"It would be entirely irresponsible for the president of the United States to commit more troops to this country, when we don't even have an election finished and know who the president is and what kind of government we're working in, with," Kerry told CNN's John King in an interview set to air Sunday at 9 a.m. on State of The Union.
Speaking from Afghanistan, Kerry, who is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. should listen to the advice of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in that country.
"When our own, you know, commanding general tells us that a critical component of achieving our mission here is, in fact, good governance, and we're living with a government that we know has to change and provide it, how could the president responsibly say, oh, they asked for more, sure, here they are?," Kerry said.
President Obama and his advisers have held five meetings in recent weeks to discuss U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as they continue to weigh a call from Gen. McChrystal for as many as 40,000 additional troops in Afghanistan.
However, complaints of voter irregularities have dogged the Afghanistan election and the United States' mission there. At a press conference earlier this month, the top United Nations official in Afghanistan, Kai Eide said the vote was marred by "widespread fraud."
The Independent Election Commission is expected to soon finish an audit and recount of suspicious ballots. The independent commission is a "constitutional body" that conducts "free and fair elections" in an "impartial way" according to its Web site.
Election tallies have yet to be certified because of the allegations. Last month, final uncertified results showed Karzai with 54 percent of the vote.
Be sure to watch the full interview Sunday at 9.am. on State of The Union with John King
From CNN Politics
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help
No intestinal fortitude, wisdom or moral center Obama?
Bring home all the troops now before we meet the same fate as the USSR.
40K this year then how many next year? We don't have enough uncommitted troops. When do we start the Draft?
Kerry let me introduce you to President Irresponsible.
Obama will increase troop levels and listen to his generals as Pelosit urged Bush to do. Obama is just waffling on this. First, let me get those leftie loons in line to back me with health care and then I will announce troop increases. Obama doesn't want to risk angering the left with his plans.
End result; more troops die as Obama does nothing but waffle around for more weeks. For what?
It won't be long before Obama says "I GIVE UP, YOU BOYS CAN COME HOME, forget about the terrorist for now. When they attact us again we may or may not respond. I feel betrayed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, with the success of the troop surge in Iraq, John "Mr. Vietnam" Kerry says it would be irresponsible to send more troops to Afghanistan?
Nice.
So. What happened to the battle cry from this wimp Senator, about needing to fund and fight the "RIGHT WAR"? How quickly we forget, when the purpose of the statement was solely to Bash Bush. National Security is going down the drain with group of clowns in power.
John Kerry was a General in what war?
Had Bush not taken his eyes off of Afganistan and Osama we wouldn't even be in this position. With that said I think Afganistan is not a ground war that can be won. It couldn't be won by Iraq and Russia on the ground. The military will ALWAYS ask for more troops and money. They are in the war business. Soldiers and weapons are their business not American protection. Since 1945 and the bomb you will never see a war won in the traditional sense. So I agree with Kerry ... to send more troops isn't going to help us win... it is only going to shed more American blood and entrench us into a non-win situation. We need to fight this war smarter with more brain than brawn.
Kerry, get a life. I suppose it is not irresponsible to leave the troops there to fight this battle without help. Everyday an American is killed there, go tell the parents of those young people you are going to let them die without help. Listen to the General on the ground. Obama can not make a decision, he has shown that over and over. What a wimp. Remember it is his war now, he said it is a war of neccessity.
As for Hillary blaming Bush for the mess in Afghanistan because he ignored it and went into Iraq. She voted for it in Congress but still won't admit she made a mistake. If it was wrong she should have voted NO. Lots of Dems voted for the invasion in Iraq, Bush could not do it without Congress.
Our ELECTED president is NOT "irresponsible". Quit aiding and abetting the Republicans. My definition of "irresponsible" is someone who was a true war hero but who still let a coward and draft dodger belittle his heroism. You go back to packaging ketchup and let a REAL leader decide the direction we should take. That's why we elected him.
So John Kerry says we should listen to the commanders now that it supports what he wants...but not before...figures.
The President needs to listen to the generals. The political turmoil is because there is no security. How do you expect a working democracy so soon after overthrowing the Taliban. These elections are just for the world to see, there is no stability. Afghanistan needs a strongman until the country is fully stabilized.
i don't see how obama has any choice at all. the problem is, if u.s. troops stop protecting chinese industries in afghanistan, then china will stop lending the u.s. government money. if the u.s. stops iran from selling oil to china, then china will stop lending the u.s. government money. if china stops lending the u.s. government money, then the u.s. government won't have any actual stimulus money to spend this winter. and no one wants to think about that.
How is Afganistan going to get a stable government and have the time neccessary to train and equip its troops to protect its people without American and our few close allies that let their troops fight the Taliban. We need to win in Afganistan and if the the generals say they need more troops they know more on how to win a war than any politician, especially one who is a lawyer. What will the liberals say if the Taliban take over Afganistan, Al-Qaeda moves back, and attack an American City again?
this is another really no win situation at this moment for Presidnet Obama because no matter what he chooses he's going to catch heat over it. It would be interesting though if he chooses what a lot of Republicans want him to do by sending in more troops if they would actually BACK him on this issue. They don't back him on anything else.
Funny that the right wing always calls for never ending spending for war yet cry when less money is wanted to save the health and lives of their fellow Americans to provide health care.
No one on the right ever deals with the HUGE question: Where will the troops come from???
Obama, wisely, has followed the military policies recommended by the Joint Chiefs, as did Bush. The far left may not like this, but the far left does not truly understand the violence, greed and depravity that goes on in this world. Accordingly, John Kerry, a man who disgraced his fellow veterans by make broad, inaccurate generalizations about Vietnam should truly show humility and remove himself from any foreign policy discussions. Obama is committed to protecting America, is following the policies of his predecesor that worked, tweeking those that didn't. The world is no more peaceful than during the Cold War. Obama gets it. Kerry does not.
Iraq was a success. The silent media is proof.
To all you wonderful, bleeding-heart liberals out there--today's poll question on Al-Jazeera.net:
هل ترى أن الغرب هزم في أفغانستان؟
Or, in other words:
Do you see that the West was defeated in Afghanistan?
84% say yes.
Now go feel good about yourselves.
I agree; no more troops should be sent.
The fraudulent elections that Karzai's government sponsored pretty mean the END to any chance for Afghanistan...even if Karzai allows a run-off.
Karzai's fraudulent conduct was the final death sentence for any attempt to save Afghanistan from the Taliban.
Sen Kerry just stay out of it. YOu lost years ago!!!
How much longer does this President have to ponder on things? each day more and more men and women are being killed!
People were right, this President does not have the intelligence or the backbone to fight for anything!!
More troops are needed and will prove successful. The US has the most powerful fighting men and women in the world, eg the Marines, the Rangers, Special Forces, Seals, etc. We lost over 95,000 Americans in the US to acts of violence since we went to Iraq. We lost 4,400 enlisted men and women in Iraq. Kerry wants to talk about troops?! Let's talk about all the dead crime victims on US soil! Send more troops. It worked in Iraq. I will work in Afghan. as well.
If we cannot help stabilize a government in Afghanistan, then the resurgence of the Taliban WILL take down the government in Pakistan – which is a nuclear country. The dominos that would fall are too great to wave the white flag on this one. John Kerry's lack of spine is horrifying, and makes me awfully glad he isn't the one who actually gets to call the play. Oh, wait. Obama does that...and frankly I am not convinced he understands the stakes either. Ah, for someone with a little military background and experience in the White House.
I think John Kerry is right. At least he has realised that the more troops be sent to Afghanistan, the longer the war would last. What is the prupose of this war anyway? The more civilians killed by Nato troops, which is unavoidable, the more angry Afghans will get and more " terrorists " will imerge from them. I believie the best soloution is just all the foreign military forces leave that country and help them only for civil service and let the Muslim countries train Afghan police and military personnel.
Earn that Peace Prize NOW, Mr. President!
OK, Senator Kerry. Let me get this straight. We ARE in a war in Afghanistan, and the General commanding it says we need 40,000 more troops to do the job, and you want to ignore the advice of the man running the operation? Let me put this another way. Either we fight to win, and that means enough manpower and equipment (which we really can't spare while we are still in Iraq) to get the job done or we decide not to listen to our commanders and get the heck out completely ASAP. I for one am not willing to wage another Viet Nam in Afghanistan and watch our brave young people die endlessly unless they are properly outfitted to do the job they were given and do it fast. Either send the 40,000 more into the meat grinder or get us out of that God Forsaken rat-hole. Either way, live with the decision. Will you personally be making the visits to the families who have lost loved ones I wonder? Or do you just delegate that?
either send more troops in or pull them all out... This inbetween stuff is getting us nowhere and just getting people killed
Senator Kerry is right..
Karsai is and was a member of the Bush team, he was the manager of a project to construct a pipeline through Afghanistan, reporting directly to the Bush Family, Now he has participated on a blunt fraud to steal the election in the past two months, he has not come out clean, massive fraud on the election by his supporters.
President Obama should not put money troops or support till he knows what is the plan, is would be irresponsible otherwise.
Karsai comes clean, then more troops and money otherwise let new clean elections decide the future of the country.. As Americans you believe in democracy, at least if what you claim..
Dien Bien Phu that Afghan for not enough troops even to protect themselves on a 12 hour battle. You may see another Khe Sanh type of battles; do you have a stomach for that!
Lets look at the Afghan corrupt government and then ask ourselves whom do we support another corrupt government like South Vietnam.
We are fighting an insurgency that IS faith based and willing to die.
If the Afghans and their neighbors do not want this to happen why are they not volunteering?
I was RA in 1966 to 1968.
Lynne October 17th, 2009 4:09 pm ET
Funny that the right wing always calls for never ending spending for war yet cry when less money is wanted to save the health and lives of their fellow Americans to provide health care.
You're right. Americans are in substantially more danger of dying as a result of lack of heath care, or being denied by their insurance company that they ever will be from a terrorist attack.
I wouldn't liked to be in Obama's shoes now. After his award of the Nobel Peace prize, Obama will be somehow obligated to bring peace around the world, and that to includes Afghanistan, Iraq, the Palestinians with Israel and so on. And that should be done with sending no troops, but peace agreements and dialogues, and would make Hillary very well known around the world and maybe better liked than Obama himself. Somehow he got the Nobel Prize award for what he expected to achieve peace wise around the world. It remain to be seen if he wont let them down, which I believe he probably will.
We are not there as cheerleaders for Karzai. Let the Afghans choose their own leaders as long as they are not hostile towards us as we fight the Taliban and Al Queda, which should be our only goal in Afghanistan besides helping to clean up the mess and rebuild infrastructure so the population has a chance to succeed. The bigger picture though is the growing culture war between East and West. As our belief structures stand, there really is no basis for a dialog. You cannot negotiate with a culture that wants to dominate us, and has no problem shouting it in the streets as they did yesterday when Geert Wilder, who is well known for his bravery in exposing this goal in his blog and speeches, going so far as saying he must be killed for insulting their "culture" of hate. Because this man simply told the truth about the laws in their culture, they feel perfectly justified in killing him. Why is our President trying to negotiate with Iran for example, a country that regularly calls for the annihilation of Israel, and who thumbs their nose at every resolution the UN passed on their nuke activity? Instead of focusing on the most immediate problem, he focuses on a resolution cooked up by he and Egypt which makes it a CRIME to Insult any religion. There goes Free Speech.
President Obama is dragging his feet on this because he doesn't want to alienate his left liberal base. He is coward of the worst kind. He needs to step up and be a leader. That will not happen however. He is not a leader. Great "change" all of you idiots voted for.
Senator Kerry, this proves again why you were unelectable.
Too many liberals will just never be satisfied until we lose every war we are involved in.
I agree.
Bring them home
All you keyboard Generals amaze me. Let the big boys make the decisions – they have much more information than you do. BTW – I'm a Canadian. America is NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY to have shed blood in Afghanistan. Canadian troops were there at the beginning.... we stayed when former President Bush left to fight another war... and we're still there. We mourn for our dead as you do yours. We also mourn for your husbands, sons, fathers and brothers. You only hear about our casualties as an aside, or an afterthough... "Nato troops dead". I, for one, am grateful that President Obama will meet with his advisors as much as possible, in order to come to the Right Decision!
It appears that Karzai is not on our side with this fight against the Taliban. Until the U.S. knows who Karzai really is, put a hold on all troops.
I believe the terrorists have moved to Pakistan have they not? If so, we don't need to send more troops to Afghanistan.
As a Marshall Villars requested of Louis XIV "Please defend me from my friends; I can defend myself from my enemies".
If 59 million or so American were not dumber than piles of dirt Kerry would have had the job in Afghansistan finished by now, and iraq would be a distant if bad memory...
However, that is not what happened, so Mr. Kerry should give this president the room and the discretion to make what he feels is the right call to finish what needs finishing there.
Coming from the likes of Vietnam War Hero Kerry should make this an important basis for Obama's decision.
this is typical liberal military tactics (fight a war in washington). this is how we lost in korea and vietnam, so is anyone surprised as to kerry's posture on this issue?
history has shown when we relied on the military commanders, we win. we won in iraq (twice), ww I and ww II.