bobdina
11-13-2009, 12:58 PM
Obama promises to rally public behind troops
By Mark S. Smith - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Nov 12, 2009 21:04:10 EST
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Nearing a decision on sending more troops off to war, President Barack Obama told a military audience Thursday that he will not dispatch them into conflict without proper support — including the backing of the American people.
“That is a promise that I make to you,” Obama told more than 1,000 troops and their families gathered at a hangar here, as the president stopped briefly for refueling en route to a four-country trip to Asia.
The president made no direct mention of Afghanistan or his weeks-long review, now nearing completion, of how to revamp the struggling war effort there. Obama is expected to send in thousands more troops.
In recent days, from a somber memorial for the 13 people shot to death at Fort Hood, Texas, to a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama has lauded the determination of the all-volunteer military.
But his assurance Thursday about public support was new, and it was unclear how he would rally it.
An Associated Press-GfK poll this week showed that 48 percent of people disapprove of Obama’s handling of Afghanistan, up from 41 percent in October. More than half of all Americans — 54 percent — oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, an increase from 50 percent last month.
“I want you guys to understand that I will never hesitate to use force to protect the American people and our vital interests,” Obama told the troops. “But I also make you this promise: I will not risk your lives unless it is necessary to America’s vital interests.”
“And if it is necessary,” Obama added, “the United States of America will have your back. We’ll give you the strategy and the clear mission you deserve. We’ll give you the equipment and support you need to get the job done. And that includes public support back home.”
Obama’s trip will take him to four countries — Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea — adding to the 16 he has visited. The trip also will highlight a dramatically changing continent.
“One of my most important tasks is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Asia,” Obama said in a pre-trip interview.
At a war council meeting Wednesday, Obama rejected the four Afghan war options before him and asked for revisions that combine the best elements of the proposals, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. The changes could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and their time in the war zone.
Obama is not expected to decide the Afghan troop question until after he returns from Asia late next week.
Also left behind for now was health care. Following last weekend’s narrow passage of an overhaul plan in the House of Representatives, Obama’s top domestic priority could reach the Senate floor while he is half a world away.
Obama was arriving in Japan a day later than planned, his schedule scrambled by Tuesday’s memorial for the shooting victims at Fort Hood, Texas. His stop in Singapore for the annual Asia-Pacific economic summit, originally scheduled for two days, was cut back to a mere 20 hours.
Awaiting Obama in Japan was a new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, who swept to power vowing a more equal partnership with Washington. He also has promised to halt Japan’s refueling of U.S.-led ships carrying materiel for forces in Afghanistan, review Japan’s basing agreement for 47,000 U.S. troops and explore the possibility of a new Asian trading block that would exclude the United States.
In a pre-trip talk with Japan’s NHK network, Obama acknowledged Hatoyama’s election as a “political earthquake” but played down any friction. “This is not a senior-versus-junior partnership,” he said. “This is one of equals in which Japan has been an extraordinary contributor.”
As evidence, the White House pointed to Japan’s pledge of $5 billion to aid Afghan development.
Obama was scheduled to meet with Hatoyama, and hold a news conference, almost immediately after arriving so the Japanese leader could fly quickly off to Singapore. Obama planned to arrive at the summit late Saturday night, after delivering a speech in Tokyo and dining with the emperor.
The 21-nation Pacific Rim meeting usually promotes free trade. But this year, with the global financial crisis still reverberating, the tide has been running the other way.
“There is creeping protectionism,” said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo. “That is very dangerous. It is a slippery slope.”
While Obama’s Singapore stop was trimmed, there was no stinting on China.
Easily his biggest challenge in Asia is the rising economic and military power of China. Obama will meet with Chinese leaders in Shanghai and Beijing, tour the Great Wall and Forbidden City and hold a town hall meeting with Chinese youngsters at a Shanghai museum during a three-day stay.
While America still struggles out of its deepest recession in decades, China’s economy is bouncing back briskly. Yet a vast trade gap exists. China’s currency is hugely undervalued by U.S. reckoning, although Beijing signaled Thursday it is ready to allow its currency to rise. And there are disputes between the two countries on everything from Chinese tire exports to DVD piracy.
Obama hopes to enlist China’s help in thwarting nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and its cooperation on a climate treaty whose outlines are due to be agreed at a global conference next month in Copenhagen, Denmark.
China’s help remains crucial in efforts to get its neighbor North Korea to stop its nuclear bomb-making.
Obama closes his trip with a visit to South Korea as his administration prepares to send an envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks. But the outlook was not helped by a naval clash Tuesday in crab-fishing grounds off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast.
Pondering this difficult Asian landscape, Obama told NHK he considers himself a child of the Pacific Rim — a native of Hawaii with “fond memories” of visiting Tokyo on the way to Indonesia, where he also lived.
He also closed his interview with a formal thank-you to Japan for the most valuable player at this year’s World Series, Hideki Matsui, the one-time Yomiuri Giants star who had three home runs and eight RBIs in the series.
By Mark S. Smith - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Nov 12, 2009 21:04:10 EST
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska — Nearing a decision on sending more troops off to war, President Barack Obama told a military audience Thursday that he will not dispatch them into conflict without proper support — including the backing of the American people.
“That is a promise that I make to you,” Obama told more than 1,000 troops and their families gathered at a hangar here, as the president stopped briefly for refueling en route to a four-country trip to Asia.
The president made no direct mention of Afghanistan or his weeks-long review, now nearing completion, of how to revamp the struggling war effort there. Obama is expected to send in thousands more troops.
In recent days, from a somber memorial for the 13 people shot to death at Fort Hood, Texas, to a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Obama has lauded the determination of the all-volunteer military.
But his assurance Thursday about public support was new, and it was unclear how he would rally it.
An Associated Press-GfK poll this week showed that 48 percent of people disapprove of Obama’s handling of Afghanistan, up from 41 percent in October. More than half of all Americans — 54 percent — oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan, an increase from 50 percent last month.
“I want you guys to understand that I will never hesitate to use force to protect the American people and our vital interests,” Obama told the troops. “But I also make you this promise: I will not risk your lives unless it is necessary to America’s vital interests.”
“And if it is necessary,” Obama added, “the United States of America will have your back. We’ll give you the strategy and the clear mission you deserve. We’ll give you the equipment and support you need to get the job done. And that includes public support back home.”
Obama’s trip will take him to four countries — Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea — adding to the 16 he has visited. The trip also will highlight a dramatically changing continent.
“One of my most important tasks is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Asia,” Obama said in a pre-trip interview.
At a war council meeting Wednesday, Obama rejected the four Afghan war options before him and asked for revisions that combine the best elements of the proposals, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday. The changes could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and their time in the war zone.
Obama is not expected to decide the Afghan troop question until after he returns from Asia late next week.
Also left behind for now was health care. Following last weekend’s narrow passage of an overhaul plan in the House of Representatives, Obama’s top domestic priority could reach the Senate floor while he is half a world away.
Obama was arriving in Japan a day later than planned, his schedule scrambled by Tuesday’s memorial for the shooting victims at Fort Hood, Texas. His stop in Singapore for the annual Asia-Pacific economic summit, originally scheduled for two days, was cut back to a mere 20 hours.
Awaiting Obama in Japan was a new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, who swept to power vowing a more equal partnership with Washington. He also has promised to halt Japan’s refueling of U.S.-led ships carrying materiel for forces in Afghanistan, review Japan’s basing agreement for 47,000 U.S. troops and explore the possibility of a new Asian trading block that would exclude the United States.
In a pre-trip talk with Japan’s NHK network, Obama acknowledged Hatoyama’s election as a “political earthquake” but played down any friction. “This is not a senior-versus-junior partnership,” he said. “This is one of equals in which Japan has been an extraordinary contributor.”
As evidence, the White House pointed to Japan’s pledge of $5 billion to aid Afghan development.
Obama was scheduled to meet with Hatoyama, and hold a news conference, almost immediately after arriving so the Japanese leader could fly quickly off to Singapore. Obama planned to arrive at the summit late Saturday night, after delivering a speech in Tokyo and dining with the emperor.
The 21-nation Pacific Rim meeting usually promotes free trade. But this year, with the global financial crisis still reverberating, the tide has been running the other way.
“There is creeping protectionism,” said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo. “That is very dangerous. It is a slippery slope.”
While Obama’s Singapore stop was trimmed, there was no stinting on China.
Easily his biggest challenge in Asia is the rising economic and military power of China. Obama will meet with Chinese leaders in Shanghai and Beijing, tour the Great Wall and Forbidden City and hold a town hall meeting with Chinese youngsters at a Shanghai museum during a three-day stay.
While America still struggles out of its deepest recession in decades, China’s economy is bouncing back briskly. Yet a vast trade gap exists. China’s currency is hugely undervalued by U.S. reckoning, although Beijing signaled Thursday it is ready to allow its currency to rise. And there are disputes between the two countries on everything from Chinese tire exports to DVD piracy.
Obama hopes to enlist China’s help in thwarting nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and its cooperation on a climate treaty whose outlines are due to be agreed at a global conference next month in Copenhagen, Denmark.
China’s help remains crucial in efforts to get its neighbor North Korea to stop its nuclear bomb-making.
Obama closes his trip with a visit to South Korea as his administration prepares to send an envoy to Pyongyang for rare direct talks. But the outlook was not helped by a naval clash Tuesday in crab-fishing grounds off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast.
Pondering this difficult Asian landscape, Obama told NHK he considers himself a child of the Pacific Rim — a native of Hawaii with “fond memories” of visiting Tokyo on the way to Indonesia, where he also lived.
He also closed his interview with a formal thank-you to Japan for the most valuable player at this year’s World Series, Hideki Matsui, the one-time Yomiuri Giants star who had three home runs and eight RBIs in the series.