Petraeus: No "Rush for the Exit" of Afghan War

Just as a new book by Bob Woodward suggests President Obama has butted heads with his senior military advisors in his quest for a quick exit strategy from Afghanistan, the top American commander in the nine-year-old war insists he's going nowhere fast.

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Gen. David Petraeus has told The Times (subscription) of London that Mr. Obama's July 2011 deadline to begin a drawdown of U.S. forces in the country is, "not a date when we rush for the exit and reach for the light switch to turn it out before leaving the room."

"I am conscious of the fact that the Afghan clock doesn't always move quite as rapidly as folks in other locations would like to see it move and as we would like to see it move," he told the newspaper in a Kabul interview.

"There are clocks in Washington and in London and other capitals that are also ticking rapidly. Our job obviously is to do the best we can to produce progress to show that this is the right approach and that it has the best prospect of achieving our important objectives here in Afghanistan," said Petraeus.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier in September that U.S.-led NATO troops in Afghanistan should be able to start handing off responsibility for security to the Afghans next year, echoing President Obama's stated goals.

Petraeus did offer a staunch defense of the President's chosen strategy in the Afghan war, dubbed a hybrid counter-insurgency plan, but conceded it had caused him some "frustration and impatience," according to The Times article

The General's remarks to The Times are similar to cautionary notes he's sounded in recent months -- he's made it abundantly clear that he doesn't want to be rushed out of the Afghan fight for political reasons.

The war commander said late last month he had drafted operational guidelines to implement Afghan President Hamid Karzai's goal of having Afghan police and soldiers take the lead in the country's 34 provinces by 2014, as security allows.

There are still serious doubts as to whether the Afghans will be ready to handle their own security, even four years from now.

"These guidelines recognize that this is a process, not an event," he said. "It will typically represent a thinning out of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) forces not a hand-off per se."

That stance was reiterated in the latest interview, with Petraeus telling The Times the July 2011 date would represent the beginning of a "process" -- not an imminent departure.

[trillion1]

Why doesn't he throw on a helmet and spend a couple months on the front line.Wars are always easier when you don't actually have to do the fighting.

[wyodutch]

The mightiest military force in the history of the world... armed to the teeth with everything from satellites that can count the hair on Hillary's, er.. head to billion-dollar aircraft... spending $3,000,000,000 a WEEK.... cannot defeat a rag-wearing rifleman?
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Patraeus and the rest of the perfumed princes over at the Pentagoon act like we're fighting the Herman Goering Division in Afghanistan instead of a ragtag group of volunteers.
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The "enemy" has no aircraft... no navy... no satellites... no military hospitals or GI benefits for the fighters.
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We're fighting an enemy that has nothing but a rifle and a will to win.
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It's time we admitted that we're the invader... trying to stomp a nation into submission.But that enemy is faster, more able and more determined than we are.
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They are, after all... fighting on their own soil and that makes all the difference in the world.

[dwiseriver]

They are doing a pretty good job considering that they have to be careful about thier targets, the enemy looks like the good guys. We follow the rules the enemy doesn't. Lot's of restraint being used. If I had my way, we would just Napalm the place and cover it with concrete.

[kevjustice]

WARS ARE MOST OFTEN FOUGHT FOR ECONOMIC REASONS. THE U.S. WANTS A OIL PIPELINE, ACCESS TO THEIR RESOURCES(THERE IS OIL, ETC.), AMONG OTHER REASONS. DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY THINK THE U.S. IS INVESTING BILLIONS IN THAT COUNTRY WITHOUT TRYING TO GET SOMETHING BIG IN RETURN. SAME THING IN IRAQ. U.S. OIL COMPANIES CONTROL MUCH OF THEIR OIL. WHEN IRAQ WAS INVADED THE FIRST THING THE U.S. DID WAS TO SECURE THE OIL FIELDS. ALL THIS RUBBISH ABOUT THE "SUFFERING" AFGHAN/IRAQI PEOPLE OR OTHER REASONS FOR THE OCCUPATIONS IS FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. THE U.S. COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THEIR PEOPLE.

[dwiseriver]

We have a need for war, it keeps us in shape. Certainly I don't give rats a## about those towel heads.

[ejs1999]

I find it amazing how people are so quick to judge and give their opinions on matters where they don't know the whole story. How many bloggers are actually a part of the military, and have a clue as to what is actually going on over there? News stories and reports are sometimes agenda-driven and/or subjective, and we are quick to judge and give opinions we may not be fully educated on. The sacrifices the service members and their families make to serve their country are amazing, and calling a general, who has devoted his life to the service of his country, a childlike nickname is sophmoric and downright silly. Instead of just reading about military actions, take time to meet someone who has been "over there" and get a first-hand account of what they've seen, who they've met, and what is going on over there. You'll get a different perspective.

[rightbehind]

For what has been spent on the 2 wars we could have put solar power on 1 of every 3 single family homes in the United States. It's rapidly approaching 2 of every 3.

[Simifanene]

Your exactly right. These two foolish DigiNet Vietnams have diverted money from research, and DidiNet age energy idea's like yours. Imagine all the people who would have been hired to install those solar panels or wind turbines and the workers needed to maintain the equipment. But no, Bush and his other Corporate Oil Baron puppets had the interests of the Oil Barons in mind when he invaded.
Bush and Cheney deserve to be honored in a very special way. In that I mean they deserve statues to be build of them honoring their great service to our country.
I'm starting a collection of donations by all American's who supported these great men to build two 3 ft tall statues made of cow dung of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Bushes' statue will characterize him as Alfed E. Newman, with his one hand out stretched and George saying the war is over in just one week. Cheney's statue will be of him personally waterboarding a Iraqi teenager as he say's torture saves lives. Don't they deserve these honors? I start with the first dollar, who's next to honor these men forever? Maybe we could put the statue at the twin tower sight where Bush and Cheney made their fools speeches?
It's really not funny but these images should be built for all of our future fellow American's to see the truth of these men. No one has hurt our country more than them. They've empowered the terrorist and broke our treasury.
Your right rightbehind, what could have the trillions of unnecessary war dollars have been spent on? A cancer cure could have been found, a new enery form could have been discover or even homes for every homeless American could have been built with that wasted money. The worst part of Bush and the Repubican follies is that the cost will keep adding up for years and years even once Obama untangles their dumb web they spun.
Let's build these statues of Bush and Cheney, even if we have to put them in a corn field. They deserve to be remembered for whom they we're.

[Simifanene]

Bush and Cheney's two DigiNet Vietnams have gone on for ten years. They schock and awed the innocent and let the terrorist escape in the process.
Terrorist don't have political ties to either country. Terrorist are in every country, living in tents, apartments and private homes. Under Bush's policies we should attack any country which has terrorist. That means every country of the world. What a fool he was. The only reason he attacked the ones he did is because of their poverty and lack of power. Isn't that a bully?
I'm a Vietnam vet who served my country for four years of my life during the 60's as the rest of America was partying with the Beatles. For what, to fight Vietnamese who are just like the Afhgani's, people fighting for their country and way of life. Vietnam proved even poor people with no shoes can't be beat if they fight to the death of their children. Isn't that what the Afghani's and Iraqi's are doing? What would we do if we we're schock and awed and an army invaded America and their troops broke in all of our homes, ransacking and arresting our children? We all know now Bush was a fool and Cheney was a bigger one.
No matter how foolish they we're their is no way out of their war's that will bring us much honor. It's going to be a embarassment no matter what we do. What's the smartest way out without empowering the real terrorist hiding out in Pakistan enjoying watching destroy and rebuild at the same time trying to convert a Muslum country into a western state?
Wasn't our original purpose to stop terrorism? Of course but Bush and Cheney turned the legal hunt down of real terrorist into two DigiNet Vietnams. What are Bush and Cheney's ties to Haliburton? Both we're board members of Haliburton the largest Oil Baron Corporation of the world, A corporation that has it's own massive army that is allowed to kill. That's another subject that we all need to investigate, including congress.
How do we end Bush's wars and at the same time weaken terrorism? I beleive it's making peace with Isreal and the Muslum world. By that I mean a free Palastinin state that guarantees Isreal non violence. It's the key to peace. A peace based on God, the Jews God, the Muslums God, the Christians God, the Hindu God, the one God.
Why not call for an armistice between the terrorist across the world to hold a peace confernence with all the Muslums states, Isreal, Ladin and the U.N. top five at the Table.
Bush and Cheney led us as fools but Obama is leading us in all wisdom towards peace. His mid-east talks are the way to peace across the world. Bush and Cheney proved again shock and awing, torturing and breaking into peoples homes only served Alkaida's recruitment. Ten's of futile war has proven that. You can't knock a man's faith out of him, can you George and Dick? These men along with Ladin have brought the world to it's knee's. They shamed our flag and all we stand for. That's another subject that would take hours more to write about. To suffice they need to investigate along with Haliburton?
How do we stop terrorism? Not with armies, but with commando's. that's another subject too that needs to be talked about but the most relavant way to stop the Muslum terrorism is to make equitable terms between Isreal and the Muslum world that all can live with. Wouldn't you agree?

[tsigili]

The real issue is that there is no rush to eliminate the Taliban, either. That can prolong this war forever, and that is unacceptable.

[dwiseriver]

This war has been going on for more than 500 years, what's the rush?

[betterusa]

I was not aware we elected Petraeus in 2008. He sounds as though it is his decision when we leave Afghanistan and not the Presidents. I back our military completely but this is a no win conflict that no matter how long we stay the end result will most likely be the same; Insurgent rule and corrupt government. How many more American lives, not to mention our allies fighting with us, will be lost along with billions of dollars spent for a country that the majority could care less about the US and our help (see Afghan reaction to scheduled Koran burning)? Our politicians and military can monitor Afghanistan as easily at home and not keep wasting young lives and $$$ on this ?war?. Unfortunately, our soldiers are not allowed to fight a conventional war, they must go through a chain of commands to take a shot at these insurgents. Many times the target is out of range by the time the okay is given.

Lets get out of this mess and use these young heros and our financial resources to better our own country!

[valerie121-2009]

Great piece! He really does think he's the President and does not respect the man who IS the President. Please retire Petraeus so we can get the hell out of two pointless wars. Put him out to pasture with the rest of the b.s----ers.

[obabyo]

get.
out.
now.
Telling us that we need to stay in longer in order to get out sooner doesn't make sense to me. It is a waste of money and lives. Set a date. Make a plan to take care of human needs. ****.

[propitiation]

President Obama and General Patraeus together are proceeding correctly on this one. Almost all the posters are incorrect.

[thanksgreed]

God has spoken....thanks, God. (prop)