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Subscribe to RSSA panel including Newsweek/the Daily Beast writer Peter Beinart, online contributor Rula Jebreal, and national security reporter Eli Lake discusses how recent setbacks might affect military efforts in Afghanistan.
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. and Afghanistan on Sunday reached on a long-delayed "strategic partnership" agreement that ensures Americans will provide military and financial support for at least a decade beyond 2014, the deadline for most foreign forces to withdraw.
The pact is key to the U.S. exit strategy in Afghanistan because it provides guidelines for any American forces who remain after the withdrawal deadline and for financial help to the impoverished country and its security forces.
For the Afghan government, it is a way to show its people that their U.S. allies are not walking away and leaving it exposed to the Taliban and even neighboring governments.
"The Iranians don’t like it because it shows the U.S. is going to be here for a long time," a European diplomat in Kabul told the New York Times. "So that must be good. And neither will the Taliban; this is important because they cannot tell their soldiers now just to sit it out and wait for 2014."
After 10 years of U.S.-led war, insurgents linked to the Taliban- and al-Qaida remain a threat and as recently as a week ago, launched a large-scale attack on the capital Kabul and three other cities.
The draft agreement was worked out and initialed by Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. It must still be reviewed in both countries and signed afterward by the Afghan and American presidents.
Five alleged members of the Taliban are being detained in Afghanistan after authorities discovered a huge amount of explosives in a truck. NBC's Lester Holt reports.
"Our goal is an enduring partnership with Afghanistan that strengthens Afghan sovereignty, stability and prosperity and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating al-Qaida and its extremist affiliates," said U.S. Embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall. "We believe this agreement supports that goal."
U.S. forces have already started pulling out of Afghanistan, and the majority of combat troops are scheduled to depart by the end of 2014. But the U.S. is expected to maintain a large presence in the country for years after, including special forces, military trainers and government-assistance programs.
The agreement is both an achievement and a relief for both sides, coming after months of turmoil that seemed to put the entire alliance in peril. It shows that the two governments are still committed to working together and capable of coming to some sort of understanding.
"The document finalized today provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world and is a document for the development of the region," Spanta said in a statement issued by President Hamid Karzai's office.
Neither Afghan nor U.S. officials would comment on the details of the agreement. A Western official familiar with the negotiations said it outlines a strategic partnership for 10 years beyond 2014.
Reaching any agreement is likely to be seen as a success given more than a year and a half of negotiations during which the entire effort appeared in danger of falling apart multiple times.
Since the beginning of the year, U.S.-Afghan relations have been strained by an Internet video of American Marines urinating on the corpses of presumed Taliban fighters, by Quran burnings at a U.S. base that sparked days of deadly protests and by the alleged killing spree by a U.S. soldier in a southern Afghan village.
Tensions were further heightened by a spate of turncoat attacks by Afghan security forces on their international counterparts.
Obama to sign in next few weeks
White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said President Barack Obama expects to sign the document before a NATO summit in Chicago next month, meeting the deadline set by the two sides. Many had started to worry in recent weeks that Karzai and Obama would miss that goal as talked dragged on and Karzai continued to announce new demands for the document.
The late May summit will see Western leaders try to agree on future funding and support for the 352,000-strong Afghan police and army. That support is expected to amount to $4 billion a year, with the Afghan government contributing around $500 million a year of that.
Much of the disagreement was about how to handle activities that the Afghan government saw as threatening its sovereignty, in particular, night raids and the detention of Afghan citizens by international forces. Those two major issues were resolved earlier this year in separate memorandums of understanding.
But closed-door talks continued for weeks after those side-deals were signed. And then as recently as last week, Karzai said that he wanted the agreement to include a dollar figure for funding for the Afghan security forces — a demand that would be hard for the Americans to sign off on given the need for congressional approval for funding. U.S. officials have said previously that they expected the document to address economic and development support for Afghanistan more generally.
The final document is likely to be short on specifics. U.S. officials involved in the negotiations have said previously that the strategic partnership will provide a framework for future relations, but that details of how U.S. forces operate in the country will come in a later agreement.
Karzai recently said he wanted the United States to contribute $2 billion a year under the U.S.-Afghan SPA, but an Afghan government source said on condition of anonymity that the deal negotiated by Crocker and Spanta contained no firm numbers.
The initialing ceremony means that the text of the document is now locked in. But the countries will have to go through their own internal review processes, Sundwall said.
"For the United States, that will mean interagency review, consultation with Congress as appropriate and final review by the president," Sundwall said.
In Afghanistan, the agreement will have to be approved by parliament. The Afghan foreign minister will brief Afghan lawmakers about the document Monday, the Afghan president's statement said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Ok, let's hear it from the Obama haters. Let's hear how making this deal is proof positive that Obama is a muslim terrorist, communist, nazi, dog kicking, cat raping, alien from another galaxie who is out to destroy America. Yes, let's hear it from the same morons who, If Obama had turned this deal down, would be saying the exact same things about him for NOT making the deal.
leroy...........reference post #2. and post #3.........
That's "dog eating" !! Get it right !!
Post #2 has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. Here at home were fighting about taxing the rich more or having everybody pay their fair share.
In return this is what OUR goverment does with our tax money!
No need to worry. When Romney rules the day he will see to changing the world. After all, he does want it all.
God help us weary.
I trust that the 'financial aid' is like the 'food aid' to North Korea - YOU show us FIRST that you are worthy of this 'aid' and are not stuffing it into some offshore account.
I hope that the 'aid' is a bit like a company expense account, re-imbursement from an accounting office AFTER production of associated receipts and a proper audit. This notion of sacks of US currency being delivered to Kabul is b.s. How about tracking this cash and raising merry hell when it turns up in Zurich?
Awwwwww, how nice. A perpetual albatross around the necks of the American Taxpayers. More money AND lives we'll throw away for absolutely NOTHING and NOBODY of value. Isn't that special?
Why are we still there? If they were a threat we should take out the threat. We need to quit putting our troops in danger and quit wasting our tax dollars. If there is no threat to us or an ally we dont need to be wasting troops and money, if there is a threat carpet bomb the place take what resources are there, Afghanistan has none, and sell off the land to whoever will buy it. We keep proping up these leaders and there governments until they turn on us and we have to fight them, We trained and backed Ossama We put Saddam in power. yet we keep doing the same thing over and over.
you must be who Jim Croce was singing about
First, we don't know the conditions are nor the dollar amount. But let's say we do commit 2 billion as required not including our costs to do their police work. It has been determined that the Buffett tax on the rich will generate about 4 billion annually - maybe. So in one door and out the next. BTW, France has a wealthy tax right now that generates about 2 percent of their revenue. Taxes in Europe for the average family including SS tax, comes to 71.3 percent of gross wages. SS tax is 16.3 percent in France. SS has a bigger budget than does their government. Both their government budget and SS budget both are running in the red.
A watchdog group figured this year that the US wastes about 400 billion on duplication, waste, and fraud.
I will say it again. We are running out of time to halt a debt servicing we will never be able to afford. It happens on an individual basis and it happens with governments. Eventually a government runs out of ways to tax their people without halting the economy entirely. Our economy is sputtering due to high personal debt, and high government debt. Each day the situation gets worse.
I realize we are use to hearing that this or that state is underwater, but as with the case of L.A. the options for digging out become fewer and fewer.
I know the Obama haters will find any reason to blame Obama, but let's be honest...if a Republican president were in office, we probably wouldn't even withdraw in 2014. Look at how mad they were when Obama left Iraq AS PLANNED BY A REPUBLICAN!
Meanwhile, when a Republican candidate (Ron Paul) says we need to leave ALL our foreign bases, bring all the troops home, the Republicans boo him. So which one is it? You want the troops home or you want to continue the status quo? Same candidate says he'd drastically cut the size of government (Republicans are after all for smaller government) and the voters respond by voting for a flip flopper.
So I don't know how I'm supposed to sit here and read the fake outrage of the right and believe it.
But either way, I'm mad about it too..because we've seen that this doesn't really work and this is really just a big payday for defense contractors all while at home we need money for our police forces. But watch Congress approve it without any sort of objection.
We should not be giving them money or military, Our economy needs work. We should not be giving money to foreign nations (unless natural disaster, and only to help the survive, not rebuild for them) to bribe them into doing what we want. They will not like us more or turn around and be friends. We should not be giving the UN billions and billions of dollars, equipment and troops. The UN is corrupt , we pay the most to back them and we get practically nothing for it. We need to be charging tariffs to other countries like they do for our imports and cut taxes on everyone who pays taxes. We need the government spending to be cut to 20% of what they spend, congress and the president are overpaid and receive lifetime benefits for only a few years of "service". Congress has not even done there main job in years of passing a budget yet they continue to give out money to companies to promote what they desire to be made, yet also pass more and more regulations that harm other businesses increasing the cost that gets passed to us to pay higher pric es. Congress worries about things such as steroids in baseball or "wrestling" instead of the budget. billions of dollars are given to pet projects and to "grants" to promote this such as studying the mating habits of fruit flies where with every grant the scientist is allowed to buy all NEW EQUIPMENT. There job is to protect the American people from threats to our country not meddle in our daily lives.
Smart move, dumb move, whatever. The point is our military (or somebody's military) will piss off Afghan leadership again, and they'll be demanding we get the hell out ASAP. So, really, what is the point in this? It's not worth the paper it's written on, and what's written is pretty much a bunch of crap that makes no sense unless you're a occupation loving liberal.
We should have been asked - -there should have been a VOTE! I do not want my TAX DOLLARS going to this HELL HOLE for another day, much less 12 more years!
Obama, you just lost MY VOTE!
to Leroy Brown - I am what you would call an "Obama-hating moron" -
Stories like this - presented by MSNBC - ALWAYS have a pro-Obama, pro-Democrat spin to them.
I would have to listen to commentators and contributors on CNN and Fox News - like retired
Generals and Commanders - BEFORE I can have any faith that this is a good deal for the U.S.
Romney in 2012 !!
leroy brown
No i wouldnt be saying the same thing if he hadnt "struck a deal". I do not like giving away our money,when we have our own problems here in this country that need to be delt with first and formost. But it seems that this government we have doesnt care about its people in need.
WTF??? Did the Afghans promise not to allow any more terrorists to train in their miserable sh!thole of a 13th century country? What about the Arabs who want to hijack airplanes and ram them into big buildings in the US?? JHC!! Whose dumba** idea was this, anyway?
Can somebody convince me that opium control is not the reason we remain there? Can somebody convince me cash from that opium market is not funding Obama's re-election? Please, what the hell else is there that could keep us there at this point?! I know we're not there for oil. And I know we're not there to keep Pakistan in check. I know we're not there for the sun and surf. I know we're not there for their global leading military ally support. I know we're not there for their cutting edge porn and pharmaceutical industries. So, what the hell is it that keeps us there?! Killing a few dozen Taliban each year is worth all these costs in lives and cash, and the further de-moralization of our military?
I'm not an Obama hater. Hell I voted for him. The simple fact of the matter is, our country is in debt up to our eyebrows. We can no longer afford to pay for rebuilding countries we've invaded. It was a hellhole before we got there and it's gonna be a hell hole once were gone. Let's cut our losses and move on.
OK, you libs, you wanted to hit Afghanistan hard and pull out of Iraq, and Obama said he'd do this. Well he's done it. Happy now? How's that hope and change working out for you, our military and your future generation's freedom, security, and tax bill?
Thanks for the misery, we will be sure to check on you once a week, right right........
Omg. Just GTFO!
More foreign welfare
Maybe someone can explain this to me in small words so I can understand. We go to war to eliminate the bad elements in Afghanistan at our cost. We continue to lose American Military to hold a bad position. Then, we sign an agreement which will tie the hands of possibly the next two presidents that will chain our military to a cross, and then give reparations to them for what their ineptness caused in the first place?
Wow, I am at a loss. Color me a moron, because I just don't get how we owe them a damn thing, let alone another @!$%#ing decade of our youth and our money.
I'm with Mr Brown and Emmanuel. You guys on the right have ridden this duly elected President like a pony since he came to office. You make the comparison with former President Clinton. As James Carville said, "What part of the 1990's didn't you like? The peace or the prosperity?"
Fast forward--the first President is elected that wasn't lilly white and you guys jump his ass. "Half white", "Kenyan", "Muslim", Socialist and Communist---as my peers said. He's a centrist. Note the difference and stop blaming the wrong President. The man inherited an economy under collapse from the weight of unnecessary wars to benefit the uber-rich industrialists--and the right elected this fool, Bush, twice.
You guys know that stiff collared corporate raider, Romney, can't win. Kick back, get your side to compromise, as the electorate has demanded. You've got a fine President. 2 wars raging, the entire financial sector on the verge of collapse, auto industry getting ready to default, and 8 years of the balance of the world knowing that we were fools. We increase defense spending and cut education--Congress did that. The President went along to save the last of the working class.
Republicans--work towards a better American much? I didn't think so.
Hey STEXAN, you're 100%right on the opium control! What is keeping us from not altogether leaving, is also the vast amount of minerals being mined there.China already has been there going after their copper for quite a while, and the United States army has been their lackeys and are being used as body guards for their workers over there.Bet you didn't know that did you?
Plus the fact as I said, many corporate interests are after the vast amount of Gold, Silver, Platinum, and all the other metals in that country.Other Corporate interests are after the opium trade,for here in the states, and other parts of the world.
We're there for the Greedy Corrupt Crooked Devious Corporations who have vested interests over there.Plus the fact that's the REAL REASON why we went over there in the first place.Afghanistan was nothing more than a MANUFACTURED WAR,brought about in the disguise of vested Corporate Interests, nothing more and nothing less, and alot of people DIED AND ARE STILL DYING FOR NOTHING, all for these Corporate CLOWNS.That's why that deal was struck!
HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION SIR OR MADAM!
thanks for the albatross obama!!! not!!!!
we should have been in and out in 1-2 yrs. was was a clusterfu*k from the beginning. should have kicked some taliban butt then picked up and went home. can't wait unitl we get a president that will bring our troops home from the sandbox and from europe.
sandtrich
You can play partisan politics all day. But at the end of the day, this @!$%#s America. I don't give a flying @!$%# whether it was a Dumb or Pug in the white house, this is simply @!$%#ed up. "WE OWE THEM?" Give me a @!$%#ing break. They should pay reparations to the US for our costs to clean up their @!$%#ing mess. And a payment for every @!$%#ing serviceman who paid the ultimate price for their freedom, which they will only squander anyway.
It is plain to see that dumbing down of America has reached all the way to the White house.
I guess we are going to need more time and spend more money to build that TAPI pipeline, which is to transport Israeli owned gas from Turkmenistan to India. Here are the particulars:
On December 11, a preliminary agreement was signed in Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, by
representatives of the four countries to proceed with plans for the American
and Israeli-backed pipeline. Here are the basic points about the TAPI pipeline:
Construction off pipeline will be completed by 2014 (â–¼)
1,680 kilometer gas pipeline will supply 3.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day (much of
this gas will come from Israeli/Mossad-owned gas fields in Turkmenistan,
meaning immense profits for the Mossadniks who pulled of 9/11)............â–ºThe Obama
administration, elected on the promise to withdraw U.S. troops by July 2011,
now says the U.S. will maintain combat troops in Afghanistan until December
2014. On December 17, the House passed a defense authorization bill (by a
341-48 vote) that authorizes the Pentagon to spend more than $160 billion on
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2011 without major restrictions on the
conduct of operations. Why are U.S. (and NATO) troops being kept in Afghanistan
for another 4 years? What's really going on there? What is the cost and who is
involved in this game??
The real reason for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is to build and
secure a 1,080-mile long gas pipeline designed to carry trillions of dollars of
Israeli-owned gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. You could ask how
come Turkmenistans gas could be Israeli-owned, here is the answer:
Following the
break-up of the Soviet Union, Israeli agents sought to gain control of the
strategic assets of the newly independent Soviet republics. In mineral-rich
Turkmenistan, a Mossad agent named Yosef A. Maiman was very successful in
gaining control of the republic's immense resources of natural gas. Yosef
Maiman, born in Germany in 1946, grew up in Peru and studied in the United
States before becoming an Israeli citizen in 1971. As an agent of Israeli
intelligence, Maiman heads a network of Mossad-controlled companies that serve
Israeli interests. As the chief executive of the Merhav Group, Maiman has
controlled the development of Turmenistan's gas resources. Maiman's key
colleagues at Merhav are the former head of the Mossad, Shabtai Shavit, and
Nimrod Novik, chief adviser to Shimon Peres, the current president of Israel.
Maiman was described
as "a leading miner" of Central Asian gas fields by the Jerusalem
Post in 2004. Given their control of the immense gas resources of Turkmenistan,
Maiman, Merhav, and the "Mossad" would all profit if and when the
U.S.-led coalition were able to "pacify" and control Afghanistan so
that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline could be
built allowing the gas of Turkmenistan to be sold to energy-hungry India . The TAPI pipeline
project would bring billions of dollars into "Mossad" coffers every
year. This is the real reason for the war in Afghanistan and why the
Zionist-controlled Obama administration has increased the war effort in Central
Asia. It has nothing to do with terrorism or 9-11.
Now you
can easily understand why there was need for the "justification" of
this war, which was planned before the 9/11
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1550366.stm). The false-flag terror
attacks of 9/11 were part of a strategic Israeli operation to bring the U.S.
military into Afghanistan on a long-term mission on behalf of Israel’s Turkmen
gas enterprise. The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline is
the real reason that U.S. soldiers are killing and dying in the southwestern
Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. 9/11 was just the cover story for
this pre-planned war of aggression - and it is nothing but a complete hoax.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/04/the-real-nuclear-outlaws/
www.rense.com/general15/game.htm
Are you saying that I should praise Obama for making sure this will now be a 21 year long war?
BTW. I was never a birther.. TILL NOW.. Can someone tell me why he sends EXPENSIVE DEFENSE lawyers on our dime instead of just dropping a copy of his birth certificate in the mail for a dollar to New Jersey and 14 other states that are now filing court cases because he won't mail a copy?
Whats going on here? Help me out Americans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWciTokeGwQ&feature=relmfu
With whatever your preference for politics, the question begs "why the flying f*** are we giving money and military support to these people who dispise us for 10 yrs after the fact? I think the time for even being there is well past, and people always like to talk about "the debts we are leaving our children to pay for." Well, here is a prime example. If you wanna toss money to someone, why don't they sling some to India in return for the promise that they will repay the favor by tossing a couple of nukes at Afghanistan and Pakistan. That would at least be some bang for the buck. With the generally acknowledged widespread corruption in the Afghan govt, all we are doing is funding some peoples bank accounts, and ensuring our defense contractors have some continual business.
How can a nation trillions of dollars in debt finance another country? How the heck does that work, and why are we doing this? All of our riches are being shoveled into every other country but our own. If we brought it all back how, gosh, people might be able to afford health care, or even, y'know, NOT BE HOMELESS!
We were a nation of immense wealth, under Clinton we had a surplus... then it all disappeared, and now China holds most of our debts. Homeless rates and jobless rates are on the rise, the economy has tanked not once, but TWICE, a DOUBLE RECESSION, and yet here we are trying to finance ANOTHER COUNTRY. So... much... stupid...
So are you telling me that we have to support these savages, have their leaders steal billions from us, waste money and likely lives on people who hate us, remain entangled in this wasteland of dirt and medieval tribes, for another decade?
Oil? Minerals? Follow the money. It is a shame we allow American boys to be crippled and killed so "businessmen" can have the doors opened to "develop" these crapholes. Better us than the Chinese. Oops, I forgot. We've been sold to the Chinese by our greedy, corrupt leaders.
It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
Watch, Charlie Wilson's War, pay close attention to the ending, we're not making the same mistake twice.
I thought only Republican President's prop up phoney governments , liberalnistas are a funny lot , in a droll sort of way
With this news the "don't-give-a-date-certain" "need-to-get-out-now" "need-to-stay-longer" "but-don't-lose-face" "sorry-we- forgot-to-fund-the-wars" Republicans promptly melted down where they stood.
We needed the deal. The Republicans said we needed the deal because they didn't think we could get the deal. Now that we have the deal, we never needed a deal. What's the deal? I just wish you would make up your f^&*king minds one way or another. Commit for a change BEFORE you find out what Obama's stance is. Go ahead. It won't hurt too bad.
Whatever we do is what shouldn't have been done, unless we can't, then it should have been done.
What a bunch of clowns.
Hello folks, there will be one business the U.S. won’t leave behind and that is the very lucrative opium business. The U.S. will never leave Afghanistan! If you are naïve enough to think that the drug trade is in the hands of nefarious drug dealers and not the governments of the world you are brain washed. Since the British East India Trading Company in the 1600's the India Afghanistan area has always been the largest suppliers of Opium which has carried on today and is a multi-billion dollar business. Britain has historically controlled the opium business and now the U.S. is smack dab in the middle of it. In 2000 the Taliban had taken over and created a law that stopped the growing of poppies all the while storing vast quantities of Opium in warehouses to increase the price. Well that didn't sit well with the powers who previously controlled the opium trade. In 2001 we went to war with Afghanistan and we will be hard pressed to give back these enormous profits back to the control of the Taliban. If America was anti-drug we would have destroyed the poppy fields, we haven't! You can easily find the videos on YouTube where American soldiers are carrying bags of fertilizer for the poppy fields and guarding them.
Here is a short snippet of an article on the” war on drugs”:
The “War On Drugs” Is A $2.5 Trillion Racket: How Big Banks, Private Military Companies And The Prison Industry Cash In
News // Jul 11 2011
By David DeGraw – AmpedStatus Report
For a further understanding of how the War on Drugs is deeply intertwined with the War on Terror, the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has led to an explosive increase in drug trade profits:
Afghanistan as a Drug War
“From a modest 185 tons at the start of American intervention in 2001, Afghanistan now produced 8,200 tons of opium, a remarkable 53 percent of the country’s GDP and 93 percent of global heroin supply.
In this way, Afghanistan became the world’s first true ‘narco-state.’ If a cocaine traffic that provided just 3 percent of Colombia’s GDP could bring in its wake endless violence and powerful cartels capable of corrupting that country’s government, then we can only imagine the consequences of Afghanistan’s dependence on opium for more than 50 percent of its entire economy.
At a drug conference in Kabul this month, the head of Russia’s Federal Narcotics Service estimated the value of Afghanistan’s current opium crop at $65 billion. Only $500 million of that vast sum goes to Afghanistan’s farmers, $300 million to the Taliban guerrillas, and the $64 billion balance ‘to the drug mafia,’ leaving ample funds to corrupt the Karzai government in a nation whose total GDP is only $10 billion.”
Funding this shouldn't be a problem. We'll just cut deep into the social safety nets, like Social Security, to cover it-- and then blame it on the recipients of those services for being too lazy to work for a living. Same game, different decade. Thank you, JESUS!
Sandtrich, BOTH Republicans and Democrats want this lunacy to keep going. NEITHER give a dog's derriere about YOU, in case you haven't noticed. Or are you THAT delusional or been living under a ROCK for the past decade????????????
john-737278
sandtrich
You can play partisan politics all day. But at the end of the day, this @!$%#s America. I don't give a flying @!$%# whether it was a Dumb or Pug in the white house, this is simply @!$%#ed up. "WE OWE THEM?" Give me a @!$%#ing break. They should pay reparations to the US for our costs to clean up their @!$%#ing mess. And a payment for every @!$%#ing serviceman who paid the ultimate price for their freedom, which they will only squander anyway.
Gee, why don't we start with--we invaded their country. They didn't invade ours---Iraq neither. Help me out here--I didn't say, 'WE OWE THEM." Who is "them?"
I will address that: Black folks came to this country in chains. The Chinese for slave wages to built our railroad. The Natives were, I guess, "unworthy owners" of their land, so we just about killed the entire race. The Mexicans are here to pick our fruit, wipe our babies asses, and work in the "kill pen" at our meat processing plant. The women were pushed into 3rd class citizenry without being allowed to vote or own property. So---that left us---white men, only, of European decent--and corrupt from day one. How could Washington and be called "The Father of Our Country?" With that kind of father, this country would have been better as an orphan.
Yes--I am a true Liberal. There has never been a single positive thing come of Conservatism in this country.
"Americans will provide military and financial support for at least a decade beyond 2014,"
WTF. We are broke and bankrupt as we speak but yet we commit another 10 years of financial aid for Afghanistan? Where is this money going to come from?
Wow, there are allot of Ron Paul supporters on here... If they know it or not,, is another story.
BTW. Colorado held our first primary state level convention last week. Let the REAL delegate vote count begin.
RESULTS
Romney 13
Gingrich 0
Paul 20
The GOP had moved the convention up to be the first as they knew Romney had won there 4 years ago and they wanted to get off with a solid lead.. Suprised them to find 5000 voters show up singing for the man that won... It felt so American and wonderfull.
sandtrich
You can deflect all you want. You are on the wrong side. Are you a @!$%#ing American or a Democrat? "We don't owe them a @!$%#ing thing!"
John , he is a democrat through and through , make no mistake about it and democrats believe that they are the only Americans
Just curious. Are you the same people who will vote for Romney in November, a man who is chomping at the bit to get us into a war with Iran? Double standards much?
So Karzay wants $2 B to enrich himself and his cronies due to his pathetic government ineptness and corruptness, aren't the US and Western countries being duped? Karzay et-al will take off pretty soon with pockets full of $$$ and leave Afghans still mirred in big mess with no end in sight
MoonWolf99
To answer your question, not a chance in hell.
Just part of the Revolution.
There is no comparison between the Afghanistan situation and what is going on in Iran and NO, Romney IS NOT chomping at the bit to attack Iran as you claim but I do want a leader who will do what is necessary given any future developments. Afghanistan is over, there is nothing more to do there besides @!$%# things up further.
"There has never been a single positive thing come of Conservatism in this country"
haha...I say the same thing about the liberal thievery that has been going on for all the decades that they have controlled Congress
war on poverty , epic fail
government run education , epic fail
on and on with the utopian BS and wealth redistribution
war on prejudice , biggest group of perpetrators
etc. , etc.
Great....with all of the extra billions of dollars lying around, we should have no problem paying for this.
I was thinking the same thing, but then I thought about the decade of money and lives the US and our NATO allies have sacrificed to create a stable, peaceful democracy in this godawful country and realized it would a disgrace to throw it all away without making a serious effort to ensure those sacrifices weren't in vain. Wouldn't it be a shame to fail at the eleventh hour?
The devil is in the details. Let's see what this "military and financial support" really amounts to first.
But did you think about the decade that the U.S. and its NATO allies spent trying to destabilize the same godawful country when the Russians were trying to help them? The U.S. is so F'd up it can't figure out whether its arsehole is bored or punched. Just like the U.S. was going to show the French how to "civilize" Vietnam, now the U.S. is going to show the Russians how to "civilize" a country that doesn't want to be civilized.
What is there to save and why is the U.S. morally obligated to support such a hell hole?
Sorry AG99... I think once we started negotiations with the Taliban those poor souls were sacrifices in vain. Is'nt that the reason we invaded Afghanistan in the first place because the Afghanistan Govt wouldn't kick them out of their country? And now were in negotiations with them?
Afghanistan: Another hole in the universe that American taxpayers pour their money into. Pity the poor American taxpayer who has been outsmarted by the likes of Karzai and his puppeteers in Pakistan.
The Taliban: Modern day Huns that sacked modern day Rome.
Goodbye reason, goodbye justice, hello chaos. If we give Iran enough taxpayer dollars maybe they'll be our friends too. And don't forget North Korea...they'd welcome our being their money puppets too.
Cardinals101
We invaded Afghanistan not for the Taliban, have you forgotten? We invaded to put a end to the al quida training camps that were taking place there. The Taliwackers were secondary.
We would not do this if there were not big money to be made.
We won't be able to get the rare earth metals out for future corporate profits if American taxpayers do not fund the security detail. What the American taxpayer will get out of this is:
Thank you Jim.....I did.
Are you saying that I should praise Obama for making sure this will now be a 21 year long war?
BTW. I was never a birther.. TILL NOW.. Can someone tell me why he sends EXPENSIVE DEFENSE lawyers on our dime instead of just dropping a copy of his birth certificate in the mail for a dollar to New Jersey and 14 other states that are now filing court cases because he won't mail a copy?
Whats going on here? Help me out Americans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWciTokeGwQ&feature=relmfu
We need Obama to go on another vacation soon! That's the only time we can be safe from the damage he's doing! I bet the country can now get behind another Obama vacation! Woohoo!!!
What a deal! We continue to pour out ungodly amounts of money and blood to a fleabitten sandtrap of a nation nation whose people do not appreciate or want us there and will keep stabbing us in the back every chance they get, just like their lovely neighbors in Pakistan do! President Obama, get us out of there now, with no deals and no aid!
Obama attorney says Mickey Mouse can be President.. because Mickey has no birth certificate to provide either.
Don't believe me? Watch this FIESTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRcQcgiVf9I&feature=relmfu
Dems new slogan.... "Mickey Mouse for a Change" you'll never know the difference..
"The U.S. and Afghanistan on Sunday reached on a long-delayed "strategic partnership" agreement that ensures Americans will provide military and financial support for at least a decade beyond 2014, the deadline for most foreign forces to withdraw."
Remember Karzai wanted it in writing that he was going to keep getting the US checks. I guess our foreign policy was, "ok." I'm sure glad we have all those "Obama bucks" to spare.
Oh goody, we get to pay for this @!$%# for another 12 years!
Good news.The Talebans are the same nazi type beasts that made non Muslims wear special id s.They also blew up exquisite Buddhist statues.They are beasts in the same category as alquida who they sheltered and used to make Afghanistan a terrorist base.from which attacks not only in New York were planned but in many other places.They must never be allowed to get close to power again.This is truly a noble battle like fighting the nazis in the last century.And it´s essential for world stabilty.The talebans are as bad as the ayatollahs in Iran and baby.. that´s bad!!
Afghanistan is simply sucking at the teat. This agreement is nothing more than a payoff that promises Karzai he'll still get big money from the U.S. if he allows Americans to stick around in close proximity to Pakistan where we can engage militarily at a moment's notice. All Americans have to sacrifice, besides the lives of their children, are social security and medicare benefits so that we can fund a ginormic defense budget and continue to hand oil companies subsidies they've grown accustomed to.
I thought we killed all the terrorists anyway.
Obama's attorney better check with his boss...Mickey Mouse will be needed again to vote for Obama!
i guess 2 billion a year is a lot cheaper than 4 billion a month and the american lives lost to clean up an inherited mess.
This is all BS,we don't need to be there let them fix their problems, what would America be like if we could spend that much money on our own problems. the potus must be smoking their opium.
@Bill the H #2.17: Agree with you Bill. Actually, on the face of it, this looks like a pretty good deal. The world is so interrelated now, the US must maintain presence in places we would have never considered 25 years ago.
@Sandtrich & "Leroy Brown" You are both right. If the conservative republicans would just give; ingesting a good helping of "fiber" daily, a try, then they might eventually be able to kick their weekly "enema orgies". Poor devils are so taken with suspicious unreality they have taken to whiffing each others asses to verify recognition of each other. Even the dogs are laughing at 'em.
Just curious. Are you the same people who would vote for Romney in November, a man is chomping at the bit to get us into a war with Iran? Double standards much?
"US, AFGHANS SEAL LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP"
LOL....Ya gotta love the way that's phrased (G. Orwell would):
"US" by that they mean the ruling class of america not the people. Most Americans would like to be done with Afghanistan and spend the money here at home for education, Social Security, highways and bridges, etc.
"Afghans" in other words the puppets we put in power there when we invaded the country illegally. Most of the people there hate us after we pissed (literally) on them, disrespected their religion, murdered their family members, and gave power to the most corrupt members of their society.
And I can just imagine how that "partnership" is going to work, not very equally I think.
Use the money to create a Muslim Bomb, tell Afghanistan we'll be out next month, if 1 incident occurs outside of their borders we'll unleash our new Muslim Bomb and that'll be the end of all Muslims.
Afghanistan is our 21st century Vietnam. But this time let's leave and tell them they are on their own and no we aren't putting any more money in their rat hole of a country. And then be ready to take them out when they move outside their borders - just contain them where they are. Even their own people are taking their money and leaving - we should do the same thing!
I hate to jump in slightly off topic, but for years I have been wondering why the hell we were there in the first place. If it was Osama, one man wasn't worth it, sorry. When confused follow the money.
So, on the other hand, I hate to be the conspiracy guy, but, we are talking about a country that has vast mineral deposits (reportedly worth $1-3 trillion) that haven't been tapped nor laid corporate claim to. A large amount of which are rare minerals, which China currently holds a monopoly on. The official reports came out in 2009/2010. The preliminary reports, which are usually started long before (10 years or more), were not released or date given. Now I am just waiting for the U.S, England, and allies to pull the "really, there are minerals here, we had no idea, but while we are here why don't you let us help you with that."
Just like any gold digger, they will be friendly until the money runs out. Then they will shank us in the back.
Everything about fully pulling out of Afghanistan has been a Lie. The US will be there for another 10 years after the withdrawal for a Partnership? Why?
This is the Craziest idea yet. No wonder Hillary looks so bad.
This is the most depressing news yet from this Administration. What is there for the US Government to protect. Karzai, running a Corrupt Government, the US helping in that Corruption by giving them Taxpayers money---to burn and let the Taliban grow running the Afghan Government---enabling the Terrorists to take over the West.
Karzai is absolutely running the US Government. Telling our Military and then shooing them away when things get bad, i.e., the Burning of the Koran, the 16 people killed by one US soldier (he is made to "pay" for that, no more Night Raids--Afghanistan punishing the US for the Soldiers holding body parts of suicide bombers 2 years ago---Riots in the streets against the US being there to protect them?
No more Apologies---
What is this? I just do not get the point of staying there--there are no commodities from Afghanistan that we need, except for the "Opiate Fields"---sarcasm.
Hillary and Obama must be at odds with this terrible decision. More soldiers letting out blood and dying for that stupid Karzai, who has Obama wrapped around his finger. Clearly he must know, we are being taken for a "ride".
Spend our money---I am furious!
Wow, there are alot of Ron Paul supporters on here... If they know it or not,, is another story.
BTW. Colorado held our first primary state level convention last week. Let the REAL delegate vote count begin.
RESULTS
Romney 13
Gingrich 0
Paul 20
The GOP had moved the convention up to be the first as they knew Romney had won there 4 years ago and they wanted to get off with a solid lead.. Surprised them to find 5000 voters show up singing for the man that won.
Source. Colorado Statesman.
Had President Cheney...and his sidekick Bush not lied about WMD's in Iraq and started a war for war profiteers, and instead took care of Bin Laden correctly with our troops , instead of having others help Bin Laden escape....there would not be thousands of dead and wounded soldiers, or this negotiated mess.
From a soldiers perspective at a district convention held this Saturday... 27 year US MARINE...
See how this crowd feels about Romney & Obama
Semper Fidelis, Always Faithful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNHhQHj3w4c
Couple Philly's had a walk in the rain today to show how they feel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYiT2mozPXQ
Wow, the obama worshipers put critical thinking to new lows.
First they bitch about it being an inherited war, but ignore that it has been obama's war ever since he said..."I do solemnly swear..."
They condemn bush2 for getting us there but praise obama for his surge and negotiating an extension of US military presence and $$$ until 2024.
So sad for obama and his brethren that bush2 signed the SOFA agreement with Iraq that mandated our troops to be out of there by Jan 2012. Sad, because obama wanted to stay.
Apparently some don't remember the lessons learned from Viet Nam on US involvement in supporting a corrupt regime. Perhaps they think Afghanhistan is different, after all it is dry, mountainous and with a distinct fighting season compared to the jungles and rivers of Viet Nam and with an unlimited supply of men from the north.
Interesting also, is that I see little difference between bush2 and obamas war goals except what has been shaped by advancing technology.
why do we have to make deal's with anybody? we don't! we shouldn't. we should close our borders to anybody that truly isn't with us. (F#*kum all who arn't with us)
Telling all of Anerica, " I will bring home all the troops if elected ". Now we need to keep troops there until 2024 and provide money to all those who hate us there. Another lie by the chosen one. The Obama sheep won't be able to blame Bush for this agreement. 12 more years of your money going to those who want you dead..........
Thanks for the Iranian perspective, hadenoughyet.
What the hell do YOU know about the strategic political reasons for making this deal? Are you some sort of expert in global politics who knows exactly why and how this deal was made? No you don't know @!$%#. But you are more than willing to babble your simplistic assertion that it is simply giving money to those who hate us. Yup, Obama's just giving away money to his terrorist buddies for absolutely no reason, just ask the worldly Hadenoughyet, the expert in world political affairs.
Seems to me YOUR the one babbling Leroy !! If you can't convince the with facts.... baffle them with BS !! Definately a Dumocrat.
Now some of the reasoning for obummer's demand for tax increases. It isn't to balance the budget but rather to extend a war that he was going to get the U.S. out of.
Obama shortened the war at both the behest and the objection of the Republicans. The Republicans forgot to fund the wars in the first place at a cost that was orders of magnitudes higher than $4 billion. By bringing the troops home and converting this into a police action with support by special ops and training personnel, Obama has reduced our obligations, reduced our risks to our soldiers, and secured some semblance of hope that the Taliban will not kill what gains we did make.
Got a better idea?
Another gross and foolish effort by a weak leader, Obama and a totally incompetent Sec'y of State. What kind of logic is it to promise years and years of money and aid to this horribly failed nation filled with illiterate and tribal muslims who only exist to kill non believers and steal what ever they can. Never,ever does it make any sense to promise these corrupt, lying and cheating people any more than we have already wasted. Get out now, bring every American home, let this backward country find it's own way..No more, no more, ever, ever!
WOW .. I was never a birther... TILL NOW
Obama attorney says Mickey Mouse can be President.. because Mickey has no birth certificate to provide either.
Don't believe me? Watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRcQcgiVf9I&feature=relmfu
Dems new slogan.... "Mickey Mouse for a Change" you'll never know the difference..
"strategic partnership" agreement that ensures Americans will provide military and financial support for at least a decade beyond 2014
I find it interesting we are entering into this form of a friendship with the Afghans after some recent incidents. Seems they have very short-term memories about koran burnings & murders when it comes down to knowing we Americans are going to provide them countless billions of dollars support and aid for "at least" a decade. This after being 'promised' by those seeking reelection that our troops would come home soon.
So am I to assume Obama is buying them off. after all Karsai was a member of the Taliban before he took office, are we just paying them off? my opinion is F"@# them,tell them Iran is planing to steal all their goats and walk away, thats two problems solved.
Let me see if I have this straight:
Obama wants to pull out all troops by 2014 and republicans don't like that because now the Taliban will just wait a couple years and then take over again when we leave. But then when Obama says we will still leave some troops there and help keep the Taliban out for a while the republicans don't like that either. So answer me this. What would the republican course of action be?
The problem with this course of action is now all the Taliban have to do is wait 12 years instead of 2, were still talking about handing over the responsibility of fighting the Taliban to Afghan forces who have already made it quite obvious they dont intend to fight the taliban and are no where near as capable as our forces. This is playing politics with our soldiers lives, Afghanistan will still be a breeding ground for terrorist activities and we will have wasted billions and billions and in the end accomplishing little to nothing other than scoring some political points for one president by killing Osama, who it turns out wasnt even in Afganistan
BOSCOE66 you got it right! There is an Old Dakota Indian who was quite the politician in the 1840's. He said, "No one would have been wiser had he been in that council, no one would be braver had they been in that battle." Once again, President Cheney was in control of the government while his sidekick was busy on record amounts of vacation cutting bush on his ranch. Thousand died and are wounded and republicans decided not to pay for the war to make their deficit look better. Dems and President Obama have to change the diaper once again to save the economy.
Bosco, I can't speak for all republicans, but all I need say is haven't we learned anything from Viet Nam and supporting a corrupt regime? Or supporting any corrupt regime?
I can tell you what the Republicans would do. 1) They would have respect from other countries by not "appologizing" to them and 2) they would end it once and for all. They'd have the guts to use whatever force necessary to end it. And btw....the line about troops being withdrawn is total bulls***. My husband (and thousands others) were sent there just last month. This is what we get for electing a "community organizer." What a joke.
Just what we need. Pouring tax payer billions into a corrupt, American hating stinking country.
That is what American liberalism/progressiveness is all about. Just throw money at the problem.
american-2051576'''...
Yup...looks a lot like a Romney "strategy and tactics plan" doesn't it?
OH GREAT !! So after the taliban take over(60 days after our withdrawl), we will be still "providing" financial support. REAL SMART Hitlery.
In the time it takes to read this article and post a comment
that does nothing but vent you could fill out a short form and send your comments
directly to the White House at this address
My message was “bring our children home and stop giving
money to people that hate us—they will hate use for free”.
I agree john. Although, just in case you hadn't noticed, the Whitehouse nor Congress, is not listening or paying any attention, to the majority of America. Vote smart 2012.
John what's the address? Please post it.
@ John you forgot to include the address.
Simple enough - google "send e-mail to the president" or "congress", etc.
At least Obama has kept the tradition of ignoring and lying to the public while spending their money for them. Change...
That's right. And his supporters are too blind to realize that he is F'ing them over on a nearly daily basis.
I think the US Gov forgot whos money it is that they are spending, for some reason they think its theirs.
We should just nuke the whole middle east and take what's rightfully ours!
Good god...washington is the problem get your targets right..
Anybody who advocates nuclear war as a solution should have their head caved in. You have no idea how even one nuclear discharge would affect all of humanity.
It didn't last time.
But the real problem is right here in our own country. American politicians are beyond contemptuous.
I know how it would affect all of those camel jockey's
Karzai is not done negotiating yet. He is looking for 6 Billion a year. $500 million to run the country and $ 5.5 billion for him and his cronies.
manhatten
Sounds like Romney spending the U S money. Won't be spending none of his.
manhattanron
You got THAT right! How about slipping most of this 'aid' to some of the more squeeky clean NGO's and getting a REAL bang for our buck? Karzai has stolen enough, as have the big US contractors.
WE should make assurances that the politicians spend their money first before spending ours. after all its their dream.
Let's stop with the Obama hating. This has nothing to do with Democrat or Republican. It has everything to do with building a pipeline in southern Afghanistan and protecting it so corporations can make money. That has been what it was about since BEFORE 9/11.
Right on Tom....Just follow the money, Afghanistan is a critical piece of real estate in that part of the world, it has been for centuries, anywhere you want to take an invading army, run a pipeline, plunder their resources goes through the big 'Stan...its touching every country that we (U.S.) will be dealing with for the next 50 years....look at a map, read your history...
Tom's got it right- this is about greed in the form of oil. Meanwhile our troops are being forced to stay even longer than was promised.
@ Tom pipeline for what? dirt moves better on trucks. have you seen the Hindue Cush, then there is Pakistan. you are wrong.
Couldn't agree more! Wars stopped being about right and wrong a long time ago. We are in the grey area of greed, government and gold. The money isn't for good government, and the troops are not there to be the army. The money is for securing compliance, and the troops are their to guard the interests.
Good point. If the US were REALLY interested in helping those less fortunate, we'd have stopped wasting money on the wars years ago and instead focused on humanitarian efforts to countries who have nothing to offer us in return.
It seems it is still very profitable to attack the United States of America. Here at home the attitude continues as we find those that would cut off a security guards ear with a hatchet since previous petty crimes did not provide a warm jail cell and free food desired. We have more we must do than people to do it, but in a society that wants to watch $32 an ounce gold climb to above $1600 an ounce none of these people grasp they cannot eat gold, and assets can only buy what is available. When you are talking progress and building wind turbines this is not going to cut it. The longer we wait to do the few things right we must the less we are going to have to actually do it. Burma Shave.
I didn't even bother to read the article. I live in The Dominican Republic and all I can say is HOW STUPID THESE AMERICANS CAN BE. With so many problems in your own country, so much needed money to be used internally and throwing it to the trash by giving it to people who could be more than extremelly happy to bomb you into a million pieces just for the heck of allah. Againg HOW STUPID.
Obama isn't American.
It depends on "which" Americans you are calling stupid, although I can see your point. Most, over 70%, of Americans want us out of there and most other places too. But those people don't matter any more. The 1% people with all the money can see a way to make a profit by us being there so to do that they use their influence "money" to keep us there.
When it comes right down to it they are the taliban. why are we funding them at all they dont like us and they dont want us there drop them like a hot potato.
This is b.s. Get the hell out, 100%. NOW!
Continuing to support Afghanistan is not worth American lives, not to mention the waste of tax dollars. I will make every effort to cheat on my taxes from this point on. To hell with all foreigners!
Jihad!!
Wow what a great deal $4000000000.00 dollars a year for 10 years to the Afghan government. Also advisers, special forces units, government assistance programs, and who knows what else. Keep giving money away that we don't have to our enemies. YOU BUNCH OF DUMMIES IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. THANKS FOR SCREWING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT OBAMA. MEANWHILE US AMERICAN TAX PAYERS SUFFER CRASHING HOUSING VALUES, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND $4.00 DOLLAR A GALLON GAS. THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SCREWING MR. PRESIDENT.
This kind of politics has been going on for a long time by both sides. This time it just happens to be a democrat sending the money there. Next time a R is in the white house he or she will do the same thing.
Please don't forget who got us into Afghanistan in the first place and it wasn't to get Bin Laden. It was for Israel and the TAPI gas pipeline. Our wars are almost always for Israel and this one is no different.
Walking the fine line of global politics is so much fun. Darned if you do and darned if you don't at home and abroad. Be it republicans or democrats it will never please anyone. You just try and balance things in hopes that everyone somewhat accepts the outcome. Problem is it will never happen.
Too late now but WE should have just bombed Afghanistan instead of wasting all the young lives and money that WE have spent there. Something wrong with OUR country. I understand why WE have fought some wars but most of them were not worth the effort. WE will have to make a statement and destroy one of the Eastern countries. Next president should fire up the space program and OUR defense program. I would also do something to create an offensive weapon that was so devistating that no one would SCREW with us. These guys are not the ones to keep this country safe or prosperous. WE have forgotten how to do that. Too many immigrants, legal or illegal. They don't have the AMERICAN way or ideas. WE should not let them impose their thought and ideas on us if they are not in line with what made OUR country GREAT. WE have to get going. NOW''''''''' Concerned AMERICAN, Larry Velasco
Well too bad we can't win wars like we did during WW2. The other guys have those offensive weapons that are so devistating now. So thats not going to happen. Plus we would just spend the billions or trillions to create this weapon of yours to surpass the nuclear warheads and the chinese would just hack us and take the information and have the weapon as well without the time, effort and resources into building it. Then they would share it with all their buddies. So your plan is pretty much a failure from the start. I do like the idea of beefing up our space program.
So we wipe out the chinks first.
That does sound tempting. It would most certainly solve alot of our economic problems rather quickly.
Hillary and Half&Half have gone rogue and this proves it.
shame on US government. We're in debt and they commiting to 4B/year for Afganistan?People on unemployment, beggers on the street, ciuntry in distress and we going to finance Karzai?
I'm moving out, don't wana pay for this.
Bye, don't let the door hit you in the butt. There have been beggars on the streets/ roads since bibical times. I just love it when all the arm chair generals, presidents etc. can tell you exactly what's going on, why and how they would fix it. Why can't you people wait and see what is actually going to happen before you start hating President Obama so much, or does it just come natural to you? Is it just him you hate, or all people with different color skin, a different slant to their eyes, or that talk with a differen taccent than yours?? If President Obama does nothing and we should wind up with another 9/11 on our hands I can't even fathom what would happen then. What a pathetic bunch.
justfoolin, I'm with you. What we all have to accept like it or not, is that we are a global economy. There is not now nor can there ever be again, a "close the door and throw away the key" attitude. Like it or not, the U.S. has to position itself in it. This is the position, and we'll see how it shakes out. In case you haven't noticed, we've been doing that for some time now, regardless of the administration. Ultimately, it's all about power and money. If you don't like that, then try working to change it instead of sitting on your rears and criticizing everything and everyone. We are no better than anyone else in this world no matter what stage their culture is in. Frankly, if we go in and trash someone's country, the least we can do is help them get back on their feet. We got what we wanted out of the deal. Do we want the taliban to help them do that? Use your heads. We can't go backwards, and money rules the world. It's always been that way. The one who has the most power and toys wins. Power and toys are what feeds us and supports us. Like I said, if you don't like it, then change your attitude and work to change the way we think.
Wow what a great deal $4000000000.00 dollars a year for 10 years to the Afghan government. Also advisers, special forces units, government assistance programs, and who knows what else. Keep giving money away that we don't have to our enemies. YOU BUNCH OF DUMMIES IN THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. THANKS FOR SCREWING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA PRESIDENT OBAMA. MEANWHILE US AMERICAN TAX PAYERS SUFFER CRASHING HOUSING VALUES, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND $4.00 DOLLAR A GALLON GAS. THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER SCREWING MR. PRESIDENT.
I can copy and paste too.
This kind of politics has been going on for a long time by both sides. This time it just happens to be a democrat sending the money there. Next time a R is in the white house he or she will do the same thing.
A fine post there Leroy. Our mission is finished in Afghanistan and we need to be out of there completely. NO MORE US TROOPS GETTING KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN. NO MORE MONEY TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Hillary and Panetta and Obama came up with this all by themselves. I'll be so damn glad to see all of them out of office. No of the ones I mentioned has lost a family member fighting there. Pathetic and yes it does show Islamic blood running through the Presidents veins.
"For the United States, that will mean interagency review, consultation with Congress as appropriate and final review by the president," Sundwall said."
Does that mean a voted approval by 2/3 of the Senate? Or will that be ignored also?
Um, well, we all know how president feels about congress, he made it pretty clear. He want to be supreme rulers like his friends.
Well at least the unemployed will have a place to go for the next decade!
because of Iran I suppose Afg is needed.