With a nod to Kilroy...
Cheers!
Posted on 10/07/2009 8:36:36 PM PDT by kristinn
The Washington Post has a lengthy article in Thursday's paper that describes the machinations behind the Obama administration's deliberations over its Afghan war policy.
The article quotes numerous anonymous administration and military officials who describe the process of meetings, white papers, personnel shuffles and incredible disconnects among decision makers about what they decided:
"It was easy to say, 'Hey, I support COIN,' because nobody had done the assessment of what it would really take, and nobody had thought through whether we want to do what it takes," said one senior civilian administration official who participated in the review, using the shorthand for counterinsurgency.
Such is the state of chaos in the Obama administration over Afghanistan that many officials have not taken a position on what to do:
Senior military leaders, including Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Petraeus, who now heads the U.S. Central Command, have indicated their support for McChrystal's request in discussions with administration officials. Biden has taken the opposite view, renewing arguments he made earlier this year for a narrower counterterrorism mission instead of a comprehensive counterinsurgency campaign. Others, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, have not staked out a firm position.
They have screwed it up so badly they are back to square one:
...senior officials involved in Afghanistan strategy discussions now and earlier this year said the lack of agreement in March about counterinsurgency will make these deliberations more protracted and disputatious.
"We're going back to key assumptions," one of the officials said.
The article concludes with more chaos and Obama re-reading the policy he approved back in March:
Back in Washington, some civilians involved in the review grew concerned that McChrystal's counterinsurgency plan went beyond what they believed was stated in the white paper. "Secure the population" was always a "military phrase," one senior civilian participant said. "That was the way they extrapolated from Riedel's plan," but "it's not in Riedel's plan."
To the military, however, the only way to do counterinsurgency is by protecting the population.
"We were operating under the assumption that when they said COIN, that's what they meant," said a senior U.S. military official in Afghanistan, "and they were serious about committing the necessary resources."
Last Tuesday evening, to prepare for a meeting the next day to discuss Afghanistan strategy with his national security team -- the first of several sessions to determine whether more troops will be sent -- Obama reread the white paper.
And there you have it. Sleep well, America.
wow from the WaPo
Hate to say I told ya so, but Our Troops Deserve More:
http://www.brayincandy.com/id176.html
Pray for America and Our Troops
Lib elites are getting embarrssed and nervous.
We were assured that this Administration is staffed by the smartest people on the planet. How is it that after 9 months, in a country where “tall” men are about 5 feet 8 inches, they can’t locate a man who is 6 feet 8 inches? Are they really just dumb as tree stumps?
The Generals were used to a real Commander In Chief with Bush. It will be interesting to see what the Generals have to say about Obama in their memoirs.
You mean to day the WaPo is changing their tune on Obortion Obama?
We will who gets yelled at by Axelrod! LOL!
Way to go, bray!
With a nod to Kilroy...
Cheers!
This was from the same people who told us Hillary is the smartest woman in the world.
So you had to know they were lying from the very beginning.
Putting a bunch of kids in the White House and Congress at this time in history really wasn’t a very good idea.
Embareassed.
The public is more clueless about him. He is one of them. His job is to humiliate the American military in front of Islam. The Rules of Engagement mean more of our boys will die.
“marine” Judge David Carter - are you paying attention?
His other job is to destroy the U.S. economy which is what Bin Laden tried to do on 9/11.
People say he is clueless etc etc. No he wants to destroy the economy, the military and society for more power and control.
Very well said!!!
“Last Tuesday evening, to prepare for a meeting the next day to discuss Afghanistan strategy with his national security team — the first of several sessions to determine whether more troops will be sent — Obama reread the white paper.”
So what this means if Obama has no core belief or passion. He is just going through the motions on something that does not fundamentally interest him.
...They’re speaking volumes about this POSPOTUS, right now!!!
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