President Obama left Camp David, late Saturday evening, en route to Afghanistan. This was his first trip to the country as Commander-in-Chief, and came on the heels of just passing historic health care reform.
One thing for sure, he has proven he can walk and chew gum at the same time.
More below the fold.
Huffington Post has a good article about the trip.
Under elaborate secrecy, President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan on Sunday near the front lines of the increasingly bloody 8-year-old war he is expanding and affirmed America's commitment to destroying al-Qaida and its extremist allies in the land where the 9-11 plot was hatched.
Obama's six-hour visit was conducted entirely under the shroud of nightfall, after Air Force One's unannounced flight from the U.S. Obama defended his decision to escalate the fight, telling troops whose numbers he is tripling that their victory is imperative to America's safety.
His bid to shore up faith in the struggle was aimed both at the troops who cheered him and Americans back home. And, he demanded accountability from Afghan authorities to make good on repeated promises to improve living conditions, rein in corruption and enforce the rule of law to prevent people from joining the insurgency.
A photo diary of the President's first trip to Afghanistan.
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Air Force One. Flying the Socialist Skies.
"I really didn't fly 13 hours to hear excuses Karzai!"
"Now about the corruption..."
President Obama has proven beyond doubt he highly values our troops, their families, and their sacrifice.
And they believe in their Commander-in-Chief.
"I told you he could pronounce "nuclear"! We got a smart one this time. High-five!!!"
"Having an actual strategy, resources, goals, and timelines is working out so far so good Mr. President."
And all of this was last night!
As a bonus here is one of the things President Obama and the First Family did today.
Mark the Beginning of Passover with a White House Seder.
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All photographs are by Pete Souza. And are courtesy of my tax dollars at Whitehouse.gov.