CNN

[...] It really is killing these guys that Obama isn't just immediately plowing tons of troops and billions of dollars into something without any idea what we are trying to accomplish: [...]

Someone needs to throw a shoe at this flip flopper

President Obama is protecting us a whole lot better than Bush ever did!!! Afganistan, Iraq DO NOT want us in their countries!!! Bring our troops home and put the money into education, jobs and health care!!! THAT will protect our country from bankruptcy!!!! God Bless President Obama!

Romney is coming out of his hole after eight years, and he's talking about 10 months. What about the last administration.

"Focus, focus, focus?" The President has been focused. He has focused on the economic mess created largely by the Republicans. It is a mess that has battered America worse than the Taliban or Saddam Hussien could ever hope to. He has been focused on repairing America's image and reputation around the world, an image tarnished by Bush and Cheney. He has been focused on providing health care to millions of Americans that the Repulicans would deny insurance to just because they are poor or have pre existing conditions. He has focused on trying to build concensus while Republicans sow division and obstruction.

Speaking of focus, to his credit George W Bush could focus too. Unfortunately, he focused on being on vacation. Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

When any Republican says anything about Afghanistan I just drown them out since they never gave a rat's you know what about doing anything in that country before now.

This guy is a joke. Republicans supported and engaged these troops in the war against false terror based on lies. Now because he is obsessed with being president, he deems it necessary to criticize our now president. People are so weak and only care about money and power. Isn't Romney a pastor...he should know that true leaders lead by action not mere words. How can Obama be pro-active and quick to come to conclusions on topics that he never supported. He has to make well thought out and informed decisions based on facts.

Folks like Romney are mere corporate thugs trying to get their pictures taken merely for publicity stunts. Get a life Romney, and join every other rational person that is faced with tough decisions that cannot be made overnight. If this guy is ever chosen to lead our nation heaven forbid what depths of manure he might get us entrenched in.

This criticism that Romney seems to dish out with impunity is bording on TREASON.....

Do we Americans really think ANY republican has the best interest of the Country at heart, or is it that they are driven by the next election cycle....?

I think we all no the answer to that, President Obama is the PRESIDENT, not Mitt Romney, not Sarah Palin, Not Rush Limbaugh, or any of the other Republican Nut Cases.....

And as far as the Troops are concerned, they were put in Harms way by the Bush Administration, I recall a certain request for troops for Afghanistan submitted by the Generals when George W. was still in office, this request sat for months without being addressed, where was Mitt Romney then....?

Unfortunately, the MSM was so intent on electing an exceptionally gifted teleprompter reader, and young ,good looking extremist liberal to President, they neglected to report on how utterly unqualified Obama was. He had NEVER, in his life, had ANY experience in what it takes to be a leader and govern. The United States is now paying the price, in some cases in the military where he is costing our soldiers their lives, for electing such an uninformed man who surrounds himself with radical left-wing extremists to the highest office in the world. I've lived through the administrations of ten Presidents, and I have never been so fearful of the direction of this country as I am now.

It's about time someone called Obama to the carpet for his Deraliction of duty to the service men and women. It is absolutely outrageous that he hasn't come up with a strategy on sending more troops to help in Afghanistan.

By the way CNN, I'm sure I'm not the only one that has noticed you allow comments when there is something negative said about the President, bit close the comments where there is real debate. You are getting as bad as Cluster Fox News.

WHERE WAS THE CRITICISM FROM THIS HYPOCRITE WHEN "BUSH-CHENEY-ROVE" RAN THE SHOW?

Bush-Cheney-Rove (BCR) went into Afghanistan with a great U.S. military force but executed the war on Rumsfeld's shoe-string budget. BCR never caught bin Laden, and 'temporarily' chased Al Queda and the Taliban across the border; while allowing the war to meander for 8-years as BCR redirected limited U.S. troops and resources to Iraq.

Where was HYPOCRITICAL Romney criticism for the past 8-years?

Mr Romney, WOULD YOU PLEASE GO TO AFGHANISTAN and FIGHT ON THE FRONT LINES WITH the PRESIDENT's first wave of people.

He is easy for a POLITICIAN to make such silly statements with no REAL FLESH in the WAR. Somewhat like Hanity when he stated he could do a WATERBOARD process, then backed down after he was challenged.

ALL THOSE FOR MORE TROUPS......PLEASE SHUT UP....NOT UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO BE THE FIRST TO GO...

Sure, Obama has had 10 months to devise a strategy, but Mitt and the RepubliCONS had 7 years! Mitt, go back to selling cars you douchebag.

Romney, Obama inherited (among other mess) this one BIG MESS from George W. Bush, the last president, the last REPUBLICAN president.

Maybe Obama wants to figure out every option possible, especially in conjunction with the Afghanistan's regional neighbors like China, Pakistan, etc. Maybe Obama doesn't want to make rash decisions about war like Bush did in Iraq (where are those WMDs?).

These neo-con war-mongers will say, "Obama, hurry up on this war." Then say, "Obama slow down so we can read the bill on healthcare. We've had 60 years of healthcare discussion, why the rush?"

If these folks and their network (Fox News) actually applauded Obama for anything, I would start worrying.

And what does Romney know about military operations and war?

There is one thing Obama does know that Romney doesn't: how to lead a successful presidential campaign.

Enough with the back seat driving.

For 8 years, Bush did not have a strategy in Afghanistan, but Mr. Mittens is now concerned. There are only a few dozen al-Qaida in Afghanistan, and most people are not sure of necessity of 40,000 more troops which will cost billions of dollars. Obama did send 20,000 troops in March while Bush dithered on that request for 8 months.

Maybe Sarah will give Romney a shout out, so he won't feel left out.

Just another Republican piece of dirt......

I might be interested if Romney were the POTUS. But since he isn't, who cares? Romney is just another unemployed politician. A degree in English and an MBA/law degree does not make him an authority on foreign relations.

Screw you Romney!

'Romney has been a constant critic of the Obama administration.' That's for sure! That's all you've got Romney! Attacks on Obama.

What would Romney know about dealing with a war? Has he or any of his many sons been in the military? NO!!

Telling Obama to "focus"? Now that's some ego he's got there!

First Obamas doing too much.

Then hes not focusing enough on this.

Then that.

Then he hasn't solved all the problems the republicans created over the past 8 years during his first 10 months in office. Or fulfilled every single campaign promiss in that same timeframe.

They cry about fical restraint, but wish unlimited funding for the things they wish to see done. For the things THEY feel are the only important things.

They cry about the need for smaller government after creating the largest expansion of government in history.

What a joke.

He wants to be president so bad he can taste it........Maybe someone should buy him a cake with the word 'president' written on it....Tha'ts as close as he's gonna get to P of the USA.

I thought that Mitt Romney did a fine job as Governor of my state but he should keep very quiet with regard to protecting our troops. It was his party that put our troops in harms way and since neither he nor any of his sons have ever served in our military, silence should be observed.
I get a bit upset at all of these people who want to send our soldiers all over the world to fight & die yet when they could have served, military or other national service, they chose not to & stayed home.

somehow I think NOT sending the troops in to possibly be KILLED is protecting them but for some reason the GOP doesn't see it that way. I guess they just aren't used to having a president that takes time to think things over and look at all options before sending more troops into harms way. And everytime I have heard him say this to troops they cheer. If President Obama made the decision to send more men and women over there and the death toll starts to rise, the far right that wants him to do this will abandon him and deny that is what they really wanted, and you know that's the truth there Mitt.

Sad to say, but when it comes to Obama and Afghanistan, I agree with Romney and McCain. Obama is too nambypamby when it comes to making decisions that will affect the western world forever. Wake up America. Religious freedom is at a premium.

And of course, he is a Military Expert, having served in – ah, what branch of the service was that ? Oh wait, he was too busy pledging for his fraternity at the U S R R G, the University of Sons Of Republican Rich Guys. What useless baggage this pretty boy creep has become.

Another war monger!

How are those magic underwear working out for you, Mitt?

If Romney really serious about protecting troops in Afghanistan why can't he send his 6 sons to fight over there? It is easy for him to send somebody else's sons and daughters and not his sons. You are losing your credibility Romney, put up or shut up.

Mitt Romney's believes in, and wears, magical underwear.

No matter how hard he may try to exude credibility, ultimately, he can never be President solely because of his outlandish religious beliefs.

I truly doubt he will ever hold any elected office, outside of Utah, ever again.

Typical conservative attempt at setting the Democrat's up for failure. If memory serve's wasn't Rumsfeld the one who wouldn't give the troops the armor plating they needed for the hummer's and other vehicles? Isn't Rumsfeld a Conservative Republican like Romney is? The vehicles have been uprated and redesigned and have decreased the total number of deaths and fatalities by more then half. What ever spin doctoring Romney and Conservative's are trying to spin on the Democrat's trying to make it look like the problem is the Democrat's when the problem originated with the Republican's can go to show that the Republican's are nothing more then lay the blame on the Democrat's when the Republican's during the Middle East crisis of the 80's had the chance to take care of the terrorists situation, but declined to not deal with the terrorist's and continued to allow them to blow up Marines that slept in the barracks, take airliners hostage ect, just so some movie maker could produce movies and media reports.

The real person to blame is Howard Hughes the person who invited movie making and wanted the world for himself without giving any consideration to the affects that it would have caused.

And he opposes health care, opposes abortion in any form, and is for sending more troops to Afghanistan with no plan for it to ever end. Well, Mr. Romney, I oppose YOU, and your Republican whiners who can say nothing good about Obama for fear of angering the unpatriotic conservatives and their wallets. President Obama is running the country; he is turning the economy around; he is being wise and thoughtful about killing more civilians in the Middle East, and sending our precious lives and dollars where they are not wanted and are doing no good.
And I'm sorry, but how do you know he has no strategy? Are you a Cabinet member? Are you a trusted adviser? No, you are just a complaining Republican who didn't have the courage to stand up when Bush was torturing and taking away our very rights, not to mention spending us into oblivion. So you have no grounds to complain.

This guy Romney is some piece of work. Hey Mittens, it's very easy to be a monday morning quarterback, but where were your criticisms of Bush for taking his eye off the ball and getting us bogged down in Iraq.

Does anyone care about Romney's opinion of Obama? He is rejected by his own party. Soon Palin will Scozzafava Romney and he will be persona non grata in the Republican party.

Yawn. Mitt Who?

And Mr. Romney is qualified to comment on Afghanistan for what reason? He has no foreign policy experience himself, avoided military service by going on a "mission" in France to avoid the draft and his so-called business experience is having made a bunch of money in hedge funds.

The real problem we have in Afghantistan is that the whole operation was neglected for eight years under President Bush and now nothing less than total war can get us out of the quagmire that has developed. And even that has a low chance of working. I think President Obama is right to take his time and formulate an exit strategy before committing more troops.

Let's be clear that Romney and the other wacko offer criticism and not solution. His anti-american rethoric serves only divide this country at a time that he calls a critical time in america. Dont believe for one moment that americans are fooled, not paying attention, but not fooled. You can wrap dog do-do up in an American flag but it still stinks. The American values, defined by the American flag, lends itself to be wrapped in the crisis this country faces and by the unity of a strong american people will prevail through all thats rotten; Even the Romneys, Palins, Becks, Limbaughs, and Hannitys.

I can't help to keep on believing that Obama is really a Muslim born in Kenya, and educated with the kuran.
He does not want to fight or antagonize the taliban.

Oh Mitt. . . What planet are you on???

President Obama has so much on his plate and is being "focussed" on many things, the least of which is trying to do what you want him to do.
He is spending a great deal of time trying to extricate the US of A out of a Republican cluster**** which is Afghanistan, an illegal war in Iraq and the Health Care debacle.

Mitt in 2012 – HA!

Is this nut job Romney serious? I mean really folks come on now.

I was an Active Duty Service Member under the Administration of Bush, and nothing to me was more fundamentally an indication that the previous so called President cared nothing for us than him sending us into war in some cases with zero ammunition, half our Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) gear, no body armor, and no up armored vehicles. But now this Romney character wants to question what this President is doing with troop numbers in Afghanistan? At least the troops are properly trained, funded, and equipped under this President. Where was Romney then?

This guy is the male version of Sarah Palin. He should go sit down some where and make one of his spoiled rich daddys' kids go serve in harms way (earning their right to be citizens of this country) instead of concentrating on setting himself up politically for another run at the Presidency in 2012!

Romney needs to stop with the back seat Presidenting. He would not have any better decisions than President Obama. I heard nothing from him that makes me thing he would have made a better leader. republicans have been bithing for ten months but offers no solutions. President Obama has been in office for less than a year and the problems left have been worsening for ten years. When the house you brought needs a new foundation, drywall, windows, ect.. and in order to make it lviable a little bit of everything needs to be done all at once. That is the country the President Obama took over.

Romney obviously has trouble with intelligent people who THINK their way through problems not react or over-react as has been the process for the past eight years. In criticizing President Obama, Romney is saying more about himself than about the President.

jeesh. these chest pounders never quit. he looks inadequate to me!

This guy is a phony

If the republican primary voters would have had enough sense to nominate this guy last year instead of the guy the media shoved down their throats, Obama would not be destroying our military and our economy right now.

Give it up Mr Flip flop, go with the flow, say whatever I need to say to get elected. Why don't you ask one of your sons, no wait, all of them to enlist?

Mr Romney...You stated "The President has been in office for 10 months and doesn't have a strategy". I think you need to be reminded that Republican Bush started the war without a strategy and was in office for 7 years of the war and NEVER developed a strategy. People in glass houses need not throw stones my friend.

Wrong again Mitt,

For such a kind sweet billionaire, you sure dont think very much.

Do you pay someone to do that for you? Well at least youre giving someone a job, least you could do, after what the Neo-con Republicans have done to the rest of us.

Listen here, Silver spoon, do you mind if I call you "Silverspoon", its all about protecting troops, the ones that are there now, and the ones to come.......its called critical analysis, not the Republican method of "hell, lets just throw money and young Americans at the problem.

Get it? Silverspoon?

How can Mitt give Any opinion when he has no intelligence report on the situation? This guy is a citizen like Palin and both should take my advise and SHUT UP!!!

Romney is another GOP enabler with a severe mental disorder.

Romney will only take back what he said in 2012? He is famous for flip-flopping, just ask McCain.

How can Mitt be so irresponsible? He is a clueless empty suit who uses our troops to get recognition and is completely out of touch with reality.

Mitt will never be as credible as Sarah.

When our records got this scratched and started skipping we chucked them in the trash can.This guy just cant smell the coffee.Time to fly back to Uteville in your magic shorts.hahaha

It's a shame Romney wasn't invited to all the meetings at the Whitehouse the President was having on the new game plan for the war in Afghanistan, otherwise he would know what was going on, and could tell a true story instead of making things up to get a rise out of his base. This is a problem so many Americans have with Republican chatter. They talk to each other, instead of listening to what's really going on and reporting on that. Disagree u may, but don't be making things up to suit the agenda!

When I read this kind of statement It makes me thnk of campaigning and putting down the opponent. Let's support the President !

Mitt needs to stop criticizing our president in time of war. He is a traitor to the country.

Just a little word of advice for flamboyant Roomey: Learn from the history. Speaking in adversarial tone about the the post and duty of President may gain you the staunch support of the Republican base in your goal to clinch the party Presidential normination; however, such rhetorics while common in the political arena, will push away the moderate voters. Getting support of these group of the American electoral block should be your main focus, now.

The last administration had no plan on either Afghanistan or Iraq. Why are we still in Afghanistan 8 years later and Iraq more than 6 1/2 years later? I am sure you have a great plan Mitt. I am sure it won't involve your sons. At least McCain, Palin and Biden's sons served. A huge majority of Americans want us out of Afghanistan Mitt. Once Americans realized these two wars weren't going to be like Desert Storm they aren't as gung ho as they used to be about war.

Keeping your BIG BUCKS in your pocket Mr. Romney....

How is that the Republicans forget that it took Bush over 4 months or more to make up his mind on the surge....SHORT MEMORIES????

Of course, Mitt knows EVERYthing and EVERY thing - what traitorous remarks!

The burning deal...that is so 60's....wish people would grow up...

This guy Romney is such a hack.
Obama has ten times the intelligence and integrity of this guy.
Romney sounds like he is just waking up to the moment, this "pivotal time in our history", in time to criticize the guy who is trying to fix our problems. Could Romney try to remember how we got here? No, I didn't think so. That wouldn't be politically expedient.

That is okay, Obama. I believe I heard that the terrorists there are shooting blanks, not real bullets at all. You take all of the time you need, have dinner, go to Asia, and then sell a few cars when you get back. On healthcare reform, you said, "let's get it done now!" Too bad healthcare reform means more to you than our American soldiers. Too bad healthcare reform will not help the American soldiers who lose their lives over there, while you are "considering your options" over here.

The guy, Romney, could not get more pathetic if he tried.

Take your dog off your SUV roof.

well waffling for the best personal politics is not best for the troops currently on the ground.

Romney is so jealous of Obama. He just wishes he had his job.

I think Romney like Bush and Chaney would rather have us at war with Iran as well.Big bucks to be made in the war BUSiNESS and after all all those listed above are business men.

Romney is the herman munster of politics. The best way to protect our troops and show them our support is to bring them home.

Politicians, civilian Americans including media talking heads and average Joes should stop pretending to be armchair Generals and trying to tell President Obama what to do about Afganistan. Especially Republicans who seem to be bent on him following some ill gotten advise so they can bask in him making the wrong decisions, as if he should trust them.

President Obama should only take advise from those who are
qualified to advise him, and fellow civillians, IT AIN't US.

In other words, leave it to the military professionals.

Newsflash Willard. The markets are higher now that when your hero Bush left office. Just because the recovery is show doesn't mean it isn't happening. If there is anyone that doesn't know how to lead, it would be you Mr. Romney.

Romney's critizism doesn't meet the standards of one who should ever be in power, especially when our troops are at war. Romney like many others have no inside information of President Obama's discussions with top generals and has no grounds to support what he's say. Romney playing politics for his own self serving interest is one thing, but don't bring our troops and generals into the fold. Romney's political interest would better serve him by helping the split Republican party because he's not high on the list.

Who cares what this guys thinks? He does not have any new ideas.

in this case romney is correct.

pull the military out of Afghan and stp gettinfg people killed while the white house runs polls.

The opinions of someone like Romney are always negative and rarely correct!

Good job, Gov. Romney! You Rock!

Romney 2012!

And Mitt Romney knows this to be a fact because he's well versed in combat strategy, or he's surrounded by a team of expert military advisers, or because he's rich and he says so, or he just wants to be contrary to the President, which is all the Republicans are offering these days, hoping it will win our hearts and our votes, or what? I know, I ran on a bit here. But enough already. Offer something other than criticism, and then we'll talk.

OH geeeee I am running for president, what can I slur and flame Obama about. Yes yes he isn't protecting the troops. How did bush manage that did he go over there and raise an umbrella.

The more republicans talk the more common low down their are. Bush and his buddy Cheney are responsible for Afgan and Iraq and the deaths of thousands of our military. And millions of Iraqi.

NO WAY IN THE WORLD CAN THE REPUBLICANS TALKY TALK THEIR WAY OUT OF THAT.

and the last line of this story pretty much sums it up..."And he has finished his new book"...... yawn!

whatever.

i'm tired of republicans with a bad history trying to point fingers.

I suggest they look in the mirror first.

again ... when will republicans just try to be part of the solution rather than continue being part of the problem.

He is not protecting soldiers or is he doing anything except whatever it takes to destroy America. A TERRIOST IN OUR MIDST AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. HOW MUCH MORE STUPID CAN WE BE.