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Leahy pressures officials to end Afghanistan war
Senators, generals urge large Afghanistan troop withdrawal | Augusta Free Press
NEAL P. GOSWAMI
Posted: 06/15/2011 11:27:43 PM EDT
Wednesday June 15, 2011 BENNINGTON -- Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy pressured Pentagon officials during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan, saying supposed allies Pakistan and Afghanistan are not trustworthy.
Leahy said U.S. troops have done their jobs, but the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have not been good partners in the 10-year long conflict in Afghanistan that has at times spilled across the border into Pakistan.
"They’re performing extraordinarily well under very difficult things, but how long -- how long do we support governments that lie to us? When do we say enough is enough?" Leahy asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Gates said the actions of those two governments were not uncommon based on his experience.
"First of all, I would say, based on 27 years in CIA and four and a half years in this job, most governments lie to each other. That’s the way business gets done," he said.
Leahy pressed on, referencing the reported arrest by Pakistani officials of several people who aided the U.S. in its successful mission that killed Osama bin Laden last month.
"Do they also arrest people that help us?" Leahy asked?
"Sometimes," Gates replied. "And sometimes they send people to spy on us, and they’re our close allies."
Earlier in the short exchange, Leahy said the
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cost of maintain troops in Afghanistan has become too high in both lives and money. "I think, like most Americans, certainly most Vermonters I talk with and an increasing number of members of Congress, I think we have to dramatically accelerate our withdrawal of troops from that country," Leahy said. "I don’t think we can continue to sacrifice so many lives and spending billions of dollars a week in a war with no end. I think we have to identify achievable goals in Afghanistan. I think we have to reduce our military footprint there," he said.
Gates said security responsibilities will be turned over to the Afghan forces by the end of 2014. And the cost of the war is declining, he said.
"The costs of these wars is coming down dramatically. The cost of these wars will drop between (fiscal years 2011 and 2012 by $40 billion and between (fiscal years 2012 and 2013) probably by several tens of billions of dollars more," Gates said.
The U.S. is not engaged in nation-building, Gates said, referring to a growing complaint in Congress.
"What we are trying to do is build the Afghan national security forces to the point where they have the ability to defend that country and so that the Taliban and al-Qaida cannot reconstitute themselves in that country. And I think we are making considerable headway in that respect," he said. "I know people are frustrated. The country’s been at war for 10 years. I know people are tired. But people also have to think in terms of stability and in terms of the potential for reconstitution. What’s the cost of failure?"
Mullen cautioned against severing ties with Pakistan as relations between that country and the U.S. remain strained. Mullen said security issues will further deteriorate as they did in the late 1980s and early 1990s when ties were severed.
"It’s actually my belief that, if we -- if we were to do that again, it may not be five years or 10 years but we’ll be back in a much more difficult situation," Mullen said.
A posting on Leahy’s Twitter account Wednesday afternoon indicated his displeasure with the responses.
"I asked Secy Gates and Adm Mullen today about ending the war in Afghanistan. I got the same answers in 1975 about Vietnam," he wrote.
Leahy and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are both signatories of a letter to President Barack Obama released on Wednesday that calls for a "sizable and sustained" withdrawal of troops. The president has said a drawdown of troops will begin this summer.
Two Republicans are among the 27 senators to sign the letter.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has led calls in the House for a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com
Senators, generals urge large Afghanistan troop withdrawal
Posted on Jun 15, 2011 in Government/Politics | 1 comment
A bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators sent a letter today to President Obama asking for a “sizable and sustained reduction of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, beginning in July 2011.”
Paul Kawika Martin, the political and policy director of Peace Action — a group founded in 1957 and the largest grassroots peace organization in the U.S. — organized 25 national organizations, representing over 30 million voters, to urge senators to sign the letter.
“The House spoke last month, now the Senate and the American people have long turned against the Afghanistan war,” Martin said. “President Obama needs to announce that all U.S. troops and contractors will be out of Afghanistan well before 2014 with tens of thousands of troops coming home this year. It’s time to focus on political negotiations and Afghan-led aid and development.”
The bipartisan letter, sent on the eve of a presidential decision on the number of troops to come home in July, included 10 committee chairs and Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.) — the Senate majority whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate.
Other committee chairs such as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and other senators like Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) have recently made statements for significant troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.
The letter led by Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) shows a clear shift in the Senate towards bringing troops home from Afghanistan since a vote last May for former Sen. Russ Feingold’s (D-Wisc.) amendment for a withdraw timeline garnered 18 Democrats.
A letter signed by over a dozen current and former military officials including four generals supported the Senate letter.
Last month, the House sent a clear signal to president for an accelerated withdrawal by narrowly failing to pass an amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act – 204 representatives voted aye, including a record 26 Republicans.
The amendment was offered by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Walter Jones (D-N.C.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and would have, among other things, required plan and timeframe on accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities from the Pentagon.
The extreme cost of the war of $2 billion a week, with long-term costs much higher, and questions whether the military strategy is actually making Americans safer are causing Congress and Republican presidential candidates to call for a quicker end to the war.
Peace Action calls for all troops and contractors out of Afghanistan within one year with resources focused on political reconciliation and Afghan-led aid and development.
“In 2012, voters will want to see that President Obama is ending the war in Afghanistan by quickly bringing troops home in very large numbers,” concluded Martin.
27 Senators Call For Sizable Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan - WSJ.com
27 Senators Call For Sizable Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan
By Siobhan Hughes
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- War weariness is breaking out across the U.S. Capitol, as the liberal wing of the Obama administration's base joined with Tea Party conservatives on Wednesday to call for a significant reduction of troops in Afghanistan -- including combat forces.
"We urge you to follow through on the pledge you made to the American people to begin the redeployment of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer, and to do so in a manner that is sizable and sustained, and includes combat troops as well as logistical and support forces," wrote 27 senators, including Senate Majority Whip **** Durbin (D., Ill.), along with Sens. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), a tea party favorite, and Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), a liberal who caucuses with the Democrats.
That appears to set up a contrast with outgoing Defense Secretary Bob Gates, who said earlier this month that the U.S. should send support units home first as the country begins withdrawing from Afghanistan next month, with combat troops out last. "I know people are tired, but people also have to think in terms of stability," Gates said on Wednesday in his final appearance before a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee panel. He warned about the potential for the Taliban and al Qaeda to reconstitute.
The White House has said that President Barack Obama will lay out a plan soon to begin a significant reduction of forces. The U.S., which has been in Afghanistan since 2001, put in 30,000 additional troops in 2009 under a surge ordered by Obama. The administration's plan is to exit almost completely by 2014.
Obama has come under increasing pressure to accelerate the withdrawal as the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden undercut a key rationale for the American presence, while U.S. budget problems underscored the difficulty of paying for it. The U.S. is spending roughly $2 billion a week in Afghanistan.
Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) on Wednesday separately added his name to the list of lawmakers seeking to hasten an end to the fighting, and went further. He wrote in an op-ed article saying he supported a substantial drawdown of troops as "the beginning of a new, more targeted counter-terrorism strategy that more wisely focuses our military and diplomatic resources on defending America's security interests."
Local leaders are also becoming impatient. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is on Monday expected to pass a resolution that calls for the U.S. to speed up the end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The resolution cites ongoing U.S. economic troubles and budget shortfalls and concludes that the U.S. should "re-examine our national spending priorities."
Senators, generals urge large Afghanistan troop withdrawal | Augusta Free Press
NEAL P. GOSWAMI
Posted: 06/15/2011 11:27:43 PM EDT
Wednesday June 15, 2011 BENNINGTON -- Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy pressured Pentagon officials during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan, saying supposed allies Pakistan and Afghanistan are not trustworthy.
Leahy said U.S. troops have done their jobs, but the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have not been good partners in the 10-year long conflict in Afghanistan that has at times spilled across the border into Pakistan.
"They’re performing extraordinarily well under very difficult things, but how long -- how long do we support governments that lie to us? When do we say enough is enough?" Leahy asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Gates said the actions of those two governments were not uncommon based on his experience.
"First of all, I would say, based on 27 years in CIA and four and a half years in this job, most governments lie to each other. That’s the way business gets done," he said.
Leahy pressed on, referencing the reported arrest by Pakistani officials of several people who aided the U.S. in its successful mission that killed Osama bin Laden last month.
"Do they also arrest people that help us?" Leahy asked?
"Sometimes," Gates replied. "And sometimes they send people to spy on us, and they’re our close allies."
Earlier in the short exchange, Leahy said the
Advertisement
cost of maintain troops in Afghanistan has become too high in both lives and money. "I think, like most Americans, certainly most Vermonters I talk with and an increasing number of members of Congress, I think we have to dramatically accelerate our withdrawal of troops from that country," Leahy said. "I don’t think we can continue to sacrifice so many lives and spending billions of dollars a week in a war with no end. I think we have to identify achievable goals in Afghanistan. I think we have to reduce our military footprint there," he said.
Gates said security responsibilities will be turned over to the Afghan forces by the end of 2014. And the cost of the war is declining, he said.
"The costs of these wars is coming down dramatically. The cost of these wars will drop between (fiscal years 2011 and 2012 by $40 billion and between (fiscal years 2012 and 2013) probably by several tens of billions of dollars more," Gates said.
The U.S. is not engaged in nation-building, Gates said, referring to a growing complaint in Congress.
"What we are trying to do is build the Afghan national security forces to the point where they have the ability to defend that country and so that the Taliban and al-Qaida cannot reconstitute themselves in that country. And I think we are making considerable headway in that respect," he said. "I know people are frustrated. The country’s been at war for 10 years. I know people are tired. But people also have to think in terms of stability and in terms of the potential for reconstitution. What’s the cost of failure?"
Mullen cautioned against severing ties with Pakistan as relations between that country and the U.S. remain strained. Mullen said security issues will further deteriorate as they did in the late 1980s and early 1990s when ties were severed.
"It’s actually my belief that, if we -- if we were to do that again, it may not be five years or 10 years but we’ll be back in a much more difficult situation," Mullen said.
A posting on Leahy’s Twitter account Wednesday afternoon indicated his displeasure with the responses.
"I asked Secy Gates and Adm Mullen today about ending the war in Afghanistan. I got the same answers in 1975 about Vietnam," he wrote.
Leahy and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are both signatories of a letter to President Barack Obama released on Wednesday that calls for a "sizable and sustained" withdrawal of troops. The president has said a drawdown of troops will begin this summer.
Two Republicans are among the 27 senators to sign the letter.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has led calls in the House for a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
Contact Neal P. Goswami at ngoswami@benningtonbanner.com
Senators, generals urge large Afghanistan troop withdrawal
Posted on Jun 15, 2011 in Government/Politics | 1 comment
A bipartisan group of 27 U.S. senators sent a letter today to President Obama asking for a “sizable and sustained reduction of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, beginning in July 2011.”Paul Kawika Martin, the political and policy director of Peace Action — a group founded in 1957 and the largest grassroots peace organization in the U.S. — organized 25 national organizations, representing over 30 million voters, to urge senators to sign the letter.
“The House spoke last month, now the Senate and the American people have long turned against the Afghanistan war,” Martin said. “President Obama needs to announce that all U.S. troops and contractors will be out of Afghanistan well before 2014 with tens of thousands of troops coming home this year. It’s time to focus on political negotiations and Afghan-led aid and development.”
The bipartisan letter, sent on the eve of a presidential decision on the number of troops to come home in July, included 10 committee chairs and Sen. Durbin (D-Ill.) — the Senate majority whip, the second highest position in the Democratic Party leadership in the Senate.
Other committee chairs such as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and other senators like Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.) have recently made statements for significant troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.
The letter led by Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) shows a clear shift in the Senate towards bringing troops home from Afghanistan since a vote last May for former Sen. Russ Feingold’s (D-Wisc.) amendment for a withdraw timeline garnered 18 Democrats.
A letter signed by over a dozen current and former military officials including four generals supported the Senate letter.
Last month, the House sent a clear signal to president for an accelerated withdrawal by narrowly failing to pass an amendment to the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act – 204 representatives voted aye, including a record 26 Republicans.
The amendment was offered by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Walter Jones (D-N.C.), Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Ron Paul (R-Texas), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and would have, among other things, required plan and timeframe on accelerated transition of military operations to Afghan authorities from the Pentagon.
The extreme cost of the war of $2 billion a week, with long-term costs much higher, and questions whether the military strategy is actually making Americans safer are causing Congress and Republican presidential candidates to call for a quicker end to the war.
Peace Action calls for all troops and contractors out of Afghanistan within one year with resources focused on political reconciliation and Afghan-led aid and development.
“In 2012, voters will want to see that President Obama is ending the war in Afghanistan by quickly bringing troops home in very large numbers,” concluded Martin.
27 Senators Call For Sizable Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan - WSJ.com
27 Senators Call For Sizable Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan
By Siobhan Hughes
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- War weariness is breaking out across the U.S. Capitol, as the liberal wing of the Obama administration's base joined with Tea Party conservatives on Wednesday to call for a significant reduction of troops in Afghanistan -- including combat forces.
"We urge you to follow through on the pledge you made to the American people to begin the redeployment of U.S. forces from Afghanistan this summer, and to do so in a manner that is sizable and sustained, and includes combat troops as well as logistical and support forces," wrote 27 senators, including Senate Majority Whip **** Durbin (D., Ill.), along with Sens. Rand Paul (R., Ky.), a tea party favorite, and Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), a liberal who caucuses with the Democrats.
That appears to set up a contrast with outgoing Defense Secretary Bob Gates, who said earlier this month that the U.S. should send support units home first as the country begins withdrawing from Afghanistan next month, with combat troops out last. "I know people are tired, but people also have to think in terms of stability," Gates said on Wednesday in his final appearance before a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee panel. He warned about the potential for the Taliban and al Qaeda to reconstitute.
The White House has said that President Barack Obama will lay out a plan soon to begin a significant reduction of forces. The U.S., which has been in Afghanistan since 2001, put in 30,000 additional troops in 2009 under a surge ordered by Obama. The administration's plan is to exit almost completely by 2014.
Obama has come under increasing pressure to accelerate the withdrawal as the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden undercut a key rationale for the American presence, while U.S. budget problems underscored the difficulty of paying for it. The U.S. is spending roughly $2 billion a week in Afghanistan.
Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.) on Wednesday separately added his name to the list of lawmakers seeking to hasten an end to the fighting, and went further. He wrote in an op-ed article saying he supported a substantial drawdown of troops as "the beginning of a new, more targeted counter-terrorism strategy that more wisely focuses our military and diplomatic resources on defending America's security interests."
Local leaders are also becoming impatient. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is on Monday expected to pass a resolution that calls for the U.S. to speed up the end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The resolution cites ongoing U.S. economic troubles and budget shortfalls and concludes that the U.S. should "re-examine our national spending priorities."