General's Review Creates Rupture

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's grim assessment of the Afghanistan war has opened a divide between the military, which is pushing for an early decision to send more troops, and civilian policymakers who are increasingly doubtful of an escalating nation-building effort. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103774.html?hpid=topnews

We can win the situation in Afghanistan, but we need to act now! General Stanley McChrystal submitted his assessment to the President on August 30th nearly a month ago but the President at this point has made no decision. He still wants to review it, but he has been seen on many talk shows and on David Letterman while the troops in harm’s way await his decision. The troubling part is that President Obama has only meet with his natioanl security advisors to discuss the memo only once, it seems other items are more inportant then Afghanistan. Rumor has it that many in his administration want to delay a decision to other time, the president flatly denied this, but if true then he will pay a price for playing politics with the lives of American troops. More forces are needed and if you remember that General McChrystal is his handpicked ground commander after having fired the last one. This is what leadership is, the White House is a lonely place, as President Kennedy once found out during the Cuban Missile Crisis.