The country should be ran like a business. Listening to these foreign interests is counter-intuitive. We don't cater to them. We cater to the shareholders (read: taxpayers.)

They said Obama was naive to tell Pakistan that he would take out Bin Laden with or without their assistance.

How'd that work out again?

"Naive" is pretty much the definition of anyone thinking about voting for Gordon Gekko here.

Saying what you are going to do and then doing is how you garner credibility in this world.

Apparently, the GOP have forgotten this.

Why does Leon Panetta, President Obama and President Bush all hate a true, Reaganist, hard working patriotic Conservative like Romney?

Mitt Romney is exactly like that wacky character in every 80s sitcom who doesn't speak English as a native language, and every time they open their mouths, some hilarious misspeak or malapropism comes flying out.

Does Romney have a reason why we shouldn't have a plan for leaving Afghanistan?

qorkfiend: Does Romney have a reason why we shouldn't have a plan for leaving Afghanistan?

The 34th rule of acquisition?

There you go, Romney can clearly unite people together in their disdain of Romney.

quatchi: They said Obama was naive to tell Pakistan that he would take out Bin Laden with or without their assistance.

How'd that work out again?

"Naive" is pretty much the definition of anyone thinking about voting for Gordon Gekko here.

Saying what you are going to do and then doing is how you garner credibility in this world.

Apparently, the GOP have forgotten this.

Romney is Gordon Gekko, Paulie Walnuts AND Joe Isuzu combined.

This kind of rhetoric could force Romney , should he win, to keep troops in Afghanistan longer, and with no clear goals. People will die, for no particular reason. Romney is okay with American soldiers dying uselessly if it helps him get elected; that's just the kind of man he is.

Romney's foreign policy experience stems from his extensive background cycling around Paris during the Viet Nam war.

I like how he thinks that we could just suddenly get rid of all the troops and equipment there that we'd need to take with us...overnight. (Which, while sort-of strawman, is kind of what he infers by it being naive to give indication on when we are leaving) Yeah, we'll fly out every last person, send in every helicopter ever made to lift out all the equipment and also give no hints that we are leaving, SO HEY NO PACKING! Business as usual until the very last second.

Hell, if we want the Taliban to be dissolved we should see if Rmoney could oversee Bain Capital to acquire it.

qorkfiend: Does Romney have a reason why we shouldn't have a plan for leaving Afghanistan?

well, if we leave afghanistan, then we have no reason to keep spending massive amounts on the military.

qorkfiend: Does Romney have a reason why we shouldn't have a plan for leaving Afghanistan?

This is the same criticism that they used about Iraq. You can have a plan to leave, but you can't ever tell anyone the date of the plan, the contents of the plan, or do anything procedurally that appears to be part of this plan, as it shows weakness to our enemies. Essentially, you have to be able to teleport all forces out of the country in a flash, or your plan is unacceptable to the GOP.

qorkfiend: Does Romney have a reason why we shouldn't have a plan for leaving Afghanistan?

His donors as KBR wouldn't like their loss of income.

Republican Party => Perpetual War
Republican Party => Perpetual War
Republican Party => Perpetual War

Soup4Bonnie: Romney's foreign policy experience stems from his extensive background cycling around Paris during the Viet Nam war.

Is interesting that Romney was in favor of the Viet Nam draft. Especially since he was exempt from it.
wow
just wow

namatad: Is interesting that Romney was in favor of the Viet Nam draft. Especially since he was exempt from it.

Not "especially since". "Because".

I thought department officials were supposed to keep out of politics.

/change!!!

Will they really and truly vote in a candidate (or even vote FOR one, knowing their boy will flop) whose cult preaches that he's a god? That we're all - wait a moment, this is getting too ridiculous to keep typing over.

Want to get scared? Just peep at the Wikipedia summary of the LDS, and then look at Rmoney's own history. And consider how anyone but a real coon hunter or KKK devotee would consider holding their nose and voting for such a gold-plated weird-o.

Free_Chilly_Willy: I thought department officials were supposed to keep out of politics.

/change!!!

When you have a presidential candidate attacking and attempting to undermine the current activities of departments, it is wholly appropriate for the people responsible to respond, you jackass.

While not disagreeing with the sentiment, I would be worried that your Secretary of Defense doesn't know who your allies are. There are only 28 NATO members, I am guessing that he was referring to members of the NATO led ISAF, which has around 50 contributing countries.

I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

Ok, so what was Romney's plan then? If announcing when you are leaving is naive, I assume you don't announce when you are leaving? Leaving aside the tactical implications of that, what does he expect that to accomplish? Say they magically pulled it off, does he think the Taliban isn't going to notice they are gone? Or that the allies aren't going to notice that they suddenly are lacking a lot of support?

SpeedyBB: Want to get scared? Just peep at the Wikipedia summary of the LDS, and then look at Rmoney's own history. And consider how anyone but a real coon hunter or KKK devotee would consider holding their nose and voting for such a gold-plated weird-o.

You realize if he wins the election, according to the LDS, Romney gets his own planet just like the old testament God.

sirgrim: The country should be ran like a business. Listening to these foreign interests is counter-intuitive. We don't cater to them. We cater to the shareholders (read: taxpayers.)

We should outsource everything, cut costs so our suppliers and vendors go out of business, and increase income inequality?

Yea. Great plan there.

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

Where Obama fails it is in taking overly conservative positions, therefore they can't attack his actual weaknesses without attacking themselves.

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

To kinda allude to the Obama being Carter Comparison:

Mitt Romney is no Ronald Reagan.

In other words, Carter was flawed and Reagan was able to exploit it to his advantage and win over voters who were disgruntled with Carter. Romney hasn't been able to do that yet. Especially if he can't fire up the base like Reagan did.

We don't need to know when we're leaving Afghanistan.
We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

Romney is an incompetent? Obama's foreign policy is widely excepted as successful to this point so attacking that strength doesn't work? Concerned?

Why in the world do you go to the people that you're fighting with and tell them the day you're pulling out your troops?"

Romney was too busy duct taping the buttocks of nerdy kids to pay attention in World History class.

way south: We don't need to know when we're leaving Afghanistan.
We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

That's why we need to train the troops in Afghanistan and leave it to them to figure it out. Because otherwise we'll have to be a perpetual babysitter for Afghanistan (which I think the GOP would be ok with TBH).

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

Romney is literally an empty suit with no real firm position on any hot topic. He isn't credible to anyone, and it's hilarious to watch his former opponents endorse him while smiling through their teeth. My bf's father said, "I don't like Romney but if that's who they pick, he's got my vote"; my parents feel the same way. The republicans don't like him, but they have to. It's like getting an ugly ass sweater on Christmas day from your aunt Aileen when you thought you were getting a pony, or in this case an elephant. Meanwhile, obamas just laughing his ass off, biding his time until he has to start campaigning because, well... Romneys doing it for him already.

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

R-money is wealthy, purchased the candidacy, surrounded himself with sycophants that only know how to agree with him, but is a crappy politician.

I await his violent meltdown where he lets loose his well documented bad temper and, on camera, attempts to choke to death a reporter in Tampa Bay, very likely a woman.

way south: We don't need to know when we're leaving Afghanistan.
We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

um
There is no way that the taliban wont take over the day after we leave. That was a given on the day we went in. Unless we are planning on killing everyone living in afghanistan and on the paki border ...

Rann Xerox: Romney is Gordon Gekko, Paulie Walnuts AND Joe Isuzu combined.

[donotwant]

When Obama announced a tentative timeline for withdrawal from Afghanistan on the anniversary of OBL's death I thought to myself... Well, THIS makes a nice change from back in the bad ole BushCo days when generals were forced into early retirement for even using the words "Exit" and "Strategy" in the same sentence.

way south: We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

WTF. While there, the US has led to a Taliban resurgence and a regional disaster

TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

The fact that the Majority of Romney's attacks are vague generalizations about things (this is his most specific) and not include any alternative. When you attack a position (as opposed to attacking a person), you must put up an alternative in order for the attack to be truly effective.

If Romney had said, "Announcing a withdrawal date is a bad idea because it tells the terrorists they just have to wait until this date to attack. Instead we should announce that as of [insert date] we will begin drawing down our troop levels based on the situation with the final end of operations based on events in the country" it would be much better as it a) attacks Obama's position and b) provides an alternative for people to rally around and is vague enough to be easily defended now and in the future if it fails to happen.

Bhruic: Ok, so what was Romney's plan then? If announcing when you are leaving is naive, I assume you don't announce when you are leaving? Leaving aside the tactical implications of that, what does he expect that to accomplish? Say they magically pulled it off, does he think the Taliban isn't going to notice they are gone? Or that the allies aren't going to notice that they suddenly are lacking a lot of support?

Romney's used to buying out a company while chumming up to the regional directors and having them tell all the employees that their company has a new vision and is heading in new and bold directions and things are going to be a lot better very soon, all the while completely intending on unceremoniously firing everybody in the cheapest way possible. Not quite sure how that translates to foreign policy, specifically, but I'd imagine it would be at least just as horrific.

So how are we supposed to leave? Will the Army just drop a smoke bomb and sneak out while the Taliban is coughing? Don't you think they might notice when we start to pack up and leave?

Yeah alumni!

Xyphoid: if we want the Taliban to be dissolved we should see if Rmoney could oversee Bain Capital to acquire it.

:D

way south: We don't need to know when we're leaving Afghanistan.
We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

We could stay there for a hundred years and it wouldn't change a thing. There is absolutely nothing we can do to make Afghanistan a decent place to live or anything other than a complete clusterfark. It may be that in the far future the Afghanis will get their shiat together, but this will never happen while the nation is occupied by foreign powers. Sometimes there is no really satisfactory alternative and the best you can hope for is the least bad one.

Delay: TimonC346: I'm a liberal, and definitely voting for Obama, but I still want to know why Romney's chosen points to attack have been either barely effective or completely ineffective. Obama isn't infallible, right? Or is he just Romney-resistant?

R-money is wealthy, purchased the candidacy, surrounded himself with sycophants that only know how to agree with him, but is a crappy politician.

I await his violent meltdown where he lets loose his well documented bad temper and, on camera, attempts to choke to death a reporter in Tampa Bay, very likely a woman.

Yuppo, I feel we are well on our way to an on-camera Mittfrontation of epic proportions.



/What a GIS for 'Mittfrontation' might yield.
//Hot like an angry Mitt.

Delay: way south: We need to know how they plan to leave it in a manner that doesn't lead to a Taliban resurgence and a new regional disaster.

WTF. While there, the US has led to a Taliban resurgence and a regional disaster

But to be fair, we kinda dropped the ball on that when we went from fighting Al Qadea to fighting countries that were mean to the President's daddy.

Why is R-money running, again? Is his heart into this?

Coco LaFemme: Mitt Romney is exactly like that wacky character in every 80s sitcom who doesn't speak English as a native language, and every time they open their mouths, some hilarious misspeak or malapropism comes flying out.

balki_bartokamous.jpg

ExperianScaresCthulhu: Why is R-money running, again? Is his heart into this?

Acquisition.

This just in: Fark Romney

Romney is seriously bad at foreign policy. Even worse than Bush. There's this, his Russian gaff, playing into Iran's saber-rattling, looking to military solutions first for every problem in the world, firing his foreign policy spokesman for being gay, and on and on.

What's worse is that foreign policy is one of the things the president has the most control over and Romney thinks that his his strong suit is the economy, which is one of the things the president has the least control over.

Why in the world do you go to the people that you're fighting with and tell them the day you're pulling out your troops?"

Well Willard, if you hadn't spent the Vietnam War preaching to the heathen French, you might realize there is no subtle way to withdraw that much men and materiel from a foreign country without even illiterate goat-herders noticing.

"Hmm, the ISAF forces are shutting down their smaller, more remote firebases and outposts and withdrawing to the major FOBs and LSAs. The number of outgoing convoys has quadrupled, while incoming convoys have decreased by half. Departing units aren't being relieved by fresh troops. They're also giving away tons of brand new shiat to the Afghan National Army."

"Huh, that's pretty much what happened when the Americans pulled out of Iraq. Do you think they're finally leaving our homeland?"

"Nah, it's just a weird coincidence. Hey, let's go shoot some little girls in the head for learning to read."

Soup4Bonnie: Romney's foreign policy experience stems from his extensive background cycling around Paris during the Viet Nam war.

Here's Romney's Vietnam experience:



Willard Romney is the guy in the white slacks and blazer. He's literally protesting IN FAVOR of the Vietnam War - while as a draft-age college student. Those deferments are a wonderful thing aren't they Willard?