Dennis
Senior Heliman
Location: Oregon
My Posts This: Topic Forum | President Obama, Time To Make a Decision
by Chuck Norris
11/03/2009
Let me see whether I have the facts straight.
In May, President Barack Obama removed Gen. David D. McKiernan as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and replaced him with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal -- who, in September, issued a dire report warning that without as many as 40,000 more troops for the fight in Afghanistan, the mission "will likely result in failure."
President Obama responded by saying that he would make no quick decision but take as long as needed to do a broad study first on the issue.
Meanwhile, more U.S. troops died at the hands of our enemies.
Roughly a month after McChrystal's requests, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel continued to blame the Bush administration for the chaos in the war. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs blamed former Vice President Dick Cheney. Vice President Joe Biden blamed the generals for a bad military plan. And presidential adviser David Axelrod blamed Fox News.
Meanwhile, more U.S. troops died at the hands of our enemies.
Two weeks ago, when asked about Obama's indecisiveness about McChrystal's requests, Gibbs rebuffed: "The president will make a decision in the next few weeks. ... I don't know when that decision will be. It could be before the runoff (election in Afghanistan on Nov. 7); it might be after the runoff."
Meanwhile, more U.S. troops died at the hands of our enemies.
Last Friday, the president met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and discussed the Afghanistan-Pakistan situation some more and then said he wants another meeting.
It has been almost two months since Gen. McChrystal first warned the president of the dire situation in Afghanistan, yet our commander in chief continues to delay a response.
Meanwhile, record numbers of U.S. troop casualties mount in Afghanistan.
Is Obama's delay about genuine concern, or could it be simply a politically driven tactic for upcoming U.S. and Afghan elections? So much for Obama's campaign promise that he would "make the fight against al-Qaida and the Taliban the top priority that it should be."
President Obama, stop riding the fence!
While the White House procrastinates in protecting our troops, the least we can do as Americans is find a way to support them. I even read recently about Marine Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani -- who, for more than 20 years, has served his country honorably. He has done three tours in Iraq and also served in Panama and the Gulf War. Despite his commendable service, however, on Dec. 1, Lt. Col. Chessani will face a military board of inquiry to determine whether he is guilty of misconduct and should be demoted because of the "Haditha massacre" -- an event now known never to have occurred. You can read more about his military tribunal and donate to his case at the Thomas More Law Center's Web site (http://www.ThomasMore.org).
Whether it's donating to Lt. Col. Chessani's case, starting a campaign against the delays in Washington or preparing Christmas care packages for our troops, I want to encourage all Americans to find a way this holiday season to support our service members, particularly those in the Middle East.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34244 |
