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by Frank James
Defense Secretary Robet Gates is causing some headscratching today with a statement he made to reporters traveling aboard his military airfcraft. He said the Pentagon will be sending a significant number of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in 2009.
The puzzlement comes because the Bush Administration ends on Jan. 20, 2009. It won't exactly be in a position to send any servicemember anywhere after that date.
Maybe the plan is to send them in the roughly three weeks before Inauguration Day? Or perhaps he's counting on whoever is elected the next president will keep a Bush Administration commitment to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan since there has been concern for some time about there not being enough troops there, especially in the south where Taliban forces have been resurgent.
Here's the Associated Press story:
by ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that the U.S. intends to send many more combat forces to Afghanistan next year, regardless of whether troop levels in Iraq are cut further in the second half of this year.
It's the first time the Bush administration has made such a commitment for 2009.
Gates was speaking to reporters on Friday while flying to Muscat, Oman, from a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania. The Pentagon chief says that President Bush made the troop pledge during the summit.
Gates said Bush was not specific about the number of additional troops that would go to Afghanistan. The U.S. now has about 31,000 troops there.
Comments
He has until mid-January to stay in charge. Although it's a good point that the only candidate that Gates can count on to help the Afghan government maintain security is McCain. Maybe Pelosi will warn him not to bring any good news from Iraq like she did to Ryan Crocker and General Petraeus.
Posted by: Jeff | April 4, 2008 11:47 AM
New troops?
What's wrong with the old ones?
Every time a soldier opens his mouth he says he's proud to serve. Keep serving and don't come home until you bring home the gold.
Posted by: Pete | April 4, 2008 12:36 PM
I don't know about Afghanistan, but I can tell you at least 5 more people who will be sent to Iraq as soon as I'm sworn in: George W Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain, Don Rumsfeld, and Condi Rice. They will remain in Iraq until a stable Democracy is formed.
Posted by: Senator Obama | April 4, 2008 12:45 PM
Ahh, more lunacy from the Left. And more nonsense "journalism" from Frank James.
Posted by: John D | April 4, 2008 2:18 PM
This is because Bush will still be in power in 2009. 2008's October surprise will be that Cheney orders troops to invade Iran. The election will be called off indefinitely by means of an emergency executive order. That was a little slip of the tongue on Bush's part. We're not supposed to know about this yet.
Posted by: Brian | April 4, 2008 2:30 PM
"THE SECRETARY SPEAKS"
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, SCARED YA'LL HUH. YA'LL THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO SAY, "THE REAL SECRETARY" CHERTOFF!
Secretary Gates may lose his day for this, DICK CHENEY doesn't like SECRETS to be disclosed prior to talking to WHITE HOUSE ATTORNEYS.
Secretary Gates is no GENERAL ON THE GROUND
Secretary Gates is no
Admiral FALLON.
Hmmmm will have to wait and see what happens on this one. SECRECY IS THIS ADMINISTRATIONS MIDNIGHT TAP TAP OIL and Secretary Gates may have MISSTAKEN OR MISSPOKE being a man, I GUES IT WILL BE MISSTAKEN!
"RETURN ON SUCCESS"
AMERICA, THAT'S "RETURN ON SUCCESS"
FIVE BRIGADES GOING HOME, NOPE, GOING OVER THE HILL.
Posted by: Roger Morris | April 4, 2008 2:40 PM
Although it's a good point that the only candidate that Gates can count on to help the Afghan government maintain security is McCain.
Posted by: Jeff | April 4, 2008 11:47 AM
What a misrepresentation of the facts. Both denocratic candidates have said they would remove troops from Iraq and increase them in the real war on terror. Afghanistan. It is consistent with the propaganda pumped out by the right. We support the real war on terror, just not the fake one you guys are in such favor of.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | April 4, 2008 3:35 PM