Posted by
D.Tilley on Thursday, November 12, 2009 4:23:27 PM
President Barack Obama made it clear, after his election to the US presidency that Afghanistan was a war of necessity. The defeat of the Taliban was, at the time, the paramount objective in removing a friendly environment for al Qaida to regroup and thrive. Regardless of motive, Obama selected the very knowledgeable General Stanley McChrystal to assess the situation in Afghanistan and provide a recommendation for action. August 30, 2009 McChrystal’s report was delivered to Defense secretary Robert Gates and forwarded to the Commander in Chief for review. According to McChrystal, “The existing counter-insurgency strategy is in clear jeopardy if more troops, (40,000 have been requested), are not deployed.”
Barack Obama is weighing all options before making a decision. He has met with his war council eight times since August 30. It is now November 12. After six weeks of deliberation, and after review of four additional war plans, guess what? He just rejected all proposed plans of action. It is not clear what exactly is in each of the proposed plans but it makes one wonder what our Commander in Chief is looking for. If I may, let me insert a little cynicism here. Before he makes a decision on troop request, he must have a meeting with SEIU president, Andy Stern. If the subject were not so deadly, this would be hilarious.
Rarely is a decision on a complex subject devoid of the probability of reaping unintended consequences. The decision on troop deployment is tied to extremely deadly consequences for our under-supported troops in Afghanistan. Each day Obama’s decision is delayed, another plane lands in Dover Delaware to offload coffins of dead soldiers. The United States and the rest of the free world did not enter the Afghan borders to support the government or to insure democratic processes exist in local politics. We went to Afghanistan to capture Bin Laden and dismantle the Taliban’s political structure. Obama is pondering a change in strategy for the war, to what, we do not know.
Let us cut to the chase. Forget the political posturing, forget the personal face saving, please, and focus our efforts on what we need to do as an American nation. Our sons and daughters face death on a daily basis in an unstable foreign land, many due to a visible lack of Whitehouse support. The question remains, do we surrender and admit defeat, yet again, (re; Vietnam)? Do we withdraw our troops and wait for the next barrage from al Qaida? Do we ask nicely that the Afghan and Pakistani governments take a break and move aside so we can quickly clean up the mess we began? Worse yet, do we muddle along, support the lagging economy by buying yet more body bags and coffins while we do nothing to squelch the loss of our loved ones. Only Obama can decide.
The year 2008 was an historical year where America dropped the ball of logic and elected a charismatically naïve Chicago political pawn as the leader of the free world. We placed a left wing reformer with no worldly experience in the hot seat of a sinister global environment greatly lacking peaceful motives and western cultural values.
Americans may not be able to articulate the attributes of a true leader, but they know one when they see one. Barack Obama ain’t it folks. Obama has political aspirations, of this there is no question. His agenda is for fundamental change in America. Obama is less concerned with American stability and American’s safety and more tuned to the prospect of winning his reelection in 2012. If this is not apparent to you, watch his fervor peak when he addresses a group of supporters in a venue of wealth redistribution. Compare this enthusiasm to his monotonous approach in speaking of national issues, and his distant demeanor when addressing a grieving public after loss of loved ones. Obama is for Obama. He is not about to go down in flames by alienating the left. He loaths the thought of sending more troops to Afghanistan. He will not jeopardize his legacy as the first black American president. Take that to the bank. Yet, another year promises hope; remember the elections of 2010 are just around the corner.
Dana Tilley
Burlington, North Carolina