President Barack Obama said he had “difficult decisions” to make on Ira an Afghanistan after his first meeting as commander-in-chief at the Pentagon with military brass.No decisions were made at the more than 90-minutes session with the military chiefs, officials said, and Obama gave no clue whether he intends to stick with a 16 months timetable for the with drawal of US combat troops from Iraq.
“We’re going to have some difficult decisions we’re going to have to make surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan, most immediately,” he said after speaking with the heads of joint chiefs of staff and he military eservices.
“Obviously our efforts to go after extremist organizations that do harm to our homeland is uppermost on our minds,” he added.
Obama must balance the risk of a rapid drawdown in Iraq against commanders’ requirements for up to 30,000 more US troops in Afghanistan, which would nearly double the US military presence there, in response to worsening security conditions.
The president emerged from the meeting is a secure conference room known as “the Tank” with Vice President Joe Biden.
New Intelligence chief.
The US Senate confirmed retired admiral Dennis Blair as new US director of national intelligence.
The Senate approved Blair by voice vote. Late Wednesday.
Blair Last week flatly rejected torture – which he branded “not moral.. not legal.. not effective” – and promised to end special interrogation regimes and refuse the unlawful surveillance of Americans. Blair indicated major changes are in store for US intelligence agencies, which have been embroiled in controversy over secret prisons, interrogation practices, and warrantless wire tapping of Americans.
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