Decisively Undecided

25 October 2009

That is the best description of the Obama administration regarding the Afghani conflict. After almost 60 days that General McChrystal presented his report to the President regarding his request for an additional 40,000 troop to be dedicated to the theater, Obama continues to remain absolutely clueless of any decision. Or, and that is the most disconcerting aspect of the man’s inaction, he is trying to buy political time on the death and sacrifice of our troops.

The latest “accomplishment” of this so-called Commander-in-Chief is that he is eying a hybrid solution. Part will be giving McChrystal a smaller number of troops and part will be to listen to that buffoon of Joe Biden who advocates using unmanned drones to bomb Taliban positions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

According to a Fox News report, Obama is considering giving McChrystal up to half the troops he requested, while giving the counter-terrorist approach championed by Biden more resources for the aerial persecution of terrorist locations.
In the first place, the use of armed Predators and Global Hawks to attack training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan is already a reality. It has been going on for years in a covert mode, at least until Sen. Dianne Feinstein blurted it out during a senate hearing, and its results have been somewhat positive, even if these attacks angered people in both countries and the death of civilians, which unfortunately is a common dividend of such type of warfare, has been used by our enemies for propaganda purpose. So the President is considering continuing or expanding this strategy, even after the military strategists at the Pentagon were not able to provide reports indicating any significant benefit for such action. The task of writing these reports was undertaken by Biden’s people, who obviously are better equipped and informed than the Pentagon, a move that is eerily revoking images of Johnson and McNamara deciding in Washington every action taken in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, as the President’s indecision remains decisive, the troops in Afghanistan continue to perform their job even as the lack of determination on the part of their C-I-C leaves them with a disturbing lack of resources.
An article on the UK Sunday Times is describing how the morale of the Marines in the Helmand Province is suffering due to the lack of cooperation on the part of some of the local tribal leaders who are reluctant to give information regarding the Taliban.
The article is from a reporter, Stephen Gray, who was talking with members of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion.
The principal complaint is that some of the local tribal leaders are not cooperating with the ISAF forces in regard to the location of Taliban forces, some because of the long standing business alliance with the terrorists in the opium trade and some because the presence of Marines is not enough to give a sense of security to the various villages.
Some elders expressed their resentment toward ISAF forces taking over land for their bases, but the argument is just an excuse as the places where most of the Combat Outposts are located are so remote that no living creature calls them home, except for lizards and camel spiders.
Other elders are happy to see the Marines because the troops bring some freedom for the locals from the oppression of the Taliban and because of the construction of schools and irrigation projects.
All the efforts are, though, plagued by the total absence of central government presence in the region. Some of the locals were not even aware of the elections that had taken place just few weeks prior and just found out that there is to be another run-off election soon.

There is a high price being paid for the politicization of the war in Afghanistan on the part of the Liberal leadership in Washington. As the Republicans, and some Democrat, in Congress support the increase in troop level requested by McChrystal, it is the leadership that is more concerned about the 2010 elections than to provide our fighting forces what they need to accomplish the mission. It is the Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid who, just as they have been doing for the last eight years, are using the men and women in uniform to advance their agenda. And it is the President, flanked by hacks like Emanuel and Axelrod, who is incapable and unwilling to make a decision putting the needs and necessities of our troops as a priority in the decision-making process. His disdain for our Military has been described by me and by many others for months now and continues to haunt the families of those who are serving. The cry of “give them what they need or bring them home” is resounding across America, but just as the administration and this President are usually doing for all other national issues, it is being ignored, with the exception that the man’s ignorance and thug-like attitude costs American lives.

This is a clear example of dereliction of duty on the part of a President who is clearly more interested in his personal TV appearances, his multi-million dollars fund raisers, his global apology for America than the safety and security of America’s sons and daughters. This is, I hope, an aspect of the man’s presidency that will be remembered when the 2012 elections are upon us. In the meantime, there is hope that the 2010 mid-term elections will tell the current corrupted politicians in Congress that the American people are tired of their elitism.
It sure would be a great day for America to witness Pelosi, Reid, Emanuel, Axelrod, Schumer, Murtha, Durbin, Boxer and many others being taken out in handcuffs and charged for treason against America. One can always dream!

And these are my thoughts!
Frank “Semperpapa”