I am finally back on American soil after my trip which included stops in Munich, Paris, Versailles and the recently back stabbed Prague. It is a land of great history, but also a land of very expensive items (read VAT tax) and no free restrooms. (You actually have to pay to use public restrooms in most places…crazy, huh.). I purposely did not pay attention to most news while I was gone so you can imagine my surprise when I got back and saw that Obama has yet to make a decision on Afghanistan. (Maybe Obama was just waiting for me to get back…jk)
I agree with most analysts that the lack of decision by Obama shows weakness to the rest of the world to include our enemies. It also shows his inexperience and lack of knowledge of how to fight this war. This should have been pointed out when both Biden and Obama opposed General Petraeus’ counterinsurgency plan during the campaign (and then refused to admit it worked). The media also ignored the fact that Obama came up with his exit at any cost strategy without consulting the commanders on the ground. But I digress. Obama now has his own general and it has been over 3 weeks since McChrystal gave his recommendation. Considering Afghanistan was one of Obama’s main focuses and supposedly he has spent months determining what needs to be done, the only reason for the delay in listening to his commanders is politics. That or he has not been putting in the appropriate time and effort towards the war effort. This is also a high probability considering the time he has spent pushing the stimulus and now health care. It seems he is on TV just about every day pushing his liberal domestic agenda. He even had time to go to Copenhagen to push for Chicago’s Olympic bid. Anyway you spin it; the fact that Obama has yet to make a decision is not a positive sign and once again illustrates a lack of leadership.
It actually reminds me of the Clinton commercials during the campaign. “Who do you want to answer the phone at 3 in the morning?” Well, it is not quite 3 AM yet, but the hour is getting closer and we still do not know what Obama will do. And I think that is the problem. Not knowing if Obama will do what is best for the country or what is best for politics. He has a history of pandering to the far left who in this case would like nothing better than to completely leave Afghanistan. Even worse is that Obama’s ‘foreign policy expert’ (running mate Biden) is in his ear telling him he should reduce troop levels and concentrate on Al Qaeda cells with special forces and drones…I guess we will just ignore the Taliban.
Here is the Heritage’s James Phillips on Biden and the strategy he is proposing.
The war in Afghanistan cannot be effectively waged merely with air power, predator drones, and special forces. In the late 1990s, the Clinton Administration hurled cruise missiles at easily replaceable al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, but this “chuck and duck” strategy failed to blunt the al-Qaeda threat. The Bush Administration’s minimalist approach to Afghanistan in 2001 was a contributing factor that allowed Osama bin Laden to escape from his mountain redoubt at Tora Bora. Afterwards, Washington opted to focus narrowly on counterterrorism goals in Afghanistan-rather than counterinsurgency operations-in order to free up military assets for the war in Iraq. This allowed the Taliban to regroup across the border in Pakistan and make a violent resurgence. The “small footprint” strategy also failed in Iraq, before it was abandoned in favor of General Petraeus’s counterinsurgency strategy, backed by the surge of American troops, in early 2007. Despite this record of failure, some stubbornly continue to support an “offshore” strategy for landlocked Afghanistan today. But half-measures-the hallmark of the “small footprint” strategy-will not work. Precise intelligence is needed to use smart bombs smartly. Yet few Afghans would risk their lives to provide such intelligence unless they are assured of protection against the Taliban’s ruthless retaliation.
So what will he do? Will he listen to military experts and his commander on the ground, or will he listen to politicians who have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The worst case is probably some where in the middle. This, of course, would give Gen. McChrystal some resources, but not what he needs to be successful. It would be a political decision to appease those on the left, but would have disastrous effects on the success of the mission. Let’s just hope Obama listens to the experts.
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