Vilsack on Helping Afghanistan Grow Food

Michelle Obama and Vilsack

Department of Ag head Tom Vilsack is in Afghanistan. He held a conference call today on U.S. aid to help Afghanistan grow food such as nuts and fruits, to exported and sold locally:

For the last two days I've had the opportunity to tour the country of Afghanistan with Minister Rahimi who is the agricultural minister. As you know, in December President Obama announced a new way forward for our efforts in Afghanistan, and during the course of his of speech at West Point he mentioned not only the military commitment, but also the need for us to make a commitment to a renewed agricultural economy for Afghanistan. There's no question that agriculture is critical to the success in Afghanistan in the long haul. Eighty percent of Afghanistan's population relies on agriculture for their income and livelihood. And the USDA is working closely with USAID, the State Department and the Department of Defense in a whole government approach to working with the Afghan minister. They recently announced a new framework for agriculture in this country, and we are putting people in the field and also in the capital to work side by side with Afghans towards the goals set forth in the framework. They are interested in increasing agricultural production of basic crops as well as horticultural crops that would increase their export opportunities. They need to rebuild their natural resources as a result of devastation and deforestation over the course of the last thirty years. They are very interested in helping to build an agribusiness that will enable Afghans to process products that they are able to raise into value-added products that can then be sold to their citizens and to people throughout the world, and specifically in Central Asia. And they are engaged in an effort to try to make the Ministry of Agriculture irrigation landscapes as efficient and as effective a department as possible. So they're working through a change management effort.

The USDA is partner on all four of those goals. In the area of productivity we're working with farmers to develop new strategies. I had the opportunity to meet with grape farmers who are in the process of using new methods for producing grapes here in Afghanistan that have substantially increased their yields. We had an opportunity to visit a number of folks earlier today in Helmand province where they are working with marines and USAID and USDA officials to essentially vaccinate livestock in order to increase the productivity of livestock.

In the area of natural resources we've had a chance to visit with folks from the USDA and also state natural resource departments who are working with Afghans to plant hundreds of thousands of new trees. There is a real interest and desire to look at the possibility of nut trees. This was once the center for tremendous nut production, and they are interested in returning to those days, recognizing that there are tremendous export opportunities in that area.

We are working closely with the Afghan ministry to assist in helping produce agribusinesses. Tomorrow I'll visit a juice factory where they are taking basically second and third grade level apples and other fruits and turning them into juice. It's a remarkable new opportunity for job growth in a country that currently has, in many areas, up to forty percent unemployment. Read more or listen here.

Dick Still Trying To Defend His Miserable Vice Presidency

On Morning Joe (see video below), Joe Scarborough gets a dig in saying that Obama has delayed the decision on Afghanistan (which by the way is coming Dec. 1) because he doesn't want to make one. Are people really that stupid? Why can't anyone understand the enormity of engaging in war? Obama actually asked for an exit strategy. He asked for "off ramps" if things aren't going well.

By having these war council meetings he made everyone accountable and aware of what's at stake.

Escalating war in Afghanistan makes me sick because Hamid Karzai is a despicably corrupt man and Stanley McChrystal should've been fired for insubordination.
Making things worse, Dick has emerged from Hell again and is saying that the reason Obama is taking a long time to make a decision is because he's inexperienced. Even if that were true, it isn't something to be saying.

If he really believed it, then he ought to have the decency to approach the Obama administration in a helpful and non combative way. But that's not what we've got here. We have a little competition going on with a meek Dick Cheney being shown up by a competent man with real power.

Dick can't stand it. He can't stand the fact that the U.S. is taking on a diplomatic role in the world. That's not the way Dick ticks. Dick is the playground bully who believes that powerful nations dominate. Obama and Dick are so very opposite.

Dick would never ever think to reckon with the fact that he nearly destroyed our country, so he's out at every chance blaming Obama. Dick isn't the thoughtful, contemplative sort. Dick is an old fashioned, neo conservative war monger. Dick is out of date. He's what the country was. He's just in the way.

The irony of it all is not only does the Obama administration have to put up with Dick, it's out there cleaning up Dick's mess at every turn.

Dick is like Sarah Palin. Neither know their own ignorance. Dick and Palin are both made up mostly of ego, cut from the same cloth. They both operate on gut because they think they're entirely right about everything. Their boldness compensates for thoughtful consideration. They are two peas in a pod.

Like Sarah, Dick is a danger because he incites wingnuts to stupidity. Dick needs to shut his pie hole.

The Morning Joe team takes the White House to task this morning. The way they tell it, Obama is the worst president ever. Not even Gayle King, an Obama supporter, makes a good argument. Everyone is buying the media narrative:

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Obama's Interview With Chip Reid in China

Obama is asked about the media leaks. Those who are leaking information about life and death decisions to the media will be fired if found out, he said. I think they ought to be made a public spectacle first.
Robert Gates also warned that those leaking information to the media will be fired.

H1N1 Killing Afghans

Troops are getting vaccinated. Afghans are on their own. It seems to me if the international community can't do something as basic as give the people of Afghanistan vaccines, then we ought not to be escalating war in their country:

Obama's Interview With Jake Tapper

See the entire interview here.

Hillary Clinton's Interview With Andrea Mitchell

Hillary Clinton differentiates between strategy and tactics. The strategy of defeating Al Qaeda is still the same, she said. The way that happens is what the Obama administration is hammering out. Today, Obama held another meeting with military officials. Hillary is leaving Pakistan and headed to the Middle East to jumpstart peace talks.

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The Pakistanis don't appear to be very warm to the U.S. They say that the war in Afghanistan is our war and they want money to fight our war. Hillary, who says she wants more honest relations with Pakistan, seemed to have offended them by saying that someone has got to know where Al Qaeda is hanging out (watch video):

During her three-day trip Mrs Clinton hoped to strengthen ties between the US and Pakistan and tried to address a rising tide of anti-American feeling.
In an interview with the BBC she urged Pakistanis to "realise the connection" between al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
But her arrival was overshadowed by a deadly bombing in the city of Peshawar.
More than 100 people died when a car bomb exploded in a busy market on Wednesday.
The BBC's Jill McGivering says that a great deal of anger in Pakistan is focused on the US - widely seen as interfering and destabilising Pakistan for its own ends.
....
Mrs Clinton acknowledged there was what she called a trust deficit towards the United States in Pakistan because of past policies.
But she said she was working to change that by reaching out to ordinary Pakistanis.
Mrs Clinton is due in the Middle East at the weekend to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
BBC

Susan Collins gives kudos to Hillary for calling out Pakistan on Al Qaeda:

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Buchanan Tells Russia Today: It's White House vs. Pentagon

Nutty and extreme, ancient thinker Pat Buchanan goes on Russia Today to say Stanley McChrystal is going to win. Huh? "It's the White House vs. the Pentagon," he says when the reporter asks what's going on in the White House. Huh? He even quotes Sarah Palin and admits it. He describes what he would do if he was in charge of Afghanistan. Huh?

I could see a government official talking about Afghanistan or even a military expert, but Buchanan? He represents virtually no one, is kind of loony and it's doubtful he has any clue of what he's talking about:

Kerry Slams Cheney Big Time

Sen. John Kerry, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, has the best response to Dick so far. "Because of the gross mishandling of this war by past civilian leadership, there are no great options for its handling today." Take that Cheney! Go fishing and get out of the way of progress.

McCain on Face the Nation Oct. 25

John McCain says he wouldn't use Dick Cheney's language. Who would? The guy's disrespectful and seems to be acting on emotion as opposed to reason. But McCain endorses McChrystal's troop request.

Russ Feingold on Face the Nation

It's Al Qaeda that we're after, not the Taliban, Feingold said. Feingold favors a flexible timetable for a draw down of troops. Feingold is also optimistic on the public option, not the trigger kind.

Cornyn Unwittingly Makes the Case for Obama's Rethinking of Afghanistan

If Obama said we should be kind to our neighbor, republicans would say... now wait a minute, that's probably not a good idea.

On Meet the Press Jon Cornyn ends up making the case for why Obama is reconsidering strategy in Afghanistan. David Gregory asks him pointedly: Did Cheney provide enough troops to win in Afghanistan? Then Cornyn goes on to say it's not just troops, it's strategy. Bingo. Here's the clip:

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The whole episode:

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Transcript

NATO Backs McChrystal

Since NATO is backing McChrystal, I suppose that means that the United States doesn't have to supply all of the troops. Perhaps part of Obama's overall strategy is to build an international consensus and get other nations to send troops as well. Who knows. Everyone is just guessing at this point and I'm sure the media and "experts" will continue to speculate until Obama announces the new strategy:

NATO defense ministers gave their broad endorsement Friday to the counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan laid out by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, increasing pressure on the Obama administration and on their own governments to commit more military and civilian resources for the mission to succeed.

General McChrystal, the senior American and allied commander in Afghanistan, landed here early Friday to brief NATO defense ministers on his strategic review of an 8-year-old war in which the American-led effort has lost momentum to a tenacious insurgency. The closed-door session — which had not been disclosed in advance — added a note of drama to the sort of NATO ministerial meeting that is often mundane.

“What we did today was to discuss General McChrystal’s overall assessment, his overall approach, and I have noted a broad support from all ministers of this overall counterinsurgency approach,” said NATO’s secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
....
Kai Eide, the United Nations special representative for Afghanistan, flew to Slovakia to meet NATO defense chiefs, and he stressed that “additional international troops are required.” He also told the allies, “This cannot be a U.S.-only enterprise.”

Mr. Eide acknowledged that it may be difficult to rally public support for force contributions while allegations of election fraud continue to taint the government of Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president.
NYT

Biden Says Cheney's Afghanistan Review Outdated

I'd argue that Dick is outdated as well, a man of yesterday, practically a neanderthal in his thinking.

After Dick went on and on recently about Obama being "afraid" (now just how ridiculous is that), Biden says Cheney's review of Afghanistan was inadequate, which is why Biden traveled there himself:

In an interview with reporters during his trip overseas, Biden called the Bush administration's Afghanistan review "irrelevant" and said Cheney was “absolutely wrong” to say the Obama administration is "dithering" on Afghanistan.

Initially dismissive of engaging Cheney's comments, Biden went on to dismiss the Bush-Cheney review as inadequate, according to a pool report.

“That’s why the president asked me to get in the plane in January and go to Afghanistan,” Biden said. “I came back with a different review.” Biden said the Bush-Cheney review is now dated. “A whole lot has changed in the last year," he said. "Let’s assume they left us a review that was absolutely correct. Is that review relevant and totally applicable to today in light of the changes that have taken place in the region, in Afghanistan itself? So I think that is sort of irrelevant. Not sort of – I think it’s irrelevant.” Politico

Obama Speaks on Karzai Meeting Video

There will be a presidential runoff Nov. 7.

Presidential Runoff in Afghanistan Nov. 7

Update: Watch Obama speak of his meeting with Karzai here.

Seems to me this runoff is just a way for Hamid Karzai to save face. Given the extent of the corruption of Hamid Karzai's government and the election fraud, he's sooooo out of there.

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Karzai's rival Abdullah Abdullah speaks to Russia Today. He says people in Afghanistan want change because the government is corrupt. He says as president he would tackle corruption:

Obama's statement:

I welcome President Karzai’s statement today accepting the Independent Electoral Commission’s certification of the August 20 election results, and agreeing to participate in a second round of the election. This is an important step forward in ensuring a credible process for the Afghan people which results in a government that reflects their will.

While this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country, President Karzai’s constructive actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan’s new democracy. The Afghan Constitution and laws are strengthened by President Karzai’s decision, which is in the best interests of the Afghan people.

I congratulate the Afghan people on the patience and resilience they have shown throughout this long election process. Given Afghanistan’s recent history, it is extraordinary that they were able to overcome threats and violence to express their democratic right to choose their leader. Insecurity in the country prevented some Afghans from voting, but it is a testimony to the bravery of the Afghan people that so many of them did come out to vote in the first round under tremendously difficult circumstances.

I commend both the Independent Electoral Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission for carrying out their mandates. Throughout this process, the United States has been interested above all in the strength and independence of those institutions, and the need for them to fulfill their mandate on behalf of all Afghans.

I congratulate President Karzai and Dr. Abdullah, who both earned the support of voters from across the country. I also commend all of the other Presidential candidates who made this such a vibrant campaign.

It is now vital that all elements of Afghan society continue to come together to advance democracy, peace and justice. We look forward to a second round of voting, and the completion of the process to choose the President of Afghanistan. In that effort, the United States and the international community are committed to partnering with the Afghan people.

Kerry Speaks From Afghanistan

Kerry says Obama can't make a decision about forces without an Afghanistan government in place. That seems like a no-brainer to me.

But after 8 years of a languishing Afghanistan, why in the world, if not for politics, are the republicans telling Obama to hurry up? It was Bush who decided Afghanistan was well enough for us to move all of our resources to Iraq. It strikes me as very odd that the moment that Obama decides that it's time to think seriously about Afghanistan and the region the republicans decide it's time to load up more troops.

I suppose it's a knee-jerk reaction to Gen. Stanley McChrystal's report, calling for more troops. Republicans are led by the military instead of leading the military. I'm certain that given all the deliberations the Obama administration is doing for the region, we're going to be far better off with the decision.

Counting the number of troops isn't going to determine success in Afghanistan, Kerry says.

Beau Biden Says Afghanistan Fundamentally Different Than Iraq

John McCain is saying surge Afghanistan because he likes the word "surge."
But others, and now Beau Biden, who recently served in Iraq with the National Guard, says, Iraq and Afghanistan are two different places. Afghanistan has no history of being governed, whereas Iraq does. On Good Morning America, Biden, Joe Biden's son and Delaware attorney general, says he is also mulling a Senate run.

Response to Obama's Afghanistan Update

Obama met with congressional leaders today to give them an update on Afghanistan.
Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, John McCain respond:

The long version:

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Liz Cheney Critiques Obama on Afghanistan

In her own unique way, Liz Cheney, nearly as bad as dad, criticizes Obama on Afghanistan. She says Obama's going against his own strategy. No. Obama is rethinking strategy given new information. Cheney can't even keep up with her own argument.

Then she says the loss of the Olympics led to the loss of "American prestige." America lost the world's respect under her father's leadership. Liz Cheney lives in a bubble.

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McCain Says Jim Jones Was Wrong in Iraq

Thousands of troops are at stake and McCain and the war mongers have made Afghanistan a political thing. By publicly saying more troops is the only way in Afghanistan, McChrystal has over stepped his bounds.
McCain, who agrees with McChrystal, thinks he's right as always. The surge! The surge! The surge! McCain may be right. But he's not the president. McCain then goes on to say Jim Jones was wrong on Iraq. Nice dig. What's his point? That Jones is always wrong? On Sunday's Face the Nation, Jones said that the president should be presented with options on Afghanistan.

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