He said, she said. . .

[unhappycamper]

US officials say war goals modest in Afghanistan
By ANNE GEARAN
AP National Security Writer
Aug 1, 5:00 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the war in Afghanistan faces a loss of public and congressional support and U.S. casualties rise sharply, the Obama administration is painting its goals for the war as humble and achievable while warning there is no quick fix.

"Nobody thinks that Afghanistan is going to be a model Jeffersonian democracy," President Barack Obama said in a television interview that aired Sunday.

"What we're looking to do is difficult - very difficult - but it's a fairly modest goal, which is: Don't allow terrorists to operate from this region. Don't allow them to create big training camps and to plan attacks against the U.S. homeland with impunity," Obama said in an interview broadcast by CBS' "Sunday Morning."

July was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the nearly nine-year war, with 66 troops killed. Military officials predict the toll will be even higher for several months to come, as U.S., NATO and Afghan forces intensify fighting in Taliban-controlled areas.

The troop surge Obama ordered last year was meant to make that expanded fight possible, but it also guaranteed higher combat deaths and a renewed focus on whether a war that remains a stalemate is still worth fighting.



U.S. trying to shield Afghans named in leak
By Anne Gearan - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 1, 2010 12:13:28 EDT

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. military officer says the Pentagon is trying to protect Afghans who may be at risk from Taliban retaliation following the publication of tens of thousands of secret war documents.

Adm. Mike Mullen, who’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the U.S. is duty-bound to try to shield informants who were named in the documents.

Taliban spokesmen have said that their organization will use the material to try to hunt down people who’ve been cooperating with what the Taliban considers a foreign invader.

The website WikiLeaks posted nearly 77,000 secret documents a week ago, leading to wide condemnation from U.S. officials.

Mullen was interviewed on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and NBC’s “Meet The Press.”



unhappycamper comment: I have no clue why President Obama is continuing this charade. Once Afghans call you a 'foreign invader', it's time to hit the exits.

How can you say that our men and women are maimed and dying for 'modest war goals'? I'm sure Afghanistan vets would question that statement.

Read some history, Dude.

[Contrary1]

1. "How can you say that our men and women are maimed and dying for 'modest war goals'"?

This one sentence alone merits a K&R.

[JohnnyLib2]

2. Tragically, yes

K & R

[unhappycamper]

3. A kick to get off page 3.

[Radical Activist]

4. This is what I wrote months ago.

Obama is defining limited goals so we can declare victory and get out no matter what the situation is in Afghanistan.