On the anniversary of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, President Obama is in Afghanistan where he will sign a new partnership agreement with Afghan President Karzai, according to reports.
The agreement will lay out terms for the U.S.-Afghan relationship after the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of combat forces. Obama is currently in Kabul and will speak to the nation at 7:30 pm ET from Bagram Air Force Base.
The following is from pool reports by Josh Gerstein of Politico, who is traveling with the president:
Andrews to Bagram Air Base to Kabul
President Barack Obama is in Afghanistan for a whirlwind visit that will culminate in a live, televised address to the American people.
Obama is expected to sign a strategic partnership agreement shortly with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Obama’s scheduled to speak to the nation just after 730 PM ET wednesday from Bagram airbase.
Pool, which assembled Monday night at Andrews, has been under an embargo preventing reporting of the trip up til now.
Obama left at 1209 AM Tuesday morning. And arrived at Bagram at 1020 pm local time. He landed via chopper at LZ near presidential palace at just after 11pm local
Amb Ryan crocker and Lieut Gen Mike Scaparotti deputy cddr us forces afghanistan greeted Obama as he deplaned from the lower stairs of AF1 at Bagram.
Obama is currently at the presidential palace in Kabul . . .
Senior Administration officials said the unconventional timing of events on the trip, such as the scheduled midnight local time signing ceremony, was aimed at allowing Obama to address Americans on a schedule convenient for US television audiences. That speech, expected to run about 10 minutes, is scheduled to take place just after 730 pm ET tuesday, which is 4 AM here in Afghanistan.
The trip opens the White House up to new criticism that Obama is exploiting the killing of Osama Bin Laden by using it as a major piece of his reelection campaign.
Vice President Biden has been clear that the White House intends to use the killing for its policial benefit, saying last Thursday that “Osama bin Laden is Dead” should be part of a campaign bumper sticker.
The Obama 2012 campaign has released a video celebrating Obama’s decision to take out Bin Laden and suggesting Mitt Romney would not have made the same move.
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Reports are that he’s going to promise to give them our money until 2024.
We’re coming close to the seminal moment when MrO goes a step too far.
How many times can he do that he’s gone too far to many times
The poor desperate man is just checking out a vacation spot to take Chelle and the little ones on a trip later this year. BO the wonder dog included. That’s all.
But – but- but the AP says “the military underreports what is called the insider threat, which is growing more frequent and more deadly”.
I don’t get it: things are more serious and more deadly for our Military, and the football-spiker-doofus-in-chief is over there giving away more money? Paying them to kill more? What am I not getting here?
Obama will address nation tonight from Bagram Air Force base … to the American people at 7:30 p.m
My primal scream: aaaaaaahhhhhhhh
I see you just added the prime time event. This calls for a second scream: aaaaaahhhhh
I would add to your ahhhhhhhhhhh but I’ve been struck mute:(
Hey you two – nobody can hear anything in here.
say a prayer come nov. this guy is out of office or we are all in a bunch of hell.
Is that like “can I get an amen?”
Amen
Amen again!
Like Amen.
That concludes our service.
Peace be with you:)
Projectile vomiting.
He couldn’t just talk to the generals and mingle with the troops. He has to give a big speech where I am sure he will say we shouldn’t do this and this isn’t about me while his visit and speech are designed to be exactly what he says they are not.
He arrived under the cover of darkness – Karzai was not there to greet him!.
What a drama queen. Guess he has to do something “historic” to celebrate May Day. Last year it was dressing up like Rambo and leading the SEAL team on their mission to take out Osama. This year he surrenders to the Taliban and we get to pay Karzai for the favor. Any agreement he signs with the corrupt Karzai is just for show. Congress will have to approve any treaty or appropriation of funds promised by the algae king. That is unless he plans to bypass congress like he did last week with the $192 million he gave to the Hamas-aligned Palestinian Authority.
What is he doing there? What is he promising the Afghanistanis — something that can’t be put into writing and involves his “flexibiity” upon re-election?
Where is MoochMORE? Taking a vaycay? Getting some botox? Funny that the little Queen didn’t go with BO — how can she stand him having the limelight?
Are there golf courses in Afghanistan (yet)? Oh, I get it now: that’s what the $$$ is for.
I hope our Commander in Chief can take time to reflect on the 33 servicemen that died this past month and not the piece of human garbage so ceremoniously lauded over these past few days.
Jackpot.. High fives, Bingo, in other words, good post.
Pilgrim.
It’s all publicity at this point. He one special guy. Unfortuntely, I cannot stand this grifter to the nth degree.
This whole plot will backfire on Obama. He has become the shameless President.
Obama is desperate, and dangerous, and he’ll do anything to get reelected, at taxpayers expense of course. He’s experienced a whiff of dictatorial imperial power, and he will do anything, anything, to consolidate it and maintain it. Obama is dangerous and out of control.
See the gestapos used the same news blackout system they used with the 13-year-old daughter’s solo Mexican vacation. That must be some setup the algae king has. He can pull a news story with the snap of his fingers. I did get to see the news site http://tolonews.com/ that William and Sadie linked to. Thanks again for the link…it is now bookmarked.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/how-the-white-house-smothered-the-news-of-obamas
The bad news is he’s addressing the nation. The GOOD news is that we have cable and many, many viewing options to avoid him, such as the wonderful Baltimore Orioles kicking Yankee butt tonight. I can read his speech later so that I don’t have to see his face or listen to him – kind of likek fast forwarding through commercials on the DVR recorded shows.
This better not delay NCIS!
Oh, wait, he’s not going to make Seal Team 6 join him for a photo op or something, is he????
Odd….just posted “exploitation thy name is obama” but as someone named Jeff. Sorry Jeff…whomever you are!
Janna, your name and email were filled in my sign on info. Weird.
Janna — Odder still when I went to leave my most recent comment and was rereading I noticed I was logged in as you. I have cleared mine. But it did have your email address as well. So, there’s that.
Not sure what’s going on – trying to fix, apologies.
If you are Keith? Humor in the face of adversity:)
Yes Lizzy, sense of humor helps avoid need for morning whiskey.
Whatever he agrees to will be detrimental to the US and beneficial for Afganistan. Will he bow to Karzai or will he just turn around and bend over? Will he check out the “Imperial Garb” for his hopin’ second term?
Obama is getting a lot of flack for taking all the credit. Probably somebody pointed out to him that it’s backfiring. This is a desperation move — for sure there won’t be any grand banquet halls, and other goodies that Obama is so fond of. He probably had to be dragged onto that plane. My bet is he will get up in front of the nation from Afghanistan with a full military background and thank everyone — military, military families, military dogs — for getting us to this point where we can peacefully leave Afghanistan. Pivot. And even if not, it still remains what it has always has been — the military provides window dressing for this man’s re-election campaign. Nothing more and nothing less.
There is NOTHING he can do to save the optics. The very fact that he went there- on this day – is a victory lap. A very public one. Ass. I would IMAGINE that his staff is erasing all the “I – Me -My’s” from the prepared speech, but he cannot avoid how this looks.
It looks like exactly what it is, of course.
Maybe he’ll start to refer to himself in third person. That would be even better than first person!
It’s 2:00 in the morning in Kabul. The agreement has already been signed. Did the community organizer/campaigner pull our troops out of bed for a photo op? Things have gotten so bad since Obama became CIC – he has to sneak into Kabul like a thief in the night! Come to think of it…never mind! Wolf Blitzer is talking about the fact that Obama is risking his life for this mission — no comment!
Wolf Blitzer is talking about the fact that Obama is risking his life for this mission — no comment!
He DID NOT say that, did he?
Honestly, at times it hard to tell if something is parody or not with the current administration/ MSM. We need a parody tag.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they “arrange” to have someone take a pop at him around October or so…to elicit sympathy and stir up some racial unrest just in time for the election.
I know…it sounds off the wall, but I wouldn’t put anything past this guy.
If he keeps it up this kind of crap is what got Kerry Swiftboated.
No way risking his life? Someone want to tell Wolf that it’s the Secret
Service and military personnel that are risking their lives so Sparky can
feel like a man. MSM are as dangerous and stupid as he is we are doomed.
They know the push back they’ll be getting from this speech. All the I s and ME s are being crossed out as I write. He’ll be thanking everyone’s part in the mission and take no credit for himself. He’ll bite his lip endlessly. The networks will swoon. We’re screwed.
He’s going to announce some stupid “partnership” agreement that will only be one way. Taxpayers to get the bill, as usual.
It’s ironic that the candidate backed by all the people that roasted W for his war-mongering has only an assasination to claim for his credit.
What and how much Is this going to cost us ? Would Obammy have us believe Karzai will do this for free because he just loves the US ?
This will be a lot more expensive than Michelle’s many vacations.
CAR IN…..Yes, he really said it! I couldn’t believe my ears – he was talking to a reporter on the ground in Kabul about how dangerous the situation has gotten in the last six months. The dolts don’t even realize that Obama is the underlying cause of all the escalating problems!
It’s like Viagra to this bunch of girls men.
I meant girly can’t type when my head s exploding.
Obama in Afghanistan = He needs more video for campagin TV ads.
I guess the miles of golfing won’t cut it. He certainly turned out to be the “green” president – we’re all feeling “green in the gills”.
Amen, Sadie, Amen.
PARK THE PLANE!
Maybe he will wear his Sgt. Pepper military uniform and one white glove when he goes on TV. That’ll get the Seals off his ass.
Get ready for Gadaffi-like uniforms with star-studded epaulettes if he wins re-election.
The grunts and line doggies in the ‘Stan understand completely that this loser is using them to get himself another four years to destroy the US military, the US economy, and gut the Constitution. But, of course, Obama MUST use Osama — he has so little else to point to.