Tag: Petraeus

The Takeaway

Should the US Stay in Afghanistan?

Friday, August 13, 2010

This Sunday, General David Petraeus will go on a media offensive in which he is expected to make the case for why we should not rush the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

However, this comes at a time when public support for the war is rapidly dwindling. Many Americans have fixed their expectations on what the president pledged in December 2009 when he ordered more troops to Afghanistan: “These additional American and international troops will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011.”

Read a full transcript.

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The Takeaway

Problems Await Petraeus as He Heads to Afghanistan

Thursday, July 01, 2010

General David Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate yesterday as General Stanley McChrystal's replacement as top commander for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. A demoralized army, an inept Afghan government seen as hopelessly corrupt, increasingly skeptical international partners, a disinterested American public, a report that American taxpayer money has inadvertently been funneled to Afghan warlords, and a new torrent of violence resulting in 100 military casualities over that last month are among the panoply of challenges Petraeus faces when he touches down in Afghanistan.

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The Takeaway

Obama Fires McChrystal: A Truman-MacArthur Dismissal or a Lincoln-Hooker Moment?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

General Stanley McChrystal's fate was sealed with the publication of a bombshell Rolling Stone magazine profile on Tuesday. In less than forty-eight hours after the article surfaced on the internet, the U.S.'s top commander in the Afghanistan war found himself summoned to Washington, D.C. to hand his resignation to President Obama.

In a press conference announcing his decision to accept McChrystal's resignation, President Obama emphasized that "this is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy." Centcom commander General David Petraeus will take over for McChrystal. Though Petraeus is a familiar face with an arguably proven track record, some observers are dubious of the president's claim that U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is staying the same.

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The Takeaway

Can Gen. Petraeus Turn Things Around in Afghanistan?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Less than 48 hours after Rolling Stone’s profile of General Stanley McChrystal went viral on the Internet, President Obama relieved the four-star general of his job as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. General David Petraeus will now take over the post, leaving behind an opening at the Central Command in Iraq. Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, was in the Rose Garden yesterday for Obama’s announcement. He explains the political implications of the president's decision and the response it is getting in Washington. Even though the president tried to drive home the point that strategy was not going to change, this personnel upset has reopened the strategy debate in Washington.

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The Takeaway

McChrystal Out, Afghanistan Policy Unchanged. But is it Working?

Thursday, June 24, 2010

President Obama on Tuesday relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his duties in Afghanistan, less than 48 hours after it was revealed that McChrystal and his aides made disparaging remarks about high-ranking members of the Obama administration to a freelance journalist from Rolling Stone. McChrystal will be replaced by Gen. David Petraeus. We want to know what you think. Should Gen. Stanley McChrystal have kept his job?

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