Wednesday, December 02, 2009

30,000 or Nothing?

I've heard some carping about President Obama's speech last night and his decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, with a proposed drawn down of our troops beginning in 2011.

First of all, I am happy President Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops. General McChrystal requested 40,000, true, but the POTUS' decision to send slightly less doesn't make it nothing, which is a charge I've heard on the radio and read on the internet. It's still a significant number, and shows the president has some commitment to the war.

I am troubled at the timetable for withdrawal Obama set, but he has to give some bone to the liberals in his party, given that they are batshit crazy that he hasn't beaten a hasty retreat already.

I guess what I'm saying is that this proposal is better than I expected from a liberal Democrat president. If there's only half the amount of milk in the glass, I'm looking at it as half full.

Victor Davis Hanson sums it up nicely.

UPDATE: Or Even better:

Last night, President Obama delivered an historic speech to the nation and to the world on his plans for Afghanistan. Here, in sum, is what the president said:

I really don't want to be commander-in-chief, but I'll do it if I have to -- at least for a little while, and then we'll see. Just so long as it doesn't cost too much, or take too long, or interfere with my plans to nationalize healthcare and fundamentally change America.