There was only so far I could milk the use of “The Decider” in a sarcastic tone when applied to Barack H. Obama. Henceforth, he shall be known as “The Dodger In Chief.” And The Dodger is doing his normal on Afghanistan
President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
OK, he isn’t going to accept any plan provided to him. What is his plan? Does he have one? 10 months into his presidency, perhaps it is high time to formulate one? Then again, 10 months in, it is high time to formulate an actual plan to deal with the economy.
That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official.
In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Shocker! He’s taking the advice of the guy who says he should just keep throwing over to first base to avoid throwing to the plate. Tough decisions are just not in his makeup. Unless they are on which American(s) to demean.
He has already had the advice of his entire military chain of command with a near unanimous call for for reinforcements to move to the strategy that won in Iraq. We have watched as he has heard from the deep wisdom of Joe Biden and Rahm Emanuel. We have seen him dither and quibble and show a completely ineffectual and uncommitted face to our enemies and the rest of the world. Now months after his hand-picked commander has told him the situation is bad and getting worse, our troops in the field fight and die without the support of their Commander in Chief. He sent 21,000 more brave men and women there and now they are flappin’ in the breeze. How can a squad leader look his men in the eyes and tell them to saddle up and head out on a patrol, perhaps to be the last to die for a cause their President no longer believes in?
If Obama is not going to put any more troops in Afghanistan, he needs to decide. Now.
Update: Some more interesting words to replace the use of a sarcastic “Decider in Chief.” Blogs For Victory: The Ditherer. Legal Insurrection: The Dawdler In Chief.
I still want to know what President Neophytes proposals are.
Unless we develop a comprehensive South Asia strategy, the most we can hope for is a temporary peace in Afghanistan.
What would such a strategy look like? Well, at the very least it requires some moderation of the strategic competition between India and Pakistan.
Without attention to this aspect of the problem, we really are only playing around at the edges of the conflict.
For more, see http://bit.ly/3vYHPk
Welcome to Viet Nam II the sequel.
Politicians play a game of Risk, while Generals make unheard recommendations to save soldiers lives and advance the end of war (with victory)
De ja vu.
Trish do you know of us having the 40,000 troops available that have been requested ? Would you prefer to send troops that are not ready ? these 40,000 troops do you realize that they will require 100,000 gal of fuel per day more ? How do you expect to provide these 40,000 with the things that they need ? It really is a lot simpler in Risk than in real life. Do you think that Obama should follow the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ? I do, and they say to send no ore troops except those that they feel are ready to go. I do not think that we should send any troops that are not ready, and I say that the Joint Chiefs should determine things like that
John Ryan, what about those stuck in harm’s way who need reinforcements?
Do YOU want to be responsible for each death of a US serviceperson that happens because a decision hasn’t been made?
YOU seem to know how many gallons of fuel they will need. Do YOU also know that if a decision to send troops IS made it will take approx four months to get the troops AND THEIR SUPPLIES in country?
In the meantime YOU suggest leaving those on foreign soil just hanging out to dry!
Incredible.
THREE MILLION, John. That’s how many people we had in the military as of 2007. I think we can safely assume that in two years, that THREE MILLION are adequately trained.
McChrystal is asking for FORTY THOUSAND. That’s a smidge over ONE PERCENT of our total military. I ain’t buying that not even one percent of our military is adequately trained and ready to ship.
As for providing the funds, Obama seems to think that we can afford his idiotic health care bill, cap and tax, and the various Porkulus bills, not to mention the combined millions he’s spent on date nights, his jaunt to bid for the Olympics, the 1.4 million he got for his Nobel Prize, and apology tours, but he can’t managed to scrape together money to help protect our soldiers, thereby protect our COUNTRY?
BULLSHIT.