Posted on 01/13/2014 9:21:56 PM PST by robowombat
Our Contemptible Commander in Chief Peter Wehner 01.09.2014 - 10:05 AM
The Washington Posts Bob Woodward wrote a front-page story that includes excerpts from former Defense Secretary Robert Gatess new book, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War.
According to Woodward, Gates unleashes harsh judgments about President Obamas leadership and his commitment to the Afghanistan war It is rare for a former Cabinet member, let alone a defense secretary occupying a central position in the chain of command, to publish such an antagonistic portrait of a sitting president.
But one begins to understand what underlies Secretary Gatess judgment after learning about his thoughts during a meeting he attended. As I sat there, Gates writes, I thought: the president doesnt trust his commander, cant stand [Afghanistan President Hamid] Karzai, doesnt believe in his own strategy, and doesnt consider the war to be his. For him, its all about getting out.
Bear in mind that Mr. Obama was interested in getting out even as he gave the order to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. It was evident to some people at the time, and evident to everyone now, that President Obama had little interest in winning the war in Afghanistan. His aim was to check the box on the way to ending our involvement there.
Secretary Gates also writes about an exchange between Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:
Hillary told the president that her opposition to the [2007] surge in Iraq had been political because she was facing him in the Iowa primary. . . . The president conceded vaguely that opposition to the Iraq surge had been political. To hear the two of them making these admissions, and in front of me, was as surprising as it was dismaying.
These are an extraordinary series of revelations. The commander in chief (a) sent troops to fight and die in a war (Afghanistan) he wasnt committed to and in whose strategy he had no confidence in; and (b) as a senator opposed for partisan reasons a counterinsurgency strategy that turned a war we were losing (Iraq) into one we were winning.
Losing a war is among the worst things that can happen to a nation. Yet we have as president a man who was willing to have America lose in Iraq in order to advance his own political ambitions. And a man, by the way, who constantly chastises Republicans for putting politics above country while portraying himself as the one true patriot.
Having served in the White House for seven years and spanning two wars, I had first-hand exposure to the devotion Mr. Obamas predecessor had for our troops and how fiercely dedicated he was to having America prevail in these conflicts. Partisan politics not only didnt drive President Bushs decisions; they didnt even enter into them. That is as it should be. For Mr. Obama, on the other handat least based on the account by the widely respected Bob Gatespartisan politics was an overwhelming factor in guiding Obamas major war decisions.
Barack Obama acted in a way that was selfish, cynical, and contemptible. He sent young men and women to die for a war he was utterly ambivalent about and which he had no interest in winning. (Recall that Mr. Obama decided to withdraw the surge troops in Afghanistan in the middle of the fighting season rather than what the military recommended. That decision made no sense from a military standpoint, but it did happen to occur shortly before the 2012 presidential election.) As a senator he did everything he could to ensure that we would lose the Iraq war.
What Secretary Gates has revealed is a moral stain on the president that will never be removed.
You are exactly right.
He serves an evil master.
Yes, he serves the "god " of this world. He serves him willingly, knowingly and joyfully. What else needs to be said?
Now, project that attitude to various hot spots around the world that might become a serious war.
Look a the two Koreas. If Un decides to attack SK, what are the chances that Obama would give massive, immediate military assistance to SK? Is it more likely that he would hesitate & blather on about sending John Kerry in to mediate the “situation”, fearing a powerful China? Is Obama more like Truman or "444 days" Carter?
What about Japan or the Philippines? Are they confident Obama has their back re. China expansionism?
Obama has given our enemies good reason to be bold.
That about covers it!
Yes, I thought so too
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