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Obama Comes to Kabul
July 19, 2008 10:16 AM
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan, at around 3 a.m. ET Saturday morning on an official CODEL, or congressional delegation trip abroad.
Accompanied by Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., Obama's flight left Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday. The plane stopped in Kuwait, where Obama visited troops.
In general, the trip has been shrouded in secrecy for security reasons, with the exception of when Obama's opponent, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told donors at a fundraiser at the Detroit Athletic Club that "I believe that either today or tomorrow, I am not privy to his schedule, Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators. There will be a congressional delegation and I am sure that Sen. Obama is going to arrive in Baghdad in a much, much safer and secure environment than the one that he would have encountered before we started the surge."
On Thursday, Obama flew from Chicago’s Midway Airport to Washington’s Reagan National Airport. That plane had been sitting under a hot sun so cabin temperature seemed to be in the 90s, with sweat trickling down the faces of Obama's accompanying Secret Service agents.
“We’re just easing you into it,” Obama told them.
After landing, a reporter asked Obama what he hoped to learn from his trip.
“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is,” he said. “I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they’ve been doing.”
Asked if he planned to relay some tough talk to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, he said, "I’m more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking. And I think it is very important to recognize that I’m going over there as a U.S. Senator. We have one president at a time, so it’s the president’s job to deliver those messages.”
Obama is being accompanied on his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan by his Senate foreign policy aide Mark Lippert, who recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq as a Naval reservist.
**
When he lands in Baghdad, Obama will apparently hear some conflicting messages. As ABC News' Martha Raddatz has reported, U.S. commanders on the ground are quite skeptical of Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. As Raddatz reported, several commanders told ABC News, on background, that there was "no way" the Obama plan for withdrawal could work logistically.
Today in Der Spiegel, however, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says U.S. troops should leave Iraq "as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He then continued: "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months."
He added, "So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an admission of defeat. But that isn't the case at all. If we come to an agreement, it is not evidence of a defeat, but of a victory, of a severe blow we have inflicted on al-Qaida and the militias."
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, told The Associated Press today that there are indications al-Qaida's senior leaders are diverting fighters from the war in Iraq to the Afghan frontier.
And of course we have yesterday's news from the White House that the U.S. and Iraq have agreed to seek "a general time horizon" for deeper reductions in American combat troops in Iraq.
But a general departure horizon, or whatever, is not a hard and firm timeline, as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown underscored for reporters in Baghdad today, per Bloomberg News.
“It is certainly our intention that we reduce our troops, but I am not going to set out an artificial timetable,” Brown said after a meeting with Maliki.
The sun now sets on the erstwhile British Empire; the UK has reduced its troop presence in Iraq from 40,000 to the 4,000 or so soldiers at an airbase in Basra where they support Iraqis.
Brown said "building blocks for the future" -- political progress, Iraqi security force training, economic reconstruction -- must be accomplished before troop withdrawal. "It's absolutely crucial we complete these tasks,'' Brown said.
-- jpt
July 19, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | Share | User Comments (276)
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For Al-Maliki to survive the chaotic currents of modern Iraqi politics, he must tap into that strong national sentiment that does want to see foreigners leaving Iraq. Nevertheless, he's smart enough to realize he needs our support for a while longer. If not, then why would the
Iraqi Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh say that troop withdrawals would be based on the continued security improvements, and that Al-Maliki was misquoted by Der Spiegel?
Posted by: Patrick | Jul 20, 2008 5:42:44 AM
Interesting! I see that many of the Obama haters write, and express themselves quite well. They would go a lot further in life if they were as well-read as they can write. On the issue of Iraq, please put the 9/11 Commission report, the Duelfer report, and the Iraq study group report at the top of your list. If you still don't realize you've been had (as to our entry into Iraq), google the term "cognitive dissonance". They might then be able to see what others see in their inability to think outside of the boxes they've trapped themselves in. Talk about thinkin' that they're thinkin'... But, then again, as politico James Carville recently said, in reference to the satirical New Yorker cover of the Obamas: Let 'em believe what they want; hell, some people still believe the Earth is flat and that the world is only 5,000 years old! Nothin' you say or do is gonna get them to change their minds!
Posted by: Mike Jones | Jul 20, 2008 3:20:30 AM
Obama looked like a kid sitting at the grown up table today with the first pictures of him in Afghanistan. My husband thought the same thing. I'm sure the photos of him playing basketball with some of the military guys will look more believable. I just don't buy it, anyway he wants to package it. No Bama, no way.
Posted by: Deb | Jul 20, 2008 2:58:55 AM
"Posted by: erb0087 | Jul 19, 2008 10:54:16 AM "wondering if he'll yet again "refine" his position on Iraq.CHANGE!"
Posted by: Take America Barack"
-----------------------
That was the poster behind me.
It's hard to tell on this forum, who posted what.
Posted by: erb0087 | Jul 20, 2008 2:15:06 AM
We are still in Europe 60 plus years after, we are still on the border of N. Korea 50 years after. If you think we will be withdrawing from Iraq you don't know history.
Posted by: pennsylvaniavoter | Jul 20, 2008 1:42:41 AM
And what would it be if Iraq does become a democracy in the middle east but one of the greatest military accomplishments of all time.
Posted by: pennsylvaniavoter | Jul 20, 2008 1:22:38 AM
Ain't NOTHIN' in this world more fun than reading the posts from all the desperate Republicans who know they're backing another loser like Bush Junior and are TERRIFIED of the cool brilliance of Barack Obama.
HILARIOUS!
Posted by: wolfpack777 | Jul 20, 2008 1:04:43 AM
TheObama is in Afghanistan. Is he going to finally hold a hearing for the Aghanistan committee he has headed for the past three years with no thought whatsoever. Perhaps the Obama can teach the poor Afghans how to put the ball through the hoop, thereby bringing them peace.
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Bring the Obama back safely, oh Lord, for the sake of the zombies
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Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | Jul 20, 2008 12:34:41 AM
Once again the Iraqi Prime Minister has validated the correctness of Obama's ideas. While Bush and McSame talk of staying in Iraq the Iraqi government is saying "give a withdrawal timetable" We need a young smart president to replace the abject failure we now have.
Posted by: pieceof cake | Jul 19, 2008 10:43:56 PM
Just hope Obama is paying for this trip.. I certainly hope when McCain and Obama go overseas, they are both paying for this on there own. We Americans can bearly pay for gas food and fuel never mind trips overseas for 2 men that are neither one a president.. And just think Obama made 52 million dollars for his campaign in 30 days, I know he can certainly afford to pay and think of all this free publicity he is getting, Im waiting for the Obama concert to start scheduling his concerts..
Posted by: bete | Jul 19, 2008 10:02:23 PM
Where was he in the past 3.5 years, while he was the chairman overseeing NATO politicies and Afghanistan. Now, it is he who has been right again.
Phony.
Posted by: fact check | Jul 19, 2008 9:59:03 PM
Obama was right. Afghanistan was left to flounder while we attacked Iraq for no real reason. There weren't Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq before we invaded the second time.
We created a country that will at least tilt toward Iran.
More likely thanks to Bush/McCain we will re-imagine "peace with honor" and leave Iran in the driver seat.
The best case will be effectively a three province partitioned country with Shiites, Sunnis and the guys up in the north who Turkey doesn't like.
Fools seem to claim the country is better. It is better than the mess we created but one can truly argue if the citizens are better off after 5 years of the chaos we caused versus Saddam running things.
Posted by: Last Call | Jul 19, 2008 9:32:33 PM
NO MATTER WHAT IS BEING POSTED HERE.ANY ONE WITH COMMON SENSE KNOWS THAT THE CRITERIA OF MAKING A GOOD PRESIDENT BASED BOTH ON ECONOMY OR FOREIGN AFFAIRS HAVE BEEN MET SQUARELY BY SEN.OBAMA! THOSE PREREQUISITES ARE SMARTNESS AND VISION! MCCAIN IS NOT ONLY AFFECTED BY HIS AGE WHICH IS A BIG PROBLEME THIS TIME!AMERICA IS NOT RELAXED AND PROSPEROUS THIS TIME.THE PROBLEMS DEMANDS A SMART(QUICK AND RIGHT THINKER)AND DYNAMIC YOUNG PRESIDENT! NOT MCCAIN,WHO SAYS "WE ARE BETTER OF, HE NEEDS EDUCATION ON ECONOMY" AT THIS FIERCE STATE OF URGENCY? THAT "WORKERS AND JOBLESS ARE COMPLAINERS AND WHINNERS"? READY TO DISTABILISE AMERICA BY SUGGESTING RUSSIA GOT TO BE EJECTED OUT OF G8?AT A POINT WE NEED RUSSIANS ON SECURITY ISSUES? UNFORTUNATELY,MOST UNEDUCATED THINK MCCAIN IS QUALIFIED FOR HAVING BEEN IN ANOTHER WRONG WAR (VIETNAM). VERY WRONG!THE KEY IS HOW GOOD AND SMART,NOT HOW LONG YOU´VE BEEN AROUND! OTHERWISE BUSH CAN AS WELL CONTINUE A THIRD TERM AS HE APPEARS TO BE BETTER THAN MCCAIN.AT LEAST HE CARES TO THINK A BIT!
Posted by: JUNIOR | Jul 19, 2008 9:26:47 PM
Bush's years have not been too bad? What planet have you been living on? One of the bottom ten presidents in history! Obama is one of the brightest minds in the county! As a Ind. voter there is little choice this time, Obama!
Posted by: richard in chandler az | Jul 19, 2008 9:06:38 PM
Linda says "In watching Obama coming in to speak to the troops in Afganistan,I could not help but notice that the majority of troops he was shown shaking hands with were African-American. I also heard on your nightly news cast that he will restore homosexuals to our military as well as to everything else in America,which I assume includes the White House. Guess he doesn't believe in the teachings of the Bible. I am so glad that I am a Republican." That's the problem with some people like yourself they hide behind identity politics, when the only problem you and others have, is that you are racist and intolerant of others. Whether you like or dislike someone because of their race our sexual preference it has nothng to do with being a Democrat or a Republican. Just ask Larry Craig! I'm a Democrat and I dont agree with the Homosexual life style, the majority of Americans dont agree with the homosexual life style but the majority of Americans have someone who is gay our lesbian and understand that they just want to live their lifes and be happy just like straight people. We all have to live with eachother and respect the fact that we are all not going to agree on everthing but we should never preach hate or descrimanation against someone who may be Gay, white, or black. Let God do the judgeing on judgement day! Like I said it's ok to agree and disagree, we are not a bunch of mindless robots but all we have to do is treat people with respect and live a life that we can live with and die with. Obama08/16.
Posted by: ORLANDO B. FROM FREMONT OHIO | Jul 19, 2008 8:23:24 PM
Whatever direction the political wind blows, I'll be voting for my country, not my party. If given a choice, I would prefer a liar for President than a hypocrite. But when Obama is both, his political wind blows in no direction and in every direction.
Posted by: young_voter | Jul 19, 2008 8:09:06 PM
Mccain wouldn't have time to tell jokes if the media would take the microscope off of Obama and reported to the public that Mccains economic advisor Phil Graham who called Americans, "A nation of Whinners" also worked on Mccain tax policies while the Chairman of USB Bank. The controversial USB Bank that helped wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars in taxes leaving the hardworking middle class shouldering the burden. We'll that explains why Mccain's tax policies designed by Graham give the wealthiest Americans tax credits. As much as I heard the comments the Nation of Whinners I never knew that Phil Graham was the Chairman of the USB Bank. Now this is a perfect example of how much the media focuses on Obama and hangs on to his every word while the Mccain camps get away with conspiracies like this. Phil Graham = Tax loop holes for the Wealthiest Americans and John Mccain signed on to the program but talks about how he understand how Americans are suffering due to the our failing economy. What more does it take for anybody to see what a fraud Mccain really is?
Posted by: Greg | Jul 19, 2008 8:02:05 PM
HEYWHEELS
MCCAIN CANNOT AT TIMES KEEP A TRAIN OF THOUGHT----if you think bush is bad this guy is far worse-----age is a fact of life and mccain is not to swift to start with-----read my last post carefully an perhaps you will understand--i know his whole history---if it insults you so be it.
Posted by: rodney | Jul 19, 2008 7:57:52 PM
Rodney,
What do you mean by old dinosores? Are you saying that older people arent as qualified to lead as younger people?
Obama is giving us the same OLD ideas. I am tired of reactionaries like him pretending to be progressive.
Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | Jul 19, 2008 7:52:56 PM
JUNIOR
I can't read your ALL CAPS very well. Would you type normally? Thanks!
Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | Jul 19, 2008 7:50:22 PM
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