With respect to you both, that's a technicality that doesn't mean very much because the only aspect of the chain of command that matters to Obama is that he's at the top. And, the reason the war is being lost militarily is because Obama is waging it politically, to achieve his own agenda, which is not victory. Everything he has done so far clearly demonstrates that for Obama, his political agenda trumps the military necessities and considerations.
All these military officers, Petraeus, Mullen, McChrystal, et al., whatever their relative relationships to each other in the chain of command may be, are nothing but expendable chess pieces to Obama. He will move them around the geopolitical/diplomatic board, play them against each other, and sacrifice them whenever convenient to the furtherance of his agenda.
I still haven't seen confirmation of the Mullen story, but if true, at whose behest and with whose permission did Mullen, who happens to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, make those assurances to Karzai? If Obama didn't give permission and doesn't back him on it, then Petraeus must immediately repudiate them and state his clear intentions to change the ROEs. If Mullen acted with Obama's approval, then my statement stands - Petraeus has been outplayed. As I said, his window of opportunity to make a clear break with the current failing policies is narrow, and closing further by the hour.
I completely understand everyone's desire for Petraeus to be the man to turn this nightmare scenario around. I sincerely hope all of you are right and I am wrong. As with most of these issues, time will tell, and in this instance, a very short amount of time is all there is.
I don’t have any desire for Petraeus to turn this around. I think it was a mistake for us to stay in Afghanistan after we defeated the Taliban. My strong preference would be for Petraeus to oversee a rapid, orderly, and complete withdrawal of all US military forces fron Afghanistan beginning tomorrow. My comment was strictly a statement of fact. In the real world none of the Joint Chiefs’ opinions carry any authority.