Things are getting tense between Obama and his hand-picked general in Afghanistan. He and his White House staff are angry that McChrystal spoke his mind in London last week when asked a question. His speech had been approved by the White House but his answer to a question may not have been. There is no problem with morale in Afghanistan as wounded troops refused evacuation to stay and fight with their buddies.
Biden has advocated a whack-a-mole strategy of holing up in bases and striking al Qeada targets from the air. This is what we were doing in Iraq when we were losing. Biden has not been known as a great strategist, or a great anything else, but his ideas are gaining adherents among the faint hearted.
They reached no consensus, so three or four more such meetings are being scheduled. “There are a lot of competing views,” said one official who, like others in this article, requested anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations.
Among the alternatives being presented to Mr. Obama is Mr. Biden’s suggestion to revamp the strategy altogether. Instead of increasing troops, officials said, Mr. Biden proposed scaling back the overall American military presence. Rather than trying to protect the Afghan population from the Taliban, American forces would concentrate on strikes against Qaeda cells, primarily in Pakistan, using special forces, Predator missile attacks and other surgical tactics.”
Note, there is no mention of how we get the intelligence to plan these strikes and avoid civilian casualties. I don’t think McChrystal will go along with this change and see his troops penned up as targets for suicide attacks. That is the LBJ strategy in Vietnam. Those generals should have resigned and there have been rumors he might just do that. The military, especially McChrystal, may not be willing to play Westmoreland to Obama’s LBJ. If that happens, all hell will break loose. The military will not allow another disaster with a feckless, indecisive administration.
The entire civilian-military relationship could be at stake. Thomas Ricks, 10 years ago, worried in his book, Making the Corps about the contempt many in the military have for civilians who know nothing but think they know it all about war and strategy.
Tags: Afghanistan, Obama
Sir–
There is a guy who is called The Secretary of Defense…and he is the one who works closely with the president. This is called the chain of command. In Korea, we had a brilliant if strange general who decided we ought to take on China by bombing across the Yalu River. Our president–H. Truman–relieved him of his command. In S. Am. the military often supplants the civilian rule. Is this the sort of thing you prefer?
No, just a president who does something besides give speeches.
That’s a childish insult, not a substantive answer. Please state clearly whether you are advocating military insubordination. If this is your belief, you should say so plainly and own your statement rather than hinting, implying and then avoiding accountability by making generalized adolescent attacks.
Speaking of adolescents, and insults, you spam my blog with nasty comments that show you didn’t read the posts and don’t understand some basic principles. General McChrystal is under no obligation to continue to serve under orders he disagrees with. He should resign just as the Joint Chiefs should have resigned in Vietnam. They discussed it and the Army CoS talked them out of it.
As far as insulting Obama, what has he done but give speeches with “I” in each sentence ? He is a disaster and I fear the consequences of his presidency.
Fred:
I vote for a military coup.
SERIOUSLY!
Hey… look at the situation this nation finds itself in. We’re the mobocracy (the democracy as opposed to the Republic) that most of the Founders warned of.
I see no way with the gerrymandered system we have of a return to the sort of Republican form of government our Founders envisioned.
Therefore… let the military take over and one – or perhaps two… three… five… ten… – men and perhaps a woman or two can straighten out the country by dictate.
I see no other way out.
It’s not just Obama. It’s not about “The Democrats.” It’s not about “The liberals.” It’s about the whole rotten rigged Dempublican machine operating in concert with the Lawyer Class which has brought our nation low.
Let me ask all reading this: Do we really have LESS cause for supporting the violent overthrow of the present government than our forefathers had in 1774… 1776?
The Washingtonians are DESTROYING the United States.
Only men with guns can save us.
BILL
* And again… to those who disagree… outline YOUR viable predictions for where this nation is heading over the next few months… few years… few decades should the path I point to not be followed.