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Afghanistan
Obama: U.S. Has Fallen 'Short of the Ideal' in Afghanistan
2013-01-13
[WEEKLYSTANDARD] In remarks with Afghan president Hamid Karzai at the White House this afternoon, President Barack Obama said the U.S. has fallen "short of the ideal" in Afghanistan:

"So, you know, I think that, have we achieved everything that some might have imagined us achieving in the best of scenarios? Probably not. You know, there's a human enterprise, and you know, you fall short of the ideal," said Obama.

The president went on to say that America has achieved some measure of success in Afghanistan, however. "Did we achieve our central goal? And have we been able, I think, to shape a strong relationship with a responsible Afghan government that is willing to cooperate with us to make sure that it is not a launching pad for future attacks against the United States? We have achieved that goal. We are in the process of achieving that goal. And for that, I think we have to thank our extraordinary military, intelligence and diplomatic teams, as well as the cooperation of the Afghan government and the Afghan people."
Posted by:Fred

#14  "Ozymandias"

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Yep, that's Obama
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-01-13 17:16  

#13  The Picture reminds me of the Poem "Ozymandias".
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-01-13 17:10  

#12  Read the story. Heartbreaking, utterly heartbreaking. It sounds like none of it needed to happen at all. And if what Besoeker said is right it shouldn't have happened at all. Some idiot decided to steal glory and got the men sent out killed rather than checking.
Posted by: Charles   2013-01-13 17:09  

#11  So senseless. The aviation unit didn't contact the US Brigade 'battle space owner' or AFG Border Patrol (ABP) less then 10k's away, they just conducted aerial surveillance the trailer for a few weeks and INFILLED. No notice to friendlies or the ABP. they must have thought it so cool to go it alone and snatch a IED or weapons cache right under the noses of a US Brigade HQ. The stories coming back from the site were terrible. We all went back to our CHU's and wept.
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-01-13 16:58  

#10  Thanks Besoeker for the post and "Klik" about the Pathfinder action. Sometimes, those of us back home forget what our military goes through in far away places. We often don't get the information regarding the deprivations and sacrifices our military goes through. I only wish our civilian leaders were worthy of and met the standards set by our troops. Thanks again.
Posted by: JohnQC   2013-01-13 14:29  

#9  Klik

Thank you for what you've been doing, Besoeker, whatever it is. I wish I had the strength to read it all the way through, but it's too much for me to handle.
Posted by: trailing wife   2013-01-13 14:22  

#8  We still get a trophy tho... amirite?
Posted by: Shipman   2013-01-13 13:35  

#7  We have also fallen 'short of the ideal' in Electing Presidents. I see the two as being related.
Posted by: SteveS   2013-01-13 13:11  

#6  Nice tribute to those who never returned from that God forsaken place. Very nice indeed.

I will never forget sitting there, listening to radio's. Watching a solemn QRF (Quick Reaction Force) sit and wait, hopelessly.

Klik
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-01-13 12:13  

#5  "We" fall short. "He" succeeds. When "he" doesn't, "we" are at fault.
Posted by: tu3031   2013-01-13 11:43  

#4  We have also fallen short of the ideal in the WH.
Posted by: JohnQC   2013-01-13 10:32  

#3  Whatever happened to "I"?
Posted by: gorb   2013-01-13 08:35  

#2   We have achieved that goal. We are in the process of achieving that goal.

Huh? Which one is it?
Posted by: Omomp Gray8508   2013-01-13 07:28  

#1  Verbal softening of .... we are once again losers.
Posted by: Besoeker   2013-01-13 03:38  

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