'Obama's Wars'

Muammar Qaddafi

Obama Calls On Qaddafi To End The Bloodshed, Give Himself Up

Susan Crabtree | August 22, 2011, 2:02PM

President Barack Obama (D)

President Obama called on Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi to end the bloodshed and give himself up amid reports that fighters for the regime are mounting a last-ditch defense of their swiftly shrinking control of Tripoli.

In an audio statement released Monday afternoon, Obama said Qaddafi has the "opportunity to reduce further bloodshed" by surrendering to NATO-backed opposition forces.

"Although it is clear that Gadhafi's rule is over, he still has the opportunity to reduce further bloodshed by explicitly relinquishing power to the people of Libya and calling for those forces that continue to fight to lay down their arms for the sake of Libya," Obama said.

Libya

House Defeats Effort To Yank Funds For Libya War And To Authorize the Mission

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 2:31PM

In a confused message to President Obama, the House on Friday voted down both a bill to defund U.S. involvement in the Libya mission and a measure that would have granted the mission Congressional approval for one year.

All week, support had been building in the House for repudiating Obama's handling of the war with most concerns focused on his failure to consult Congress and gain its approval before authorizing airstrikes. But that movement fell short of sending the harshest rebuke at Congress' disposal -- cutting off funds -- although members registered their disapproval of the war and Obama's handling of it by failing to give it the Congressional seal of approval.

The final vote on the defunding bill was 180 in favor and 238 opposed. In the first vote, the House overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya for one year, 295 to 123.

The Senate has no plans to cut off funding, so the vote was largely symbolic, but it still constitutes a small victory for the President and his intervention in Libya and a sign of his support among the Democratic caucus amid a divisive debate about his decision to launch airstrikes in Libya without Congressional approval.

Libya

House Votes Against Authorizing Obama's Libya War

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 11:53AM

The House has overwhelmingly voted down a bill that would have authorized U.S. military action in Libya after months of bipartisan outrage over President Obama's decision to launch military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress.

The vote, 295 to 123, did not break along traditional party lines. A majority of Republicans concerned about budget constraints and more generally diametrically opposed to Obama's agenda voted against the measure banding together with anti-war Democrats. Just eight Republicans voted for authorizing the Libya oepration: Reps. Charlie Dent (PA), David Dreier (CA), Steve King (IA), Peter King (NY), Thaddeus McCotter (MI), David Rivera (FL) and Mike Rogers (MI).

Libya

What To Expect Today On House Votes On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 10:55AM

The House is set to vote today on a bill that would severely limit funding for U.S. military action in Libya, what would amount to a bipartisan rebuke of a sitting president's decision to authorize military strikes in the North African country without the approval of Congress. Votes are expected anytime from noon to late afternoon.

Republican leaders, who control the House floor, are allowing two key votes on the Libya today. The defunding measure is being offered by Rep. Tom Rooney (R-FL) and would cut off funds for airstrikes or any other combat but would allow the U.S. to serve in a supporting role to the now-NATO-led operation, which would include air refueling, intelligence and search-and-rescue operations.

'Obama's Wars'

Boehner Readies Stronger Bill Rebuking Obama On Libya

Susan Crabtree | June 23, 2011, 6:30AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama (D)

House Republicans leaders have decided to shift gears and hold a vote as early as Friday on a bill to defund U.S. military action in Libya, GOP sources said.

Earlier this week, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) had planned a two-pronged approach, addressing the deep divisions in his party on the Libya issue. One bill, which mirrored a measure Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) offered in the Senate, would authorize the limited use of force in Libya, while another would prevent any more U.S. action in the North African country.

Afghanistan

Obama Announces Plans To Send 10,000 troops Home By Dec. 31

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 8:19PM

President Obama announced plans to send home 10,000 troops from Afghanistan and another 23,000 by end the September 2012 in a primetime TV and radio address Wednesday night.

In the 10-minute speech, Obama said he was fulfilling a promise he made at a speech at West Point in 2009 when he ordered a surge of 30,000 troops -- that the troops would begin coming home starting in July 2011.

"Tonight, I can tell you that we are fulfilling that commitment," he said.

Afghanistan

Obama's Afghan Plan With Will Be Major 2012 Foreign Policy Test

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 5:45AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is facing one of the most difficult political challenges of his two and a half years in office in making the case to a skeptical American public and an impatient Congress that the longest war in U.S. history is still worth fighting and funding while he incrementally withdraws troops.

Obama is scheduled to outline his plans for a Afghanistan troop drawdown in a primetime address on Wednesday. The following day he will travel to Fort Drum in upstate New York to begin selling the proposal to the American people, the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Afghanistan

Panetta Sidesteps Barrage Of Questions On Afghan Drawdown

Susan Crabtree | June 9, 2011, 12:06PM

Leon Panetta, tapped by President Obama to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, attempted to dodge the most critical question facing the military and the administration right now during his nomination hearing Thursday.

Panetta faced a barrage of questions about the upcoming drawdown of troops in Afghanistan after signaling that he backed the President's call for a "significant" reduction of U.S. troops beginning in July.

'Obama's Wars'

As Obama Mulls Afghan Drawdown, War Weariness Grows On Capitol Hill

Susan Crabtree | June 8, 2011, 3:44PM

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)

With President Obama's July deadline for withdrawing some troops in Afghanistan just weeks away, the future of the U.S. commitment to the nearly 10-year war has been a hot topic on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in recent weeks.

Concern over the nation's budget woes have taken center stage in Washington, and with few tangible signs of progress in Afghanistan, members of Congress are increasingly expressing deep skepticism about maintaining U.S. nation-building efforts there.

The most notable aspect of Wednesday's Senate Foreign Relations hearing on the nomination of Ryan Crocker to be ambassador to Afghanistan, was the absence of voices supporting an ongoing robust U.S. presence there.

Afghanistan

Bipartisan Group Urges Obama To Use OBL Raid As Example And End War In Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | May 9, 2011, 12:51PM

A bipartisan group of eight members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to abandon the nation-building effort in Afghanistan in favor of a scaled-down mission focused primarily on quashing al Qaeda in the wake of the targeted special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who chairs the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations, want the Obama administration to view the successful mission against bin Laden as a model for U.S. counter-terrorism strategy as a whole. Welch, Chaffetz and a group of three Democrats and three Republicans sent Obama a letter calling for the end of the war in Afghanistan and a shift to more surgical, strategic operations to combat worldwide terrorism.

Osama Bin Laden

Obama Thanks SEAL Team Who Killed OBL For 'Job Well Done'

Susan Crabtree | May 6, 2011, 4:02PM

President Barack Obama at Fort Campbell, Ky.

President Obama flew to Fort Campbell, Ky., Friday to personally congratulate the special operations team responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden, telling them and the rest of the troops on the base "job well done."

Vice President Joe Biden joined Obama in privately thanking the Navy SEAL team just hours after bin Laden's terror network al Qaeda confirmed the death of their leader and vowed to avenge it and retaliate against Americans.

Barack Obama

White House: We Won't Release Any More Operational Details About OBL Killing

Susan Crabtree | May 4, 2011, 4:55PM

After two days of administration officials offering up conflicting details and accounts of the intense U.S. assault-team raid on Osama bin Laden's compound and his subsequent killing, the White House has completely shut down press attempts to get a full accounting of what transpired.

White House spokesman Jay Carney Wednesday referred all questions about operational aspects of the mission to the Defense Department, even refusing to say who, if anyone, was shooting back at the Navy Seals during the "firefight" that Carney and other administration officials earlier in the week has said took place during the 40-minute raid Sunday night.

'Obama's Wars'

White House Further Revises Narrative On OBL Killing

Susan Crabtree | May 3, 2011, 4:18PM

The White House has further corrected details of the intense, Sunday-night raid on Osama bin Laden's compound and subsequent killing in an attempt to clear up several misstatements from administration officials about what transpired inside the compound walls during the 40-minute covert mission.

President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney Tuesday afternoon read a Pentagon-prepared statement to reporters describing the events that took place inside the compound Sunday night.

Congressional Medal of Honor

Obama Credits Military Sacrifice And Bravery In OBL's Killing

Susan Crabtree | May 2, 2011, 12:50PM

President Barack Obama

President Obama, at an awards ceremony for two posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War Monday, took the opportunity to thank the U.S. military and their families, saying Sunday's killing of Osama bin Laden couldn't have been accomplished without their bravery, leadership and sacrifice.

The President specifically hailed the leadership of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were on hand for the awards ceremony.

"I think we can all agree this is a good day for America," Obama said. "Our country has kept its commitment to see that justice is done. The world is safer and it is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden."

"Today we are reminded that as a nation, there's nothing we can't do, if we put our shoulders to the wheel, to work together .. to remember the sense of the unity that defines Americans," he continued.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton To Congress: Obama Would Ignore Your War Resolutions

Susan Crabtree | March 30, 2011, 4:44PM

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Update: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who asked Clinton about the War Powers Act during a classified briefing, said Clinton and the administration are sidestepping the measure's provisions giving Congress the ability to put a 60-day time limit on any military action.

"They are not committed to following the important part of the War Powers Act," he told TPM in a phone interview. "She said they are certainly willing to send reports [to us] and if they issue a press release, they'll send that to us too."

The White House would forge ahead with military action in Libya even if Congress passed a resolution constraining the mission, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during a classified briefing to House members Wednesday afternoon.

Clinton was responding to a question from Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) about the administration's response to any effort by Congress to exercise its war powers, according to a senior Republican lawmaker who attended the briefing.

'Obama's Wars'

Obama Doctrine Emerges: International Support Critical To Military Missions

Susan Crabtree | March 27, 2011, 9:38AM

After weeks of withering criticism of the White House's delayed response in Libya, as well as his decision to authorize air strikes, President Obama is beginning to articulate his philosophy for the use of military force overseas.

The President plans to lay out the strategy behind his foreign policy decisions in Libya in a prime-time address to the nation Monday night at 7:30 ET, something his critics say he should have done before missile launches began in the North African country last Friday.

John Boehner

Boehner To Obama: Please Provide Clear Answers on Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 7:22PM

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is demanding detailed answers from President Obama on the scope and objective of U.S. military action in Libya and his plans for removing Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from power if he does not voluntarily step down in the next few days.

In a letter (read it here) to the White House sent Wednesday afternoon, Boehner asks Obama to outline the "scope, objective and purpose of the mission in Libya and how it will be achieved."

Libya

Senior Senate Dems Defend Obama's Decisions on Libya

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 3:36PM

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Three senior Senate Demorats are coming to President Obama's defense on his decision to seek international support before directing air strikes against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Sen. Dick Durbin (IL), the assistant majority leader, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (MI) and Sen. Jack Reed (RI), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, gave the President a collective pat on the back for his diplomatic and military decisions on Libya in the last week in the face of harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle that Obama's handling of the Libyan crisis was too little too late and did not seek congressional approval for the military action.

Libya

Libya Talk Turns To Limited Boots On The Ground

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 1:37AM

Conservative advocates for greater U.S. intervention in Libya are beginning to call for a limited number of boots on the ground to help rebel forces coordinate and target their attacks against Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

Max Boot, a longtime proponent of the use of military force to promote U.S. ideals around the world, is calling on President Obama to send special forces teams into Libya to work with the opposition leaders to coordinate their attacks on the ground with NATO airstrikes.

Boot was quick to say he wasn't pushing a foreign occupation on the ground, which would directly violate the United Nations Security Council resolution passed Thursday giving the U.S., Britain and France the authority to use all necessary force to avert a humanitarian crisis.

Barack Obama

Obama: U.S. Is Not Targeting Qaddafi But Has Tools To Do So

Susan Crabtree | March 21, 2011, 4:30PM

President Barack Obama

Update: President Obama sent a letter to Congressional leaders spelling out his decision to direct strikes against Libyan air defenses over the weekend and citing his Constitutional authority for the military action.

President Obama held out the threat of targeting Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi personally Monday but said the U.S. would stop short of doing so -- at least for now.

Instead, Obama stressed the importance of sticking to the mandate of the U.N. resolution passed Thursday, which focuses on preventing Qaddafi from crushing opposition forces in a large-scale massacre.

David Petraeus

Dem Rep Accuses Petraeus Of Using 'Charlie Sheen' PR Strategy On Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | March 16, 2011, 1:50PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) accused Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, of employing a "Charlie Sheen" strategy in trying to convince the American public to stay the course in Afghanistan.

"General Petraeus is giving us the Charlie Sheen counter-insurgency strategy, which is to give exclusive interviews to every major network, and to keep saying 'we're winning' and hope the public actually agrees with you," Woolsey said during a speech on the House floor Wednesday.

David Petraeus

Petraeus on Afghan War: 'We Have To Remember Why We're There'

Susan Crabtree | March 15, 2011, 12:42PM

General David Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus urged the American people to remember the reasons why U.S. forces continue to fight in Afghanistan in the face of a new poll showing the lowest level of American support for the longest war in U.S. history.

Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that he understands the level of American frustration with the Afghan war, but warned of the growth of al Qaeda in the country and region if the U.S. abandons its mission and allows the Taliban to regain control.

'Obama's Wars'

McCain, Graham Lead Effort to Strip Holder of Detainee Authority

Susan Crabtree | March 10, 2011, 3:47PM

Attorney General Eric Holder

Six senators, led by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), are pushing for sweeping changes to the nation's laws governing detainees and the war on terror, including one that would strip Attorney General Eric Holder and the Justice Department as a whole of the power to make decisions about where to try suspected terrorists.

The group of senators, which includes Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Scott Brown (R-MA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), are working with Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee on a bill that would usher in comprehensive detainee policy changes and would, among other things, affirm the military's right to detain, hold and interrogate detains at its discretion without the involvement of the Department of Justice or Holder.

Lindsey Graham

Graham: Obama's Gitmo Decree Is 'Confusing, Illogical'

Susan Crabtree | March 8, 2011, 8:44AM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

President Obama signed an executive order Monday that ends a two-year ban on military trials at Guantanamo Bay, but one of the biggest critics of his detainee policy is still confused about what the decree means for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-declared mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and his co-conspirators.

"[The administration's policy on Guantanamo] has been on again and off again, and I can't tell from this order where KSM is going to go," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told TPM Monday evening. "He would gladly tell you he did it. He and his co-conspirators should be handled through the law of war and treated like our enemies."

Commission on Wartime Contracting

U.S. Needs To Improve Safeguards To Avoid Rehiring 'Bad Actor' Defense Contractors

Susan Crabtree | February 28, 2011, 1:58PM

The U.S. government's dependence on private contractors for work in Afghanistan and Iraq has hampered competition and favored incumbent contractors regardless of whether they have a record of criminal or fraudulent activities, according to a new report from the Commission on Wartime Contracting.

That finding was a focus of a Commission on Wartime Contracting hearing Monday that discussed methods to exact more accountability from private contractors, including recording incumbent contractors' performance assessments into a federal database accessible to all government agencies. Michael Thibault, the former deputy director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and former Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) chair the commission.

"If you hired somebody to paint your house and they tracked paint all over your carpet, you probably wouldn't use them again and you might even negotiate a price that was less than you originally agreed to," said Wartime Contracting Commissioner Grant Green.

Iraq

Report: U.S. Has Wasted Tens Of Billions Of Dollars On Contractors In Iraq And Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | February 28, 2011, 10:05AM

private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A new report from a bipartisan commission set up to scrutinize the unprecedented use of contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan concludes that the United States has wasted tens of billions of the nearly $177 billion that has been spent on those contracts and grants since 2002.

The report, titled "At What Risk? Correcting Over-reliance on Contractors in Contingency Operations," said its estimate may even understate the problem because it may not take into full account ill-conceived projects, poor planning and oversight by the U.S. government, as well as criminal behavior and blatant corruption by both government and contractor employees.

Bob Woodward

Top 5 Leaks In Obama's Wars: Secret Armies, Terrorist Attacks And Political Strategizing

Christina Bellantoni | September 22, 2010, 1:00PM

Author Bob Woodward

News outlets that got a sneak peek Bob Woodward's latest book found that President Obama fretted that, without a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, he would lose support from his Democratic base. Woodward's Obama's Wars, out Monday, reveals an administration sparring over policy for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Obama shaken by the potential of a terrorist attack and a secret CIA army helping fight terrorism in Pakistan.

Woodward, who wrote three books about President George W. Bush, interviewed administration officials, Cabinet members, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for the book. Obama's Wars focuses mostly on Afghanistan and Obama's decision to send a surge of 30,000 troops there as he pulled combat troops from Iraq.

Here are the top 5 revelations out today.

TPMDC 'Obama's Wars'

Susan Crabtree | August 22, 2011, 2:02PM

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 2:31PM

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 11:53AM

Susan Crabtree | June 24, 2011, 10:55AM

Susan Crabtree | June 23, 2011, 6:30AM

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 8:19PM

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 5:45AM

Susan Crabtree | June 9, 2011, 12:06PM

Susan Crabtree | June 8, 2011, 3:44PM

Susan Crabtree | May 9, 2011, 12:51PM

Susan Crabtree | May 6, 2011, 4:02PM

Susan Crabtree | May 4, 2011, 4:55PM

Susan Crabtree | May 3, 2011, 4:18PM

Susan Crabtree | May 2, 2011, 12:50PM

Susan Crabtree | March 30, 2011, 4:44PM

Susan Crabtree | March 27, 2011, 9:38AM

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 7:22PM

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 3:36PM

Susan Crabtree | March 23, 2011, 1:37AM

Susan Crabtree | March 21, 2011, 4:30PM

Susan Crabtree | March 16, 2011, 1:50PM

Susan Crabtree | March 15, 2011, 12:42PM

Susan Crabtree | March 10, 2011, 3:47PM

Susan Crabtree | March 8, 2011, 8:44AM

Susan Crabtree | February 28, 2011, 1:58PM

Susan Crabtree | February 28, 2011, 10:05AM

Christina Bellantoni | September 22, 2010, 1:00PM

TPMDC
'Obama's Wars'