![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Surprise.jpg\" "\\"Surprise!\\"")
<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nSo, of course, he had to take the opportunity to make a campaign speech<\/a> while he was there. I happened to have a plate of pork chops at the time which needed my full attention so I had to read the text this morning.<\/p>\n I was surprised when I checked what my friends on Facebook were saying last night to discover that people learned for the first time that we were negotiating with the Taliban. Here at TAH we’ve been talking about it since November 2009<\/a>. And we didn’t believe Eikenberry’s propaganda chief, Caitlan Hayden when she tried to deny<\/a> that there were negotiations with Taliban.<\/p>\n But, of course, the highlights of Obama’s speech were about his main strategy – withdrawal;<\/p>\n Last year, we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more and more of our troops coming home. And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country.<\/p>\n Second, we are training Afghan security forces to get the job done. Those forces have surged, and will peak at 352,000 this year. The Afghans will sustain that level for three years, and then reduce the size of their military. And in Chicago, we will endorse a proposal to support a strong and sustainable long-term Afghan force.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The reason he mentioned Chicago (someone emailed me last night to ask why he mentioned Chicago) is because he’s headed to a summit in chicago this week to beg our allies for money to fund our efforts in Afghanistan – a truly worthless endeavor. The Euro-weenies are accustomed to the US shouldering the military and monetary burdens of the world’s problems. I’m pretty sure they expect that to continue.<\/p>\n Now I found this statement truly stupid;<\/p>\n Our goal is not to build a country in America\u2019s image, or to eradicate every vestige of the Taliban. These objectives would require many more years, many more dollars, and most importantly, many more American lives. Our goal is to destroy al Qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly that. Afghans want to assert their sovereignty and build a lasting peace. That requires a clear timeline to wind down the war.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It seems to me that the Taliban is more of a threat to Afghanistan’s sovereignty than al Qaeda. The incident I wrote about yesterday, when Taliban fighters interrupted by gunfire a meeting with village leaders and they murdered three Afghan children. It’s Taliban insurgents who are throwing acid in the faces of schoolgirls, shooting up classrooms, blowing up market places – not al Qaeda. So it seems like wishful thinking that there’s a place in the future of Afghanistan for radical Talibs.<\/p>\n Our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians in Afghanistan have done their duty. Now we must summon that same sense of common purpose. We must give our veterans and military families the support they deserve, and the opportunities they have earned. And we must redouble our efforts to build a nation worthy of their sacrifice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yeah, sorry, but it rings a little hollow while returning veterans face increased healthcare costs and a derelict Department of Veterans’ Affairs which can’t keep it’s promises to veterans and finds it difficult to accomplish the easiest tasks…like pay education benefits when the students need them. <\/p>\n But, hey, they were sure some pretty words.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"