Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2009 7A DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE DemocratandChronicle.com Fact check: Obama overlooks some realities Osama bin Laden, is believed to be hiding on the Pakistan side of the border. OBAMA: "Let me be clear: there has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010, so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war." THE FACTS: He is correct, despite being accused by former Vice President Dick Cheney of dithering by taking the autumn to review options for Afghanistan. Former Afghan war commander Gen. David McKiernan asked in 2008 for three brigades of which two were approved for deployment by Obama in March of this year but wanted the third to arrive in 2010, not earlier. His successor, Gen.

Stanley McChrystal, posited a range of troop buildups favoring about 40,000 but did not ask for them to be in place as early as this year. THE FACTS: It's true the Pakistani army this year has launched offensives against extremist elements in the areas cited by Obama. What he did not mention, however, is that the groups being targeted by the Pakistanis are those that threaten the Pakistani government not those, also based in Pakistan, that are focused on attacking U.S. and Afghan forces on the other side of the porous border with Afghanistan. Obama administration officials have publicly praised Pakistan for taking on the extremists in Swat and South Waziristan.

But they also have made clear that they want Pakistan to put more military pressure on the Afghan-focused extremist groups, which have so far not been confronted on the Pakistan side of the border, other than by airstrikes from unmanned U.S. drones. Among the groups not yet confronted directly by the Pakistani army is al-Qaeda, whose top leader, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, is to partner entire U.S. and NATO combat units with newly fielded Afghan units large and small so the Afghans get more exposure to professional military leadership practices and combat tactics.

This is an approach that was used to good effect in recent years in Iraq. OBAMA: "In the past, there have been those in Pakistan who have argued that the struggle against extremism is not their fight and that Pakistan is better off doing little or seeking accommodation with those who use violence. But in recent years, as innocents have been killed from Karachi to Islamabad, it has become clear that it is the Pakistani people who are the most endangered by extremism. Public opinion has turned. The Pakistani army has waged an offensive in Swat and South Waziristan.

And there is no doubt that the United States and Pakistan share a common enemy." ROBERT BURNS and CALVIN WOODWARD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON President Barack Obama's speech Tuesday night did not always match the reality on the ground in Afghanistan. The president raised expectations that may be hard to meet when he told Americans his troop increase in Afghanistan will accelerate the training of that country's own forces and be accompanied by more help from allies. A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts: OBAMA: "Because this is an international effort, I have asked that our commitment be joined by contributions from our allies. Some have already provided additional troops, and we are confident that there will be further contributions in the days and weeks ahead." THE FACTS: When Obama says he is confident that allied countries will provide more troops in the weeks ahead he is setting aside years of mostly empty-handed American efforts to get others, including allies in NATO, to deepen their commitment to combat in Afghanistaa One reason, which Obama did not mention, is that other countries, particularly those in Europe, have viewed the conflict and its likely solution much differently than Washington. They have seen it primarily as a humanitarian and reconstruction mission, rather than a counterinsurgency fight.

And they have pushed for greater non-military means of addressing Afghanistan's instability. For a time there also was a European sense of hangover from the U.S. invasion of Iraq and a perceived go-it-alone bent by the Bush administration. Obama is technically correct in anticipating that some allies will offer more assistance, possibly as early as the coming week during a series of NATO consultations about how the troop requirements of commanders in Afghanistan might be met. But history has shown that these troop contributions often are incremental.

OBAMA: The extra U.S. forces for Afghanistan "will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans. THE FACTS: The problem with Afghan forces is not just their lack of numbers. And it's not an unwillingness to fight.

The problem too often is their effectiveness, once trained for combat. Too many get into the fight but don't remain or don't perform. A major change of approach promised by Obama's new chief commander in Afghanistan, Taliban say Afghan surge will mean more U.S. fatalities Congress leery of Obama's plan for Afghanistan talk. GERARLD HERBERT The Associated Press Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and JointChiefs Chairman Adm.

Mike Mullen testify on Capitol Hill Wednesday. July 2011 deadline to start bringing troops home. The response was the best Obama could have hoped for from a Congress sharply divided on the war. "It's not likely that there would be any circumstances where the president would lose this battle this year" with lawmakers, said Rep. John Murtha.

In House and Senate hearings on Wednesday, Obama's advisers insisted the stakes were great. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said losing the war "would have severe consequences for the United States and the world," and warned of a deadly "symbiotic" relationship be- How they voted Here's how local state Here's how local state THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KABUL The Taliban rebuffed President Barack Obama's new war plan for Afghanistan on Wednesday, saying his strategy to send 30,000 new troops will only lead to more American casualties. If conditions are right, Obama said U.S. forces could begin leaving Afghanistan in 18 months. Gen.

Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in the country, said the Afghan government and its international partners should use the coming year-and-a-half to convince the Taliban they can't win and offer militants a way to quit the insurgency "with dignity." In a statement, the Taliban said the Obama's plan was "no solution for the Several Republicans had been lobbied heavily, including Sen. James Alesi of Perinton. Alesi was deemed a key vote, in part because he was the first Republican to vote. When his name was called, he paused and held his head in his hands as he said "no." Later, Alesi said he was bothered that the vote was brought up as the state dealt with its fiscal len, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton all sought to stress that the 18-month timeline would not con strain the military or encourage the Taliban.

With voter support of the war on the decline, Democrats sought assurances that Obama's target date to begin withdrawing troops was firm. in civil-rights movements before, "but they are preludes to victory." "I hope this loss causes Democratic leaders to reconsider their fanatical commitment to an issue that is a priority for only a small number of wealthy donors and activists in their party," said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, who lives in Ossining, Westchester County. ANNE FLAHERTY and ANNE GEARAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON A deeply skeptical Congress on Wednesday resigned itself to President Barack Obama's escalation of the Afghanistan war, even as the president's chief military and diplomatic advisers sought to cool any expectations that the war would end in two years. Leading Democrats said they had serious misgivings about the deployment of 30,000 more troops but would not try to block it or the $30 billion it will cost. Republicans said they support the force increase even as they doubted Obama's Afnrrincrp Mdrndge FROM PAGE 1A "It's a defeat today, but it's not a defeat for marriage equality," said Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

The Rev. Jason McGuire of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a conservative Christian group, said Wednesday was a "good day for marriage in New York." "We're glad to see that senators on both sides of the aisle understood the inherent importance of both a mom and a dad in a child's life. That's what this is about. Gender does matter," he said. A demonstration greeted the vote in Roch- WE'LL COME TO YOUR 7S legislators voted on legalizing problems of Afghanistan" and would give insurgents an opportunity "to increase their attacks and shake the American economy, which is already facing crisis." Obama only set a tentative pullout date for July 2011 to lessen the sensitivities of Afghans about the troop buildup and decrease the American public's opposition to the war, the Taliban statement said.

"This stratagem will not pay off," it said, adding the surge will result in increased deaths of U.S. troops. The Afghan government welcomed Obama's announcement but cautioned against setting a deadline for handing over security to Afghan forces. crisis. Lawmakers earlier in the day had voted to cut state spending to close a mid-year budget gap.

"I'm an elected representative and an overwhelming number of people called me and indicated that they were opposed to this," he said. JSPECT0RGannett.com Includes reporting by staff writer Ernst La-mothe and the Albany bureau's Cara Matthews. til -I Jm same-sex marriage in New York: ASSEMBLY Voting no: James Bacalles, R-Corning; Daniel Burling, R-Alexander; Joe Errigo, R-Conesus; Stephen Haw-ley, R-Batavia; Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua; Robert Oaks, R-Macedon; and Bill Reilich, R-Greece. Voting yes: Susan John, D-Rochester; David Koon, D-Perinton; Joseph Morelle, D-lrondequoit. Abstaining: David Gantt, D-Rochester.

SENATE Voting no: James Alesi, R-Perinton; George Maziarz, R-Newfane; Michael Nozzolio, R-Fayette; Michael Ran-zenhofer, R-Amherst; Joe Robach, R-Greece; Dale Volk-er, R-Depew; Cathy Young, R-Olean. tween the Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists. The testimony was aimed at building support among war-weary lawmakers for Obama's dramatic expansion of the Afghanistan war. Much of the congressional questioning focused on the July 2011 date when the surge would begin to ebb. Gates, Adm.

Mike Mul "People here just want the same rights that others have," said participant Scott Fearing. In Albany, Gov. David Paterson, who had vowed to sign the bill, said there have been historic losses $1.99 INSTALLED paid yoj-tAy-JZ that 114 Fairport Village sold. Fairport, MY H4SU today's classified section A Holiday Portrait Special for Special Family Portraits. OR PLACE OF BUSINESS ester.

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