By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and HELENE COOPER

WEST POINT, N.Y. — President Obama announced Tuesday that he would speed 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in coming months, but he vowed to start bringing American forces home in the middle of 2011, saying the United States could not afford and should not have to shoulder an open-ended commitment.

Promising that he could “bring this war to a successful conclusion,” Mr. Obama set out a strategy that would seek to reverse Taliban gains in large parts of Afghanistan, better protect the Afghan people, increase the pressure on Afghanistan to build its own military capacity and a more effective government and step up attacks on Al Qaeda in Pakistan.

“America, we are passing through a time of great trial,” Mr. Obama said. “And the message that we send in the midst of these storms must be clear: that our cause is just, our resolve unwavering.”

-------------------

The exit option in 2011...

The Federal Government says US President Barack Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan will refocus efforts to achieve success.

Defence Minister John Faulkner has welcomed the strategy, including the announcement of an extra 30,000 American troops.

He says Australia is not planning to send additional troops, but the nation's contribution will be reviewed to make sure training Afghan forces is the priority.

"While we are not planning to send additional troops to Afghanistan, I have asked the chief of the Defence Force to review the composition of our forces to ensure that we further focus our role on training in Uruzgan province," Senator Faulkner said.

"As the Prime Minister noted in Washington, we're looking at increasing our police training effort both in Uruzgan and at the national command level in Kabul as well as increasing our civilian assistance in Uruzgan province."

Senator Faulkner says the Australian Government and Defence Forces were consulted about the new strategy.

Tonite we hear another secret plan to end a war.  Will we hear the truth?  Not hardly!

"8 years ago we invaded Afghanistan and a short time later, Iraq, to punish a small group of murderers that killed 3000 Americans.  As time has gone on, we now know that much of what we believed about those attacks is false.  Evidence now points, not only to terror groups, but to countries we thought to be friends and there is even evidence of complicity here at home.

After years of phony intelligence, propaganda campaigns and torturing false confessions out of detainees, nothing can be trusted.

Donald Rumsfeld tells it best.  He went before the 9/11 Commission (see Addendum below) stating there was never any indication that terror attacks of the kind seen on 9/11 were possible nor did he receive any warning.  We now know that nearly every word he and so many others told that commission were lies, unquestionable, proven and done with remorseless cynicism. 

8 years, the illegal invasion of Iraq, the engineering of an economic collapse in America, the corruption of our laws, of our national honor and our moral standing make it impossible for me to continue the war in Afghanistan.

No more Americans will die because of the criminality of a few.  Are the few foreign terrorists or Americans, politicians, lobbyists, industrialist, bankers and their good friends overseas in Saudi Arabia or maybe Israel.

How can we order the deaths of thousands of Americans when the real "evil doers" at home run free?  We know their names, we know their crimes.  How can we bring justice and democracy to others when we, ourselves, have none?

Nearly 10,000 Americans are dead, tens of thousands wounded and trillions of dollars are missing.  There is much more proof that these deaths and this massive theft was caused by a domestic conspiracy than any foreign intrigue.

First, we clean our own home, then we carry democracy to others."

Will we hear this tonite?

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9575

Ritual triumphalism about America's righteous mission in the closing sentences of his speech did not dispel the distinct impression during President Obama's 33-minute address to cadets at West Point on Tuesday night that we were listening to a man defeated by the challenge of justifying the dispatch of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

Obama didn't make the case and he pleased few. The liberals seethed as they heard him say that it is "in our vital national interest" to send 30,000 more troops to a mission they regard as doomed from the get-go. The cheers of the right at the news of the deployment died in their throats as they heard his next line: "After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home."

-------------------

"He who tries to be an angel becomes a beast and he who tries to be a devil becomes a demon..." see toon at top.

from Chris Floyd...

Barack Obama's Bush-like "surge" in Afghanistan has not even reached its full strength yet, but it is already driving tens of thousands of Afghan civilians from their homes, as they flee an upcoming massive attack in Helmand province.

The attack -- which the Americans have been trumpeting far in advance -- is designed, we're told, to "protect" the people of the key town of Marjah from the twin scourges of Taliban nogoodniks and drug traffickers. Yet the primary effect of the much-publicized preparations has been to send the residents of the town running for their lives to escape becoming part of the "collateral damage" that always attends these protective, humanitarian endeavors.

Indeed, the real aim of the advance publicity for the attack seems to be forcing mass numbers of  civilians to hit the road -- which will then allow the American and British attackers to claim that anyone left behind is an enemy. This in turn will free up the attackers to use heavy weaponry in a "free-fire" zone to clear out the "diehards."

This is, of course, the same strategy used in the savage destruction of Fallujah in Iraq. The city was marked for death after an angry mob mutilated four American mercenaries -- following a series of civilian killings by occupation forces in the preceding weeks: provocations that have been conveniently airbrushed from history (just like the U.S. massacre of Somalis that preceded the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident).  An initial attack on Fallujah failed in the spring of 2004, largely due to political heat from the vast civilian suffering that was being reported from the city, chiefly from its medical centers.

read more of Christ Floyd and see toon at top...

from the BBC

Hundreds of villagers living in a Taliban-controlled area of southern Afghanistan are leaving before a major Nato-led offensive gets under way.

It is expected to be one of the largest counter-insurgency operations since the Afghan conflict began in 2001.

The operation to clear insurgents from the southern town of Marja, in Helmand province, is expected to begin soon.

The UK defence secretary has warned of likely casualties within coalition troops during the offensive.

"Of course casualties are something that we have to expect when we are involved in these operations," Bob Ainsworth said late on Sunday.

"This is not in any way a safe environment and it doesn't matter how much kit and equipment we provide for people. We can never entirely make these operations risk-free," he added.

------------------

see comment above from Chris Floyd...