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Hoyer: Bush Administration 'Turned Tail' in Afghanistan
Posted:
12/1/09
Filed Under:George W. Bush, Democrats, Republicans, Dick Cheney, Obama Administration, The Capitolist, Afghanistan, Congress
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer took offense Tuesday at Vice President Dick Cheney's persistent criticisms of President Obama's handling of the war in Afghanistan, including comments reported in Politico in which Cheney says the president's deliberative process over increasing troops in the region shows "weakness."PD toolbar!"Frankly, they turned tail," Hoyer said Tuesday of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Afghanistan. "That's pretty tough language, but I get angry when I hear Vice President Cheney talking about a job that they started but didn't finish. And it was worse in 2008 in December than it was six years previous, with a resurgent Taliban and a resurgent al-Qaida and a very difficult situation in Pakistan."
Hoyer's comments came at his weekly meeting with reporters, where his usually business-like demeanor cracked, as it has several times in recent months when the subject of Afghanistan has been raised, especially in the context of Republican criticisms of Obama's handling of the war. Hoyer has consistently defended the president by saying the Bush administration allowed the conflict in Afghanistan to founder while Bush and Cheney focused their attention on the war in Iraq.
On Tuesday, Hoyer also addressed the question of how to pay for the estimated $30 billion that the additional deployments in Afghanistan could cost, but he did not immediately support a proposal by Rep. David Obey (R-Ore.) to add a war "surtax" onto American income taxes to pay for the increased war fighting. "I'm for paying for things that we do, and I've generally been supportive of that proposition," Hoyer said, but, "because of the economic situation that confronts us, that effort is complicated." Hoyer said he would discuss the idea with Obey directly.
Obama will announce his plans for the war in Afghanistan, including sending more troops there, during a speech from West Point at 8 p.m. eastern.
When Politico editors Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen asked Cheney if he bears any responsibility for the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, Cheney replied, "I basically don't."
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Patricia Murphy
Patricia Murphy writes "The Capitolist" column for PoliticsDaily.com. She is the founder of Citizen Jane Politics, a non-partisan website for women... moreRelated Articles
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Comments (62)
Luette
1:55PM Dec 1st 2009
Obama has no intentions of "winning" anything.....Trickleing Troops into Afgansitan will win nothing, but it will be a new TAX for war....his attemp to again bad mouth someone else, while intentionally loosing in Afganistan HIMSELF is ludicrus.....another Viet Nam is Obamas new plan
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(-5) 
jrotced02
12:20AM Dec 2nd 2009
There is no "winning" in Afghanistan. What would we win? A client state for the next 50 years? The country is a basket case. Obama's strategy is simple and brilliant. Buy time to clean up the Afghan government, and hope for a knockout punch in the spring, when the insurgents emerge from their mountain hideouts, hungry, sick, covered in lice, and walking right into carefully laid traps for them.
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(0) higgdj7
7:09PM Dec 2nd 2009
I guess if you forget about the 7 years Bush and Cheney did next to NOTHING in Afghanistan and focused on the oil in Iraq, then you would be quite right to Blame Obama. I'm OK with leaving Afghanistan and Iraq tomorrow and the last one out lights the fuse, but there's that damn oil again. Oh yeah and all that heroin in Afghanistan. Tell you what...You righties go fight and pay for the war and all the lefties can pay for health care and leave me, the working man, alone to laugh at the mess both sides make. What a joke!!!!
RATE THIS COMMENT: (-1)
(-1) greatqb44
2:08PM Dec 1st 2009
So, just to clarify, Hoyer contends when Bush didn't sent troops in previous years, he was abandoning the effort, even though Hoyer is not sure sending more troops will do any good.
Look, sir, perhaps you just stick to "it's all Bush's fault" and save time.
Look, sir, perhaps you just stick to "it's all Bush's fault" and save time.
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(3) gomimosa
11:46AM Dec 2nd 2009
hoyer will be seeking employment in 2010!
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(2)
(2) higgdj7
7:12PM Dec 2nd 2009
Just who do you want to blame???? Cheney I hope, cause he sure can talk a tough line for a coward and liar.
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(-2) moderate
2:28PM Dec 1st 2009
The previous administration did abandon Afghanistan. They high tailed it over to Iraq for money and oil. We are still counting the indictments of the oil executives for bribery and theft. Wyatt a personal bush family friend went to jail. We should never have gone into Iraq, we should have had a plan and a win in Afghanistan, but bush/cheney/rummy decided there was no glory (money) there. If the proper plans were made then, we would not need to be planning now. We allowed the true enemy responsible for 9-11 to gain strength and a foothold. It is bush/cheney/rummy's fault we are in such a quagmire.
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(-2) wdfisher57
2:36PM Dec 1st 2009
Please show some courage and actulaly document the oil totals we recieved or were gained by US oil interests after we invaded and fought the war in Iraq if you'd be so kind. These old baseless charges have been disputed for years, yet every time Obama gets into a jam of some sort, like backing up his vitriotic election campaign rhetoric, the left trots out these trumped up charges about oil. If you can document these allegations with facts I might actually listen to your blathering, but I really don't worry too much about that happening myself, talking is all you folks seem to do, action is a concept your totally unfamiliar with.
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(4) moderate
2:40PM Dec 1st 2009
wd... can you say indictments and jail time for oil executives, bribery, theft and lies. Example... Oscar Wyatt, texas oil man jailed for bribery to saddam in oil for food theft.
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(4) moderate
2:51PM Dec 1st 2009
wyorich... thats it! you can not refute so you resort to vulgarities. What's the matter the word too elite(educated) for you?
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(0) Louise
5:06PM Dec 1st 2009
Mr. Moderate, tell the parents of Pat Tillman that he turned tail in Afghanistan. You, and your democratic leadership should be ashamed for your cowardly statements. Now, your "Peace candidiate" is going to get more people killed by sending in more troops. You live with your decision to vote in the next President that will get more Americans and Afghani's killed. Good for you, you can finally stop being a hpyocrit saying we should not surge in Irag, even thought it worked. You can't sit on the sideline and play armchair quarterback with your democratic party, now you have to live with your decisions or pull out. Welcome to the real world, buddy.
You chump
You chump
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(-5) moderate
5:40PM Dec 1st 2009
louisa...that's mrs.moderate to you. And he did turn tail and run. tillman was killed by friendly fire, which the military and bush tried to hide. now you have dick using "dithering", were the hell was the triad of bush/cheney/rummy when our service people needed more boots on the ground? dithering in Iraq.
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(1) wdfisher57
2:30PM Dec 1st 2009
I recall consistent and vehement protests from the left concerning crossing into Pakistan (it was violating the territory and sanctity of a soveriegn country, remember?)at the time Bush turned his attention towards Iraq, and many of today' more vocals Democrat Party leaders led the charge, including John kerry. How is it that today when Obama launches drone attacks into Pakistan at will, know one flinches a muscle, and in fact even promote this as the preferrred new startegy into fighting terorism in and around Afghanistan? more revisionist history parrotted by the Obama cheerleading US news media, is how I see it.
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(1) Pocollins
6:09PM Dec 2nd 2009
Thank you for reminding our Democrat friends that the invasion of Iraq was sanctioned by a VAST majority of Democrats in Congress sweep along by those statements by THEIR leaders all along the way. Well done.
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(3) john black
6:14PM Dec 2nd 2009
To cowboybil When are you going to start showing graphs and charts about Bush" misdeeds? Everything you show seems to put this administration in a dim light. Was Mr Bush perfect? All your bogus mislead reads and statistics are a crock.
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(1) dumbasademocrat
3:01PM Dec 1st 2009
The nattering nabob leftist liberal pukes where complaining about everything Bush did EXCEPT when it came time to vote on the wars , Then they were willing to be seen as united ,camera hogging hypocrites ! Didnt have any problem with it then !
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(4) dswynne
3:01PM Dec 1st 2009
I love it when today's Democratic Party are speaking both sides of their mouths. On hand, yes, Bush left the job undone by his adventures in Iraq (you suck, Neo-Cons!). Even Obama said that the primary focus should have been Afghanistan. But to now blame Bush for Obama and his Liberal base for wanting to get out of Afghanistan pronto, is, well, stupid. Obama is the US President now, not Bush. Be man and make the tough decision that is expected of anyone who holds the Oval Office. Otherwise, NO ONE will respect you, let alone vote you in for a second term.
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(2) markstlcard
3:11PM Dec 1st 2009
Bunk, The Obama regime will show once again how the Dems run from a crisis.
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(0) neil
3:20PM Dec 1st 2009
ok repubs...you had seven years in Afghanistan..and did not finisgh the job...and now cheney is saying that he didn't do anything wrong there..
one question for all you repubs and cheney..
why are we still there?
one question for all you repubs and cheney..
why are we still there?
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(4) Alex Lekas
3:45PM Dec 1st 2009
because the job is difficult. The terrain is inhospitable, the nation has no real govt to speak of..just a bunch of tribal warlords, distinguishing Taliban from run of the mill Afghani is like distinguishing Pepsi and Coke without tasting them, how many more reasons do you need?
No one pretended that this war would be quick and simple. Your side has always referred to it as the key front, not a distraction like Iraq, and when confronted with the opportunity to put your commitment where your rhetoric was, you are backtracking. Either fight the war or pull out; the half-a$$ed measures The One will talk about tonight do nothing more than postpone the outcome.
No one pretended that this war would be quick and simple. Your side has always referred to it as the key front, not a distraction like Iraq, and when confronted with the opportunity to put your commitment where your rhetoric was, you are backtracking. Either fight the war or pull out; the half-a$$ed measures The One will talk about tonight do nothing more than postpone the outcome.
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