
2. Military footprints in Africa, Latin/South America, and cyberspace have been expanded.
3. The drone program has been expended including non-judicial execution of citizens.
4. The USA was complicit in the Honduras coup.

[truedelphi]

24. Well fool us once, shame on him.

Fool us twice and shame on us.

[drm604]

13. It would be stupid... if anyone was making it.

I haven't seen anyone argue such a thing.

I'm not saying that there might not be a handful of people somewhere who are saying that, but I haven't run into any of them.

Maybe you're misunderstanding people who are saying that he can't be accused of hypocrisy on the issue, that's a completely different argument.

[bvar22]

14. During th campaign,

Obama said he was going to add 3 brigades (approximately 15,000 troops) to hunt down Bin Laden and neutralize Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. These troops were added in early 2009.
No one here (or anywhere) complained about these additional 3 brigades at THAT time, because THAT is what he promised.

Obama's "Surge", the additional 30,0000+ troops over and above the original 15,000, was NEVER promised or "talked about" during the campaign, nor was escalating the WAR to Pakistan, nor was ANY of the additional mission creep in Afghanistan.

Those trying to revise history and claim that Obama is doing exactly what he promised during the campaign are absolutely WRONG on this issue.

[katandmoon]

15. ITA. Obama also promised things he DID NOT deliver on. But you're not supposed to mention THAT.

[Hydra]

22. ^This

President Obama has been, frankly, overzealous in his desire to do and pay for Military things his base(That would be us) don't support and really never supported.

...But when he has to back out on promises we NEEDED(Single payer or public option), that's just "political reality."

[MineralMan]

16. I disagree with President Obama's decision to excalate in

Afghanistan. I disagreed with it at the time of the election. Yet, I voted for him. Why? Because any other option was unthinkable. I think it was an error for him to do that, but he did not hide his plan in any way.

It could work, but I doubt it. When we finally leave Afghanistan, it will revert back to the usual chaotic country it has always been.

I do not vote for candidates for President based on a single issue. Never have, and never will. If I did, I'd just have to stay away from the polls altogether.

What's puzzling is why anyone is surprised that he did what he said he would do.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Strawman. Nobody is arguing it makes it OK.

It's just a rebuttal for all that illiterate "OMG this is not the Obama I voted for, he betrayed me" bullshit.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. I believed him. Which is why I didn't vote for him.

But, I agree that it's a poor argument that voting for him should negate criticism of him or his escalation of an obviously lost war.

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. It's not and I will tell you why...

There are many folks round there parts who didn't realize he said that. I VOTED for Obama knowing full well that he was all for the Afghani war. I did not agree with that. But I take issue with people who voted for him thinking that he said what they wanted to hear.

I realize, like any adult voter, that no candidate is perfect. And a huge problem was the decision to escalate...

Now being critical don't meant that you are a Palin Suporter, that is just childish by some.

But people REALLY need to listen to candidates and what they say. And not expect to hear what they want to hear.

That is part of being an INFORMED voter...

[Mojeoux]

21. We MUST get Out, ASAP. Promote RAWA "The Revolutionary Association of Women"

Get OUT of Iraq as fast as we can. They don't want our presence.

The people of Afghanistan and Iraq will resolve the messes and knots of their own governments.

[Turborama]

23. The "I voted for Obama because he was going to be an anti-war president" argument is stupid

And yes, I have seen that false argument used here multiple times. In fact, that's the argument which is refuted with "Obama said he would escalate in Afghanistan during the campaign". I think that's where you've seen the "he said in the campaign" response used. I've never seen anyone say what you've got in parenthesis in your title.