Obama's Speech

1) In his speech, Barack Obama outlined his plan for the US involvement in Afghanistan. He stated 3 objectives for the War to complete. The first objective was to Disrupt, Dismantle, and Get rid of Al-qaeda. The second was to Reverse Taliban Momentum and stop them from advancing into Pakistan. The third was to strengthen local governments and local security forces, so that when the US leaves, Afghanistan will be able to handle and secure its country. Obama outlined three ways to accomplish this. The first is pursuing a military strategy in Iraq and breaking the Taliban's momentum. The second is to work with our allies and pursue a civilian strategy, we need to show Afghanistan what we expect, we also need to help create an Agricultural movement and secure Afghanistan. The final step is to help Pakistan in their fight against the Taliban and find a solution to both borders. Obama also answered many of the concerns, saying that "Afghanistan isn't another Vietnam, we are supported by a broad coalition of nations." Obama presented a time table that would end the war in Iraq and send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. He also wanted to send a push for diplomacy, saying "America will speak out for human rights across the world."

2) I agree with Obama's plan, because it outlines a strategy that is very legitimate. He plans to send the much needed troops to Afghanistan, which will secure our presence and help fight against the Taliban. His plan is a push for diplomacy, stating that we will end what we had started. Obama knows that the Taliban can't be eliminated, but he wants to hamper their movement forward. Same with Al-qaeda, Obama knows that there will always be extremist groups, but he wants to make sure that much of Central Asia is free from the oppressive rule of the Taliban, and that people can walk the streets safely. I am glad to see that we are moving our forces from Iraq into Afghanistan, I think that with Obama's strategy, we will see a lot of improvement in the good fight.