oyuki

Thursday, September 24, 2009

You Own It, Mr. President

You campaigned on a platform focusing on Afghanistan, that the previous administration took its eye off the ball.

When you were elected, you kept President Bush's Secretary of Defense to bolster your lack of military experience.

You promised to have a strategy in March about Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The commander of US forces in Afghanistan was sacked and Lt Gen McChrystal was put in charge as Gen. Petraeus became his immediate superior.

August 30th, 2009, Lt Gen McChrystal submits a report saying he needs more soldiers in Afghanistan to stabilise that country while Afghan forces are built up.

It is now September 24th and there has still been no decision on your part in this critical matter.

If you decide to ignore the advice of the commander in theatre and decide not to reinforce his command, then the failure and the blood of those soldiers and Afghanis who fight with us will be on your hands because you made their sacrifice irrelevant.

Either way Mr. President, Afghanistan is your buck and it stops on your desk. Be a chicken or a hawk, but do not waffle at this critical time.

6 comments:

Rose said...

It's grim. And it doesn't look like it is going to get any better.

(Captcha word: frown)

pat said...

Anna, I do not know how to contact, but great story on the Soviet Doomsday Machine.
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/17-10/mf_deadhand?currentPage=all

In the words of Dr. Strangelove:
"What (Vhat) is the purpose of a doomsday machine if you do not tell anyone?" or something to that effect. lol.

Tom said...

And he will continue to waffle as long as possible.

Anna said...

Rose, not as long as Obama puts domestic issues ahead of Afghanistan. Most of which are self-inflicted.

Pat, wonderful. The sore loser option is real. Spaciba tovarich Putin.

Tom, that is the kick. He can waffle and watch Afghanistan and NATO troops slowly bleed to death. Why? Because he is afraid to make a real judgement call since that entails the chance of failure. Nevermind every day our soldiers risk worse than failure, death, by trying to make Iraq and Afghanistan better. He should be pitied 'twere it not for the responsibilites he sought to hold that seem to great for him.

Ed Rasimus said...

The question in my mind is how long he will be able to get anyone to trust him or go to work for him. The only concern is Obama, all else is expendable.

Poland and Czech Republic, sorry about that. Georgia? Forget it. Leon Panetta at CIA, emasculated. Hillary at State, marginalized. McChrystal given a mission and expectation and now hung out to dry.

I could go on, but you get the picture. Will he find sufficient venal sycophants to run the country? Or will he be left alone in his White House waiting for the revolution?

Anna said...

Ed, Hugo Chavez seems to find a never ending supply of willing suckers. They screw up, he fires them, and still finds more willing to step up and take a bullet for him. Neither are leaders because of actions like this.