Mainly because you get upset at any harm the troops experience, especially if it is the result of bureaucracy, or cordial international relations, or political factionalism, and are always demanding for decisions which circumnavigate such events. Bureaucracy and political factionalism are guaranteed in a diverse representative democracy, and cordial international relations are desirable. Functional management of these sometimes requires things like the denial of air support -- the reasons aren't always good (in fact, quite often they are not), but that is part of the mixed bag of a republic. Your concern actually transcends any given person (well, I don't really believe that, but let's pretend) because it is a problem with a system -- the system of republican government. Provided things like freedom of speech and dispersed political power are allowed, there will always be some disjointedness between the demands and and priorities of the military and that of a government ruled by the people.
There is only way way to get around that disjointedness. Military dictatorship: fuse the state and the military into one and narrow their focus to that of a single person, hopefully a competent one. If there is bureaucracy, be it law or regulation, he ca skip it. If there is political factionalism and freedom of speech and political participation and division, he can crush it by force. If you offend an ally or trading partner, rely on no form of diplomacy other than intimidation and if that doesn't work, he can invade -- draft from the general population if you have to, and appropriate to private sector industries to manufacture sufficient weaponry.
It worked pretty well for the Spartans and the early Third Reich. I don't think Americans would like it though.
Accordingly, by doing this, if any soldier dies, then it won't be because of factionalism, bureaucracy, or overtures to some other nation.
The word is: networking. It is possible Obama might do whatever he wants now without any consideration of what politicians in every other level of government think, but in doing so, they might return the favor later when he needs their help for something else. That's what I mean by factionalism.