Think Progress

Pentagon weighs Afghanistan surge.

By Amanda on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:05 pm

Pentagon weighs Afghanistan surge.»

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is “considering sending some 3,000 additional marines to Afghanistan to boost forces ahead of a Taliban spring offensive. … Currently, there are 26,000 US troops in Afghanistan, most of them under the 40,000-strong NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.” Last year was the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion.




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32 Responses to “Pentagon weighs Afghanistan surge.”

  1. wisedup Says:

    And you’ll lead the charge,right out front…right Mr. Gates?


  2. bogtrotters Says:

    George Bush: There’s no problem that can’t be solved if you throw enough lives at it.


  3. RUCerious Says:

    I wonder if there’ll be a spring 2023 Taliban offensive that we’ll be sending troops in to combat?


  4. Impolitics Says:

    “And we’ll fight them over there”, “and over there”, “and a few more over there”, “and those guys too, as long as we’re there”!

    “Don’t worry”. “We’ll only need them there for a while”.


  5. williamf Says:

    I thought this was where the terrorists were when all of this horseshit started…what happened?!! Why Iraq? Why Iran? Why didn’t we go after Bin Laden, why didn’t we fight a war in Pakistan and Afghanistan? Some body hep me!


  6. katy Says:

    oh… … you’re welcome…


  7. JPV Says:

    Blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban blah blah blah surge blah blah blah taliban…


  8. katy Says:

    “oceans no longer protect us”…
    but we must “fight them over there so we don’t have to know how bad it is and can hide the coffins and fix the numbers and keep making money off the wasted bombs and bullets and keep the contractors busy cause we need to create jobs… doncha know… … ”

    planned chaos…


  9. JPV Says:

    “We’re Making Enemies Faster than We Can Kill Them”


  10. Starve-A-Bush_Feed-A-Beaver Says:

    Gee, our Marines will get some much-needed R&R in Afghanistan to recuperate from their service in Iraq. And after awhile, they can go back to Iraq for some R&R from their service in Afghanistan.


  11. katy Says:

    and, while on his “peace tour”:

    JERUSALEM (CNN) – The war of words between United States and Tehran continued Wednesday, with President Bush repeating his assertion that Iran is “a threat to world peace.”
    […]
    Bush’s criticism of Iran came Wednesday during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem. Bush is in the region to encourage the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
    […]

    as if peace with iran has nothing to do with all of that…

    check out that picture there… always with the smirk…


  12. tom Says:

    GDumbya’s First Law of the Universe:

    “All I have is a hammer . . . so every problem must be a nail.”

    Translation: “All I have is a bunch of botched wars . . . so every solution must be a surge.”


  13. Impolitics Says:

    I don’t wish to derail, but, what amazes me are the actual pictures of the “Iranian Speed-boat” incident. I was ecpecting something like a more modern T.V. show than McChale’s Navy.

    No offense to the Iranian “Navy”, but I could buy a more formidable “Naval Vessel” from “Bob down off the Interstate”. And probably match their “firepower” from my own gun-safe and kitchen cabinet.


  14. tom Says:

    Impolitics –> yup, that Iranian Navy is pretty provocative, isn’t it?

    And now GDumbya is farting around in the Middle East and wagging his little finger at Iran over the “incident”. I don’t mind it so much when GDumbya makes himself look like the idiot that he is but now he’s making us all look bad. Again.


  15. Impolitics Says:

    Back on topic:

    I haven’t seen anyone “connecting dots” between the reported “success”, of the surge, with the need for more troops in Afghanistan. (Though, as I recall, that would pretty much use up the number actually going home as a “draw-down” of the surge.)

    Specifically, how many “terrorists” are “fighting us at home” in Afghanistan rather than “fighting us over there” in Iraq?


  16. Impolitics Says:

    Comment by tom — January 9, 2008 @ 11:11 pm

    I prefer to think that moderates are hoping he doesn’t represent the U.S. mainstream. And his international reputation, as a bumbling boob, is well established. He can still do some damage but I don’t think many take him that seriously anymore. I hope.

    I still won’t feel comfortable until he, his family, his friends, parnters, co-conspirators and acquaintances are out of the chain of command.


  17. Roket Says:

    The draft will be blamed on Clinton.


  18. Bad Eye Says:

    “oceans no longer protect us”…

    Comment by katy — January 9, 2008 @ 10:25 pm

    Don’t forget “We tried calm.”

    As for your assertion of “planned chaos,” amen, sister…Amen!


  19. Dr. Matt Says:

    “oceans no longer protect us”…

    Comment by katy — January 9, 2008 @ 10:25 pm

    Neither does herr dubyah or reich-wingers.


  20. bs Says:

    btw…..the last i heard it was going to be marines only and because they project a spring uprise. meaning they know it will be one because they will start one. just in case my ass


  21. Sabyen91 Says:

    Poor delafield.


  22. Sabyen91 Says:

    When you support a poorly disguised right-winger don’t be surprised if some liberals take issue with it. NAFTA.


  23. WaltTheMan Says:

    I am a Liberal, but I beg to differ from the crowd. Gates is the sole bastion of sanity in the G. W. administration. G. H. W. slipped him in under Cheney’s line of fire and now the foxes are trying to get back into the hen house. Gates wants to refocus the war on terror back to where it deserves attention, Afghanistan (and potentially - Pakistan). Cheney wants to go back to where the oil is. For the last ten months, Cheney seems to have vanished into the woodwork, except for a few free-fire game hunts and fishing expeditions where dynamite is the preferred bait.


  24. Sabyen91 Says:

    Dandy, delafield. And in a pissy mood. I may be overly aggressive tonight and for that I apologize.


  25. Sabyen91 Says:

    Night delafield. Have a good night’s sleep.


  26. Keith H. Says:

    Okay, here’s the thing . . .
    Any scumbag politician that provokes an invasion should be the first
    one over there on the front line.
    If he or she wants it . . . he or she better damn well step up and prove
    that they believe in the action they’re calling for.
    GWB is the weakest excuse for a ‘decider guy’ anyone has ever seen.
    Do us all a favor Laura, throw his stupid ass under the moving bus.


  27. Keith H. Says:

    No . . wait . . . it’s ‘decider’ and ‘commander guy’ . . sorry for the confusion.


  28. familyman Says:

    Surge! The sequel. Coming to a desert near you! Spring 2008.

    A follow up to the blockbuster you couldn’t get enough of.


  29. Doc Rock Says:

    Afghanistan’s a mess because Cheney-Bush wanted revenge on Saddam and siphoned needed forces away before finishing the job against bin Laden and the Taliban because, as draft-dodgers and AWOLer’s, they understood “victory” only as a slogan for election campaigns and “warfare” only as a cover to drain the treasury.


  30. Frosty Cupcake Says:

    Doc Rock:

    It’s all about the oil. Any other excuse Bush gives is a lie.


  31. GSD Says:

    The US has just dropped 40,000 pounds of bombs in Baghdad in 10 minutes to strike at “Al Qaeda” targets.

    You know the Al Qaeda we were told was just about run out of Iraq in December.

    Well, I hope the McCainiacs have plans for their children to be sent to Iran and Pakistan and Syria.

    -GSD


  32. Gregor Samsa Says:

    Why is a surge needed in Afghanistan?

    I thought Afghanistan was this administration’s real success story…

    /sarcasm off



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