Upper Lip Stiff
By Mitch Berg
Remember when the Obama administration was going to get the rest of the world to think the US was just dreamy?
No?
In an interview with The Times, [British Defense minister] Bob Ainsworth said that the Government would not follow Washington’s promise to start pulling out in 2011. “You can’t put a time on it. You’ve got to look at conditions,” he said.
He accepted that the public would not tolerate the war “going on for ever”, but insisted there was no deadline for withdrawal. “Nobody is talking about a drawdown, we are talking about bringing more in there . . . but we are talking about transition.” He said that it would be wrong to set a date for the start of troop reductions.
His comments reflect dismay at the highest level in the British Armed Forces about Mr Obama’s suggestion this week that US troop withdrawals would start by mid-2011. Britain expects to have substantial forces on the ground in Afghanistan for at least five or six more years.
It’s depressing to see how adept Obama is at undercutting our allies’ governments – from his yanking the rugs out of under the Polish and Czech governments on missile defense, to leaving Georgia undefended by anything but a phalanx of furrowed brows, to now basically telling the Brits (and the many smaller allies, the Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Lithuanians, Norwegians and others who’ve spent years fighting alongside the US) that all of this expense and sacrifice is intended to do no more than bring the whole exercise in for a “soft landing” in time for Obama’s next election bid.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Yes, but I’ve no doubt Hugo Chavez approves.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Wingnuts. They whine when the Europeans like us and when they hate us.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I believe my/our ennui about Europe’s opinion has been made amply clear.
Since my anscestors had to drop what they were doing twice in the past 100 years to teach them manners (“don’t be gassing your Jews, Gunther!”), frankly, their opinion still needs to earn a hearty “I give a crap” from any American, any time.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I have a feeling Israel better start currying favor with the rest of the non-Muslim world as well.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Once the speech was over and the protests of the timeline came pouring in Obama sent his minions scrambling this past weekened to disavow the whole timeline thing. Seems it is not really a timeline but a date to force the afghan goverment to focus on. Any drawdown of troops will dependent on conditions on the ground. Just as it should be and just as Obama should have stated in the beginning but was too timid to state directly.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Liberals. They whine that Europeans don’t like us. They whine when Europeans do like us. Come to think of it, they whine about everything.