President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan today in an effort to encourage the Afghan government to take greater accountability for its actions and to make a greater effort to cut down on corruption. The trip was kept secret and conducted at night for security reasons. Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan Cabinet in the capital city of Kabul and gave a speech at the Bagram Air Field to about 2500 civilians and troops. In his speech, Obama stressed the U.S.'s commitment to preventing a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan as well as his desire for the country to become self-sufficient in its security. "The United States is a partner, but our intent is to make sure that the Afghans have the capacity to provide for their own security — that is core to our mission," Obama said in his speech. Another theme in his speech was that the U.S. is growing impatient with Afghanistan's lax efforts to combat corruption in the government. I think that this visit was a good decision by the White House, as it not only encourages the Afghan government to devote more time and resources to battling corruption, but it also shows U.S. citizens that Obama means business and that we aren't just sending troops to Afghanistan for the heck of it. I had gotten a little fed up with the escalation of this conflict, as nothing seemed to be happening, but this shows me that at least we have a plan and that we expect something from Afghanistan too. This has sure been a busy week for Obama, with health care and everything - good to know we have a hard working president. Read more at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125276586.
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