Who Are We

[Pentagon spokesman George] Little said the US Army sergeant alleged to have committed the Afghan killings is in his 30s, served three tours of duty in Iraq, and was deployed in Afghanistan for the first time.

“This is an isolated incident and we will pursue accountability for the alleged actions of this service member,” he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added her voice to the revulsion at the killings, after Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to offer their condolences on Sunday.

“This is not who we are and the United States is committed to seeing that those who are responsible are held accountable,” said Clinton, speaking at the United Nations. She described the incident as “terrible” and “awful.”

  Raw Story

”An isolated incident.” “This is not who we are.” A few bad apples. How many times have they said that? You'd think after a while they'd figure out that indeed, this is who we are. I know the rest of the world has.

David Cameron and Barack Obama will on Wednesday agree to tentative plans for British and US troops to end their “lead combat role” in Afghanistan by the middle of next year.

[...]

Amid fears among Nato commanders in Afghanistan that the troop “draw down” may be moving too rapidly, the two leaders will discuss plans for British and US troops to move from “lead combat” to a support and training role by the middle of 2013. This could involve what is being described as a “support combat role”, though all Nato troops except those involved in training Afghan forces are due to be withdrawn by the end of 2014.

Cameron and Obama will hold discussions at the Oval Office on Wednesday, the most substantive part of a three-day official visit by the prime minister to the US, which begins on Tuesday. The president will signal a rekindling of the “special relationship” by welcoming Cameron to the White House with a 19-gun salute and a state dinner.

  Raw Story

Because pomp and pageantry between heads of state symbolizes democracy so aptly.

The White House talks on Afghanistan come amid warnings from Nato’s International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) that it would be wrong for a change in western military tactics to be accompanied by an accelerated withdrawal.

[...]

[Military c]ommanders are anxious that Obama is saving up a voter-pleasing announcement as he enters the last six months before the presidential election in November.

Because it would be a terrible thing for a president of a democracy to bend to the will of the people.