Liberals Vow to 'Spank' Obama for Sending More Troops to Afganistan

[JohnRM]

WARNING: FoxNews has been used as a source! Accuracy of information contained therein is not guaranteed.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...s-afghanistan/

President Obama is days away from announcing a new Afghan strategy, but his immediate battle could come from liberals within his own party who are vowing to "spank" the president for committing tens of thousands of more troops to the eight-year conflict.

In a prime-time speech Tuesday from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Obama is expected to announce that he is sending up to 35,000 additional troops to Afghanistan beginning next year.

The figure is short of the 40,000 troops his top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, requested -- but enough to anger many congressional Democrats who oppose any potential troop surge, arguing that the mission is too expensive and lacks a clear objective.

"I think there will be some disillusionment within his base," said Paul Kawika Martin, political director for Peace Action, a grassroots organization, who added that thousands of activists are planning to protest following the president's announcement.

"We're going to spank him for sending more troops," he told FoxNews.com, adding that they may also "thank him" if he announces a quick exit strategy.

The White House has said that the U.S. won't be in Afghanistan for another eight or nine years. But that won't satisfy liberals, Martin said.

Even though Obama's announcement is sure to reawaken the anti-war movement, Martin said, the protests won't be as intense as they were in the Bush era because the movement has been weakened by the economic recession -- some organizations have shed up to 40 percent of staff in the past year, he said -- and is distracted by the national health care debate. He also said many members of the movement voted for Obama and trust him more than the Bush administration.

"So you don't have that same type of anger," he said.

But without the support of congressional Democrats, Obama will find himself in the awkward position of relying on the support of Republicans who largely oppose his domestic agenda. And he may have to explain how he supports a troop surge in Afghanistan when he opposed one in Iraq two years ago.

Republicans, though, see the announcement as a chance for Obama to finally work with both political sides.

"The president does face a serious battle inside his own caucus, his own party, particularly in the House of Representatives," former senior Bush adviser Karl Rove told Fox News. "But here's a moment for bipartisanship. I suspect the president will easily win support for this if he reaches out and melds together the Democrats who are willing to support his war policy with the Republicans. I suspect virtually every Republican will support the president in this if he asks for their support."

Before Obama speaks Tuesday, he is meeting at the White House with all the Democratic chairmen of the relevant committees along with their Republican counterparts.

Two top Democrats have already said they will push for a "war surtax," a new tax on the wealthy to pay for any increase in U.S. troops for the war.

Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which controls the pursestrings for the war, and Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are making the demands.

"If we have to pay for the health care bill, we should pay for the war as well ... by having a war surtax," Obey told ABC News this week. "The problem in this country with this issue is that the only people that has to sacrifice are military families and they've had to go to the well again and again and again and again, and everybody is blithely unaffected by the war."

What do you think? If this is true and not just the exaggerated wishes of FoxNews, will this have any long-term impact on winning a second term?

Will this hurt Obama politically?!

[Formaldehyde]

You mean, according to the story you posted, one liberal has 'vowed' to spank Obama?

WARNING: FoxNews has been used as a source! Accuracy of information contained therein is not guaranteed.

Especially the headlines:

Liberals Vow to 'Spank' Obama for Sending More Troops to Afghanistan

[warpus]

I'm a liberal (I think) and I'd love to spank Obama in a romantic setting of some sort, with candles all around, after a filling steak dinner.

What?

[MobBoss]

Well, do you think his left base will actually be happy that he sent more troops?

I think this is more of a 'water is wet' kind of headline.

[Azale]

They are spanking him over here so the terrorists don't spank us over there.

[Hundegesicht]

Ah, liberals and their corporeal punishment.



(and/or sexual deviancy)

[Karalysia]

I would love to spank Obama.

[Owen Glyndwr]

I don't really understand what the problem is; Obama's just following through on one of his campaign promises.

If you recall, during the election, part of Obama's platform was to reduce military presence in Iraq, and escalate the fighting in Afghanistan. We all knew (or I hope we all knew) that Obama was going to do something along these lines, and I appreciate him for it. If increasing troops in Afghanistan is what our president feels is the best way to go about eliminating the insurgency in Afghanistan and pacifying the country, then so be it.

[leonel]

What the hell is romantic about spanking?! My folks spanked me as a kid and it hurt!

[ComradeDavo]

Afghanistan is such a screw up it's hard to say what choice the President should really make.

If everyone has just listened to thsoe of us who opposed the war back in 2001 on the grounds of 'there's no way in hell this will actually work and Afghanistan is a hellhole so lets just save ourselfs the trouble and the death' then maybe the US and Uk would be in a better position now.

But, now we can 'I told you so' it's to look for a solution, and I can't come up with a decent one right now. Other than pull all British troops outand let the US deal with it

[Karalysia]

Originally Posted by leonel

What the hell is romantic about spanking?! My folks spanked me as a kid and it hurt!

A chance to look at Obama's well chiseled, muscular butt.

[Rashiminos]

A liberal and "spanking."

Contradiction in terms, no?

[JollyRoger]

Fox is conflating the views of political director for Peace Action with liberals and Democrats in general. The loudest do get heard to some extent (our local news is eager to cover the gathering of even a half dozen teabag flaunters), but Obama's base in general had a bigger problem with Iraq than Afghanistan.

[downtown]

I think the bigger problem is a lack of enthusiasm with the "left-flank" in general...since very few of their policy objectives have been taken care of so far...rather than anything having to do with Afghanistan specifically.

[Kerozine]

Hehe Fox like a more realistic version of The Onion. :-]

[Ayatollah So]

Originally Posted by John HSOG

What do you think? If this is true and not just the exaggerated wishes of FoxNews, will this have any long-term impact on winning a second term?

I do think a substantial minority of CongressCritters will balk at endorsing this escalation. And some people who might have worked enthusiastically for a second Obama term will support it weakly, or not at all.

But the second term is probably not in jeopardy. The economic recovery will have legs, at that point, and the masses will be contented. And the monied interests, if Obama continues what he's shown us so far, will be very contented.

[FriendlyFire]

Originally Posted by MobBoss

Well, do you think his left base will actually be happy that he sent more troops?

I think this is more of a 'water is wet' kind of headline.

Funny I remember Republicans screaming bloody murder over 43 Dead soldiers and demanding immediate withdrawel.

Somalia: Months 15
Casualties: 43 Dead Wounded : 153 = 193

[.Shane.]

What happens after the spanking?

[Karalysia]

Originally Posted by .Shane.

What happens after the spanking?

The liberals make sweet, tender love to Barack.

[JollyRoger]

Is this guy some sort of librul Jeff Gannon?