by the Left Coast Rebel
A massive round of applause to Stogie at Saberpoint for the above graphic. Stogie is one of the best graphic-talents that I have seen on the net and a great friend.....
Anyone that knows me well knows that I am not a foreign-affairs or military expert. I rarely discuss these topics here at LCR. Today though I will break with tradition and point you to an article at the Telegraph concerning the strained relationship of NATO Gen. McChrystal and Obama. I won't go into myriad details about the war campaign here, pro or con, I won't discuss all of the moving part in relation to this story. What I will do however is point out the examples that may prove my assertion in the title of this post, emphasis in bold.
From the Telegraph -
From the Telegraph -
According to sources close to the administration, Gen McChrystal shocked and angered presidential advisers with the bluntness of a speech given in London last week.....
An adviser to the administration said: "People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart. To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly."
He told the Institute of International and Strategic Studies that the formula, which is favoured by Vice-President Joe Biden, would lead to "Chaos-istan".When asked whether he would support it, he said: "The short answer is: No."He went on to say: "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, and nor will public
support."Bruce Ackerman, an expert on constitutional law at Yale University, said in the Washington Post: "As commanding general, McChrystal has no business making such public pronouncements."
Which of all of the above excerpts points you the most to allusions of Vietnam? Which passage brings to mind the adage, Too many chefs in the kitchen, .....
I think this takes the cake, (no pun), for me, from an adviser to the administration -
"People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart. To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly."
I have a sinking feeling that this could all end up very badly. It was one thing for the Obamanation administration's incompetence, naivety, inability, arrogance, cronyism and fecklessness to help aid the destruction of our economy. It is yet altogether another when taken onto the battlefield of war with troop's lives at stake.
Either finish this thing the right way or get us the hell out.
I don't want another Vietnam and if we ignore history and our generals we may just get one.
via. Memeorandum
"People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart. To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly."
I have a sinking feeling that this could all end up very badly. It was one thing for the Obamanation administration's incompetence, naivety, inability, arrogance, cronyism and fecklessness to help aid the destruction of our economy. It is yet altogether another when taken onto the battlefield of war with troop's lives at stake.
Either finish this thing the right way or get us the hell out.
I don't want another Vietnam and if we ignore history and our generals we may just get one.
via. Memeorandum
h/t to Saberpoint for the Obama General pic.
I agree, do it right or not at all. I suggest doing it right. As for the topic of "protocol" - protocol is invented in real time and then repeated. So, who'se to say that the new protocol is for a general to stick his neck out for the good of the country? Now, a lefty would say, "What next, military overthrow?" So I'll just add, "...but not to the extent of military overthrow".
ReplyDeleteLCR,
ReplyDeleteRegarding your citation of the "takes the cake" quote, it is the understatement of this century. Here is a general -- a field commander -- requesting of his boss in the Pentagon reinforcements or the wheels will come off an operation that Obama himself said throughout the campaign was critical to stopping AQ or the GWOT or whatever the hell they call it nowadays, and this Turd-in-Chief (1) only has one face-to-face with the guy in the last 100 days and a 25-minute meeting that turns out to be an upbraiding because The Won had his feelings hurt.
Daily, DAILY! D-A-I-L-Y! One marvels at the puerility of these clowns and their inability to grasp how affairs of this nation and its military should be managed.
I have to agree here, give the army what it needs or bring them home. It's immoral to starve them to death.
ReplyDeleteI can understand President Obama's vacillation - he is in a no win situation.
ReplyDeleteStay, do the right thing and finish the job and he loses his base and breaks a bunch of campaign promises- that were over simplified sound bites to complex issues to begin with (welcome to real life Mr. President)but exactly what many wanted to believe in...
A Pull out pretty much guarantees re-installation of the taliban and is politically very damaging to the President. I expect it would also further destabilize the region and potentially require us to go back some time in the future.
By treading water while he makes up which political direction to take American lives are at greater risk. I've tried to give the guy the benefit of the doubt but I know men over there now who's lives are in the President's indecisive hands. This worries me greatly.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs one who actually became of age at the height of the Vietnam Conflict (excuse me war)I agree with you completely LCR.
ReplyDeleteEither let the military exerts fight this war so it can be won or get the hell out, entirely.
If we actually have a purpose for continuing Afghanistan, and I believe we do, then lets WIN it and bring our men and women home in victory!
Obama cannot find a way to vote "present" on this issue. Tragically, he plans to oversee a full defeat in Afghanistan followed by an attack on the failed Bush policies.
ReplyDeleteI am not knowledgeable enough to know whether this is a general who is convinced he’s right and frustrated that his superiors aren’t taking his advice or if somehow he scores political points with critics of Obama. LCR doesn’t know either.
ReplyDeleteMy position is Afghanistan (which is what this article was about) and Iraq could have both used the massive quazi-socialist spending program that Presidents Bush and Obama pursued for the United States to jumpstart their economies. US economy is very strong. Complaints about the current credit crisis and contraction are whining.
A free market economy is the best system known for growing GDP long-term. A broken war-torn country like Afghanistan, however, could use a massive program to give people “socialized” jobs, healthcare, education, etc as an alternative to positions with militias, producing/transporting contraband, or other illegal activities. If a stable Middle East is an important goal, even people who can't stand the mere mention of socialism should support something like this.
My point is I've had the same thoughts as this general regarding the economies of the countries US occupied: either give everyone there an honest job (even if it's a make-work job) or we're wasting our time.
Obama is planning to oversee defeat in Afghanistan, followed by a blaming of the failed Bush policies. Obama is simply having some difficulty finding a way to vote "present" in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteObama is planning to oversee defeat in Afghanistan, followed by a blaming of the failed Bush policies. Obama is simply having some difficulty finding a way to vote "present" in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteObama says he's "always worried about using the word 'victory.'" I'm sure frame of mind is quite foreign to McChrystal.
ReplyDelete@ Candle - Great minds think alike :).
ReplyDelete@ Boncka - I know what you mean, seemingly you know more than I do on this topic but I can bring some sense to this....
@ Mo - Hopefully He will do the right thing, but I would bet my life that it doesnt happen...
@ Les - It is actually simple, isn't it?
@ CJ - Great points, perhaps some extraordinary state-market system is inveitable to put these countries on a strong footing. Perhaps Japan could be a good model too? The cultures are so incredibly different......
@ Nickie - Voting "present" sure seems to be the MO here...
@ RK - Indeed, I think we see that here.
@