Several British news outlets are reporting that the Obama administration has told the British government that he will be sending 40,000+ American troops to Afghanistan. According to the British sources, we can expect to hear from the President in a week or so:
President Barack Obama's administration is understood to have told the British government that it could announce, as early as next week, the substantial increase to its 65,000 troops already serving there.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
Apparently, the State Department has denied that the President has made a decision, as has Robert Gibbs:
"I would not put any weight behind the fact that a decision has been made, when the President has yet to make a decision," he told reporters in Washington.
Id.
He added: "I think that you can assume that the BBC will not be the first outlet for such a decision."
However he did say the US had been "coordinating our review with our allies" and that Mr Brown had "communicated to us their decision to send more troops" in a phone call last week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
He also thanked the British people for their sacrafices and for their willingness to add the needed troops, not a strong sign that we're wrapping this thing up any time soon.
In addition, the Afghan ambassador to Washington pretty much confirmed the sources at the British Ministry of Defence, who said they’d been told to expect a substantial increase in the number of American troops:
On the programme, Said Jawad, the Afghan ambassador to Washington, was asked if he could confirm that the United States would be sending more troops.
"We should wait for the official announcement by the US government but all indications are that President Obama is honouring the request by Gen McChrystal."
He was asked if that meant 40,000 to 45,000 extra troops.
"This is part of the request, yes," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
I wonder why they’d have Gordon Brown step out with his announcement first? Is this the same-old-same-old that if the Brits are with us then somehow our mission and strategy are validated? It sounds so, um, Bush-like. It’s kind of odd; are they testing the waters or trying to spread out the reaction time or what?
Anyway, I’ll take Mr. Gibbs and the State Department at their word, namely, that the President hasn‘t decided, which means there's still time to influence the decision.
Well, maybe the fact that we’re very close to a real escalation will serve as some much needed motivation for people to get out there and be heard! On Saturday, October 17, protests are going on in many cities around the country, and probably around the world.
So if you believe that endless war, or at least this war/occupation, is leading us down a path to nowhere, that tens of thousands of dead Afghans and over a thousand dead coalition troops is enough blood on our hands, make yourself heard before it's too late!
If you sat on your hands before the Iraq War started and/or while it kept escalating, think about this as your second chance to stop an equally misguided offensive.