The Prof
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1. While the president dithers over Afghanistan, while the White House engages in a PUBLIC dispute with its generals, our allies are in contrast declaratively decisive.
2. The public hair pulling all began on Monday, September 21, when The Post's BOB WOODWARD leaked a secret assessment the president, it turned out, had been SITTING ON since August 30.
3. In the report released by The Post, General McChrystal called for a new counter-insurgency strategy, as well as a bulking up of US forces by some 40,000 troops.
McChrystal: More Forces or 'Mission Failure' - washingtonpost.com
4. "The worst kept secret in Washington" became the recommendation of Obama's hand picked commander in the field.
5. Urgency was also an intrinsic component of the general's inducement---delay in the troubled theater, he warned, doomed our efforts over there to defeat.
6. That was THREE MONTHS ago.
7. "Further, a perception that our resolve is uncertain makes Afghans reluctant to align with us against the insurgents," cautioned the general.
8. The White House implored The Post not to publish its piece, but the paper of repute inside the Beltway repulsed the president's pleas.
9. "Why," became an interesting question.
10. As well as "who," as in, "who squealed?"
11. The answers might have had something to do with the president's appearance the previous morning, Sunday, September 20, on FIVE network talk shows, during which interviews the prez prevaricated that he was STILL AWAITING a "top-to-bottom review," and he had not yet been requested to relay reinforcements.
12. "Someone," or some "someones," might well have felt BETRAYED.
13. We know this is the impulse that compelled Darth Veep out of his cave last Wednesday.
14. Cheney this week revealed that the incoming Obamites requested of the outgoers last October a comprehensive analysis of affairs in Afghanistan, which was conducted and delivered, which was kept quiet also at the White House's preference, and on which the current occupants based their "new, comprehensive strategy" for the region, announced on the infamous date of March 27.
15. Naturally, the tactics advised by the Bushies and adopted by Obama resemble in toto the methods recommended with consistency by McChrystal.
16. When Rahm the Ram on last Sunday's State of the Union (CNN) complained that the previous admininstration left the current team completely in the dark, that they had to "start from scratch" in assembling a stagecraft, it was apparently too much for the Darth to take.
17. Just like Woodward and his anonymous source.
18. Inexplicably, on August 17, on the eve of Afghanistan's election, the president reaffirmed his resolve that HIS WAR was not one of "choice," but a casus of "necessity."
19. Victory in Afghanistan is "fundamental to the defense of our people," continued our challenged commander in chief.
20. Just this week, Defense Secretary Gates warned we can't afford to wait for the Afghan government to get is act together.
21. We mustn't "sit on our hands" while the president deliberates, declared the grownup.
22. Obama is not only openly at odds with his own Pentagon, he's lost Panetta and the CIA.
23. He appears today to be in disjunct defiance with HIMSELF---in PUBLIC.
24. He wants OUT of Afghanistan.
25. He needs to appease his progressives for the dissipation of their pet public option.
26. Yet he's MOORED in Moon Mountains, after all the promises he's pledged, after the prominent place he gave this "right war" in his campaign.
27. He attempts to capitalize on Karzai's suddenly discovered dishonesty as window dressing for withdrawal?
28. He only now comprehends that Karzai is corrupt?
29. His prounouncement that HIS war was a "necessity" came only THREE DAYS before the election in dispute.
30. His personal representative, the honorable Richard Holbrooke, was feet on the ground at the time.
31. While Obama dithers, the NATO ministers offer "broad support" to the strategies urged by McChrystal.
32. Afghanistan is KILLING this president, as well as 50 red, white and blue heroes per month.
NATO backs McChrystal's Afghanistan strategy | csmonitor.com
The Prof
2. The public hair pulling all began on Monday, September 21, when The Post's BOB WOODWARD leaked a secret assessment the president, it turned out, had been SITTING ON since August 30.
3. In the report released by The Post, General McChrystal called for a new counter-insurgency strategy, as well as a bulking up of US forces by some 40,000 troops.
McChrystal: More Forces or 'Mission Failure' - washingtonpost.com
4. "The worst kept secret in Washington" became the recommendation of Obama's hand picked commander in the field.
5. Urgency was also an intrinsic component of the general's inducement---delay in the troubled theater, he warned, doomed our efforts over there to defeat.
6. That was THREE MONTHS ago.
7. "Further, a perception that our resolve is uncertain makes Afghans reluctant to align with us against the insurgents," cautioned the general.
8. The White House implored The Post not to publish its piece, but the paper of repute inside the Beltway repulsed the president's pleas.
9. "Why," became an interesting question.
10. As well as "who," as in, "who squealed?"
11. The answers might have had something to do with the president's appearance the previous morning, Sunday, September 20, on FIVE network talk shows, during which interviews the prez prevaricated that he was STILL AWAITING a "top-to-bottom review," and he had not yet been requested to relay reinforcements.
12. "Someone," or some "someones," might well have felt BETRAYED.
13. We know this is the impulse that compelled Darth Veep out of his cave last Wednesday.
14. Cheney this week revealed that the incoming Obamites requested of the outgoers last October a comprehensive analysis of affairs in Afghanistan, which was conducted and delivered, which was kept quiet also at the White House's preference, and on which the current occupants based their "new, comprehensive strategy" for the region, announced on the infamous date of March 27.
15. Naturally, the tactics advised by the Bushies and adopted by Obama resemble in toto the methods recommended with consistency by McChrystal.
16. When Rahm the Ram on last Sunday's State of the Union (CNN) complained that the previous admininstration left the current team completely in the dark, that they had to "start from scratch" in assembling a stagecraft, it was apparently too much for the Darth to take.
17. Just like Woodward and his anonymous source.
18. Inexplicably, on August 17, on the eve of Afghanistan's election, the president reaffirmed his resolve that HIS WAR was not one of "choice," but a casus of "necessity."
19. Victory in Afghanistan is "fundamental to the defense of our people," continued our challenged commander in chief.
20. Just this week, Defense Secretary Gates warned we can't afford to wait for the Afghan government to get is act together.
21. We mustn't "sit on our hands" while the president deliberates, declared the grownup.
22. Obama is not only openly at odds with his own Pentagon, he's lost Panetta and the CIA.
23. He appears today to be in disjunct defiance with HIMSELF---in PUBLIC.
24. He wants OUT of Afghanistan.
25. He needs to appease his progressives for the dissipation of their pet public option.
26. Yet he's MOORED in Moon Mountains, after all the promises he's pledged, after the prominent place he gave this "right war" in his campaign.
27. He attempts to capitalize on Karzai's suddenly discovered dishonesty as window dressing for withdrawal?
28. He only now comprehends that Karzai is corrupt?
29. His prounouncement that HIS war was a "necessity" came only THREE DAYS before the election in dispute.
30. His personal representative, the honorable Richard Holbrooke, was feet on the ground at the time.
31. While Obama dithers, the NATO ministers offer "broad support" to the strategies urged by McChrystal.
32. Afghanistan is KILLING this president, as well as 50 red, white and blue heroes per month.
NATO defense ministers Friday gave "broad support" to the counterinsurgency strategy proposed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, but sidestepped the difficult question of how many forces would be required to implement that plan.
The top UN special envoy for Afghanistan also backed McChrystal's strategy at the NATO meeting.
"We have come to a point where I believe McChrystal is right," said Kai Eide here Friday, adding bluntly, "If we continue the way we've done so far, both with regard to the military effort, the civilian effort, and the behavior of the Afghan government, this project will not work."
Taken together, the comments suggest that American allies are leaning toward a more troop-intensive, counterinsurgency approach that opens the political door for President Obama to direct deployments of tens of thousands of additional troops.
The Obama administration is deliberating over what strategy to pursue in Afghanistan – a counterinsurgency approach that focuses on securing the country and winning over the population and that would require many more troops, or a more targeted approach that focuses on taking out Al Qaeda leaders with air strikes.
While signaling support for more troops, NATO minsters did not address the tougher issue of how many more troops to send and stopped short of making additional resource commitments themselves.
"The purpose of today's meeting was not to make any decision on figures," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during a press event here. "I have noted broad support of all ministers … but without discussing resource implications."
About 40,000 NATO and non-NATO troops are currently in Afghanistan, in addition to about 68,000 US forces.
NATO backs McChrystal's Afghanistan strategy | csmonitor.com
The Prof
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