AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
Robert Burns and Calvin Woodward fact checked President Obama's latest Afghan War strategy speech.
I have already said that I thought Obama's have it both ways Afghan strategy speech left a lot to be desired. These are just some of the examples the two Associated Press writers highlighted:
- On Afghan Forces
OBAMA ASSERTION: The extra U.S. forces for Afghanistan "will increase our ability to train competent Afghan security forces and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans. "
THE FACTS: The problem with Afghan forces is not just their lack of numbers. And it's not an unwillingness to fight. The problem too often is their effectiveness, once trained for combat. Too many get into the fight but don't remain or don't perform.
- On Afghan Coalition
OBAMA ASSERTION: "Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead."
THE FACTS: Obama's confidence skirts years of mostly empty-handed American efforts to get others, including allies in NATO, to deepen their commitment to combat in Afghanistan.
Obama is technically correct in anticipating that some allies will offer more assistance, possibly as early as the coming week during a series of NATO consultations about how the troop requirements of commanders in Afghanistan might be met. But history has shown that these troop contributions often are incremental, sometimes slow in materializing and frequently with conditions attached.
- On Pakistan's Role
OBAMA ASSERTION: "In the past, there have been those in Pakistan who have argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight, and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence. But in recent years, as innocents have been killed from Karachi to Islamabad, it has become clear that it is the Pakistani people who are the most endangered by extremism. Public opinion has turned. The Pakistani Army has waged an offensive in Swat and South Waziristan. And there is no doubt that the United States and Pakistan share a common enemy."
THE FACTS: It's true the Pakistani army this year has launched offensives against extremist elements in the areas cited by Obama. What he did not mention, however, is that the groups being targeted by the Pakistanis are those that threaten the Pakistani government - not those, also based in Pakistan, that are focused on attacking U.S. and Afghan forces on the other side of the porous border.
Among the groups not yet confronted directly by the Pakistan army: al-Qaida, whose top leader, Osama bin Laden, is believed to be hiding on the Pakistan side of the border.
Obama's most egregious departure from reality in his Afghan strategy was overlooked by the Associated Press writers. That was Obama's 21 word prevarication that "Commanders in Afghanistan repeatedly asked for support to deal with the reemergence of the Taliban, but these reinforcements did not arrive." An Obama misstatement so egregious that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says it should be investigated by Congress.
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