President Obama Comments On The Afghan Review Report

Oct. 20: President Obama meets with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Situation Room. Pete Souza, The White House

Despite Bloodshed, Obama Touts Afghan War Progress -- Yahoo News/Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama offered Americans an optimistic assessment of the Afghanistan war on Thursday, even as U.S. spy agencies and aid groups express doubts about the progress amid worsening violence.

Obama, under pressure to show results after criticizing his predecessor George W. Bush for neglecting the war, said the United States was on track to start pulling out troops next July as planned. He offered no details on the pace of those withdrawals.

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More News On The White House Response To The Afghan Review Report

Obama: Taliban, al-Qaida diminished in Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
'Fragile' gains for US Afghan war strategy: report -- Yahoo News/AFP
Afghan war: Obama says mission difficult but on track -- BBC
Obama: 'We are on track' in Afghanistan -- USA Today
Obama says progress not fast enough in Pakistan -- AJC/AP
Obama Calls Afghan War 'Difficult Endeavor,' Says Withdrawal on Track for 2011 -- ABC News
Obama: U.S. is "On Track" in Afghanistan -- CBS
Obama trumpets U.S. gains in Afghanistan -- CNN
Obama: Al Qaeda 'Hunkered Down' on AfPak Border -- FOX News
Afghan Report Sees July Troop Pullouts Despite Perils -- New York Times
Obama says U.S. is 'on track' to achieve goals in Afghanistan -- Washington Post
Obama: U.S. 'on track' to achieve Afghan goals -- MSNBC
Afghanistan report finds progress 'fragile,' offers few details -- McClatchy News
The good, the bad, and the ugly in Afghanistan -- Foreign Policy

My Comment: I watched the news conference .... and I do not feel reassured. After 9 years of war, this conflict is escalating and spreading. To say that we are on track is the same news that I have been hearing for the past 4-5 years. My prediction .... when the winter season is over and the poppy fields have been collected .... the war in Afghanistan will escalate to the point that will make the past year's casualty rate trivial in comparison. Most Afghans do not want us there, and more importantly .... the safe havens for the Taliban on the Pakistan border are (and will be) still untouched that will only permit this conflict and mayhem to continue and spread .... a point that even President Obama realizes.

On a side note .... some on the ground in Afghanistan do not agree with my assessment, and they see the war shifting to our favor. Peter Mansoor and Max Boot are two war journalists that I am admire, and their opinion piece is a must read.