Sunday, October 25, 2009
Not Another Alibi – Obama’s Dithering Must End
Oliver North
PIERRE, S.D.
It’s already the front edge of winter in America’s Great Plains. Here, where the air is clear and crisp, there is a passion for walking behind a good dog while hunting pheasants and a good “alibi” for missing a fast-flying bird is an art form.
“It was too low for a good shot” or “I didn’t want to hit the dog” will get the tale-teller extra credit for “prudence” – once or twice.
But if creative excuses exceed the number of birds brought home for dinner, a hunter soon loses the respect of his peers. Even the dogs recognize someone who is better at spinning yarns than bagging game.
That’s President Obama’s problem with the fight in Afghanistan. He hasn’t been willing or able to pull the trigger on a decision about what to do – and now he’s running out of alibis.
During his quest for the presidency, Mr. Obama repeatedly referred to the campaign against the remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban as the “central front in the war on terror” and Afghanistan as “the necessary war.”
In July 2008, he pledged, “I will send at least two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan and use this commitment to seek greater contributions – with fewer restrictions – from NATO allies. I will focus on training Afghan security forces and supporting an Afghan judiciary. I will once and for all dismantle al Qaeda and the Taliban.” All these things still need to be done. But they haven’t been. Instead, all we have are excuses.
By the time Mr. Obama made his March 27 decision to increase the “U.S. troop ceiling” in Afghanistan to 68,000, Taliban insurgents were flooding into the country from safe havens in neighboring Pakistan.
In May, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the president’s handpicked field commander, was dispatched to Afghanistan to implement the O-Team’s previously announced “counterinsurgency strategy.” Though the previously authorized U.S. force levels have yet to be achieved, we were subsequently told by the White House that there would be no further increases in American force levels until Gen. McChrystal completed a “detailed assessment of the situation.”
On Aug. 20, in the midst of a dramatic spike in U.S. and allied casualties and widespread Taliban threats of reprisals against those who went to the polls, Afghanistan held a nationwide presidential election – only the second such vote in history. Ten days later, while Washington dithered over reports of ballot fraud in the Afghan election, Gen. McChrystal submitted his 66-page assessment.
The document promptly disappeared – along with recommendations on what it will take to win – until a slightly redacted version of the report was published by The Washington Post on Sept. 21.
The subsequent furor on Capitol Hill finally prompted the O-Team to convene a series of National Security Council meetings for a “re-evaluation of our Afghanistan policy” and to “devise an effective strategy.”
Instead of ordering Gen. McChrystal to Washington to testify before the House and Senate Armed Services committees about his estimate of the situation in Afghanistan, he was publicly rebuked for giving previously authorized press interviews and a speech to a security think tank London.
Since then, administration spokesmen, talking on and off the record, have constantly informed us that Mr. Obama simply cannot be rushed into a decision on our commitment in Afghanistan.
On Oct. 18, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said a determination on additional troops and resources depended on “whether, in fact, there’s an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the U.S. troops would create and become a true partner in governing the Afghan country.” Hopefully, Mr. Emanuel misspoke and did not mean to imply the U.S. was going to be a “partner” in governing Afghanistan. That would be a terrible mistake.
But if he means decisions on Afghanistan will be postponed until after the final outcome of the Nov. 7, runoff between Hamid Karzai and his opponent Abdullah Abdullah, that’s nearly as bad.
The Taliban won’t wait. Pakistan’s current military offensive against radical Islamists in the mountainous Waziristan tribal region has forced thousands of insurgents to seek refuge closer to the border and in Afghanistan.
Had the Obama administration decided months – or even weeks ago to provide additional troops, mobility assets and resources for Gen. McChrystal, many Taliban fighters might well have decided to call it quits. That’s precisely what precipitated the “Awakening” in Iraq after President George W. Bush ordered a “surge” in late 2006.
The Obama administration has nothing to gain from further delay. The president’s approval rating is now below 30 percent in some nationwide polling. Winter’s hardship and privation are about to visit everyone in the wind-swept shadows of the Hindu Kush – soldier and civilian alike.
The Af
Obama is just a Humpty Dumpty who sits on the wall . All the kings horses and all the kings men could not put poor Humpty Dumpty back together again . Poor Obama Dumpty
too much to read, but you’re wrong
I hadn’t heard that word in years, but it’s a great word to describe the president.
russian 12, you ARE a real neolibnazi: you have facts in front of you, but it’s “too much” for you even to READ? Then – how can you claim Randa is wrong? Hey, russian, do you think, We the People, will allow jack asses like you and your leader – turn America into another Russia (or soviet union), or China? Think again, IF YOU CAN.
obama is a piece of shite and we’ll have him gone soon and we can get a fiscal conservative to change his policies back modern times, i hope they waterboard obama for what he’s done to our country
if this is to be made about racisism then look at who obama surrounds himself with people like rahm emanuel, van jones among many others and his csars are a who’s who of communists and socialist he needs disposed of, then whe’d have biden, pelosi.
i think its time for another civil war to decide either we are going to be all capitalist or all sociocommunist
I’ll admit I didn’t read the entire article..
But if it says something contrary to Obama, or if he’s not in lock step…
Yes he’s a racist.
Putting aside for a moment that Obama has literally ZERO understanding or experience in either war OR being an actual Statesman, he could make the right decision to send troops to Afganistan, BUT……
HE CHOOSES NOT TO DO IT, BECAUSE HIS OWN POLITICAL FUTURE AND HIS OWN POLITICAL AGENDA are more important to him that whether your father dies in the desert or not.
This President is a disgrace. He and his wife are the two most despicable, cruel, uncaring, dishonest individuals ever put into the White House, AND AMERICA IS IN DEEP TROUBLE BECAUSE OF IT.
Obama has already made his happy plans to turn over American sovereignty to the G20 and the IMF where corruption abounds – and not only that, but Obama goes one step further by making promises to pull America down from her place so as to make the world Nations more “equal” in all regards.
WE MADE A BIG MISTAKE PUTTING HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE, AND NOW IF WE DON’T GET HIM OUT OF THERE, OUR CHILDREN WILL NOT GROW UP AS AMERICANS NOR WILL THEIR FUTURES BE WORTH A DAMN.
Oliver North is the epitomy of an American Patriot, unlike that Do Nothing that we have in The White House. Instead of staying at home and rolling his sleeves up working, Obama jets off to Copenhagen either for an extra vacation (as though he has not already taken 12 weeks since he has been in office or) to try and win the Olympics for Chicago. Which one is his job, trying to get the Olympics or deciding what to do with the troops in Afghanistan? Yes, that Do Nothing president is dithering and yes, Obama is a racist. Obviously, he would not be in office if most Americans were racists, so Obama is the racist.
I think Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said it best ‘What former Vice President Cheney calls – dithering – President Obama calls his solemn responsibility” How can you argue with the President’s solemn responsibility to “dither”?
Gibbs Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrow2r2bKUs
To answer the question asked-
Oliver North is pitting 0bama against his own words.
Campaign promises by this sitting President are nothing more than hot air. The article mentions only policy of this administration, not his skin color.
The state controlled media, however, along with the sheep here who think that Barry Maddoff is “The 0ne”, will no doubt call any opposition to the leader of the once free world, racism.
This isn’t a left or right issue, it’s a common sense issue.
Keep the dream alive out there- Dz
Yes he is a racist, he does not like lying, dithering, flop-eared racist.
naaahhh. of course you dont think he is dithering
“Dithering” is actually a kind word to describe his monumental indecision, (inability for decision making really).
This is where you differentiate the boy from the man, a soldier from the non soldier, a hunter from the prey.