POTUS = 30,000 = Afghanistan - NYT

The New York Times: Reports that President Obama has issued his final orders for Afghanistan, the NYT writes the following, " advisers to the president have said Mr. Obama intends to commit roughly 30,000 more troops. " One can argue that with the other troops from NATO Allies and close US Allies the request by General McChrysal of forty thousand will get close. So on this lets give President Obama a pass on the process, lets see what the results are, if its thirty thousand troops plus a few thousand more troops from the Allies this should give General McChrystal the troops he needs to secure the towns from the Taliban and help build up the Kabul Government. As to if it will work that is a different question, it really depends does President Obama have his heart in the fight, will he take on his Liberal base, the Liberals in Congress are not going to roll over when it comes to Afghanistan, they see Afghanistan as another Vietnam and Obama as the successor to LBJ. Thus expect the far left to go bonkers and the Obama polls to dive a bit, even with Republican support, one can postulate that Independents will be also very nervous with the Obama process and decision when it comes to Afghanistan. But lets be clear this blog supports Obama if the above is correct on the troop surge. Lets face it folks Obama needs to toughen up his act, he has Iran to deal with next year.

Obama Pitch - Afghanistan

Politics Daily: An excellent article by Mr Corn on how President Obama will sell his second Afghan surge to the US voter. As Mr Corn states the President will get the support of Republicans but his political base will have done a runner, also how do you get beyond this paradox, Obama has stated that Afghanistan is the JUST war but also that there is an END date for the US voter. Its in the details folks, lets see how many troops President Obama sends, are there any benchmarks for the Kabul Government, does Obama give the impression that he wants to win the War in Afghanistan. God forbid that he sets a end date, the Taliban will throw a Party in Las Vegas. Read of the Day.

Death in Afghanistan

MOD: Reports that a British Soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, the soldier was from the " 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards ". Thus since 2001 the UK has lost 236 of its Armed Forces Personnel in Afghanistan, of that total it has lost 205 in combat operations and another 31 due to illness, accident or other incidents. As posted today the UK will have around ten thousand soldiers in Afghanistan by next year, lets hope with the second Obama surge NATO can start to win in Afghanistan and then get the hell out of the place, its far to costly in dead and treasure, lets see what the Obama EXIT route is out of Afghanistan. Its rubbish folks but lets see if he can sell it to the US voter.

UK = 500 Troops to Afghanistan = 9,500

BBC News: Reports that the UK will send another five hundred troops to Afghanistan, this will bring the total of all UK forces including SAS and other special forces up to ten thousand. Lets hope Obama does not have second or third thoughts and go down the VP Biden line, the UK has thrown it weight behind Obama, time to see if Obama can face down his liberal base.

Liberals WANT to TAX YOU - Afghanistan

The Hill: Reports on the move by Congressman Obey to raise taxes by 1% on those that ear over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This is not about the cost of the War folks, its about Liberals in Congress finding that Afghanistan has joined Iraq as a bad war. The use of costs is a smoke screen, do you see Liberals being concerned that they will bankrupt the USA with their health care reform plan, this not so subtle attack on the Afghan War is a warning to the Obama White House that Liberals can not be pushed around, the problem is that in the real world the base of the Democratic Party is the African - American vote, thus liberals will have to support their President, or face problems back home in urban areas. Also Republicans will support the second Obama surge to Afghanistan, it has to be noted that you don't raise taxes when your economy is in the toilet, that is basic economics folks.

Blocking the Attorney General - Tony Blair ?

BBC News: Reports on the allegation that UK PM Tony Blair blocked the then Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith from telling the Cabinet that he had doubts about the legality of the War in Iraq before the war started in March of 2003. Mr Blair was CNN yesterday and he was asked about this allegation, but Mr Blair stated that an interview was not the place to answer these questions and he would wait till he gives his version of events to the Iraq Inquiry next year. If your a Labour strategist you must hate this, it will be interesting to see what the political polls are like after these rounds of interviews to the Iraq Inquiry. Mr Blair looked his confident self in the CNN interview, he really is to good at PR, the reverse of PM Gordon Brown. I still think the tea lady will get the blame, that how the UK system works, lets recall folks the Britain has been around for a thousand years, nothing in politics is that new to the cynical British Establishment.