Stanley McChrystal

The McChrystal Controversy: An Opportunity To Revisit Afghanistan Policy!

The controversy over the insubordination of General Stanley McChrystal, the commander in charge of our military effort in Afghanistan, creates the opportunity to revisit the Afghan War policy!

Now the longest war in American history, and with no strategy that insures any end game anytime soon, and with growing numbers of casualties, it is time for President Obama to use the occasion of the McChrystal matter to decide that it is time to cut our losses, and withdraw sooner, rather than later!

Instead of saying that we will START withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011, how about us saying that we start withdrawal immediately, meaning July 2010, and accomplish a complete withdrawal by a year from now, July 2011?

It is clear that Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan, is a crook, illegally elected, and an unreliable ally, who should actually be prosecuted for his involvement in war crimes, corruption, and drug dealing! At the least, we should not trust him one iota, after his talk of working with the Taliban against the Western allies! With allies like Karzai, we need no allies, as he is a detriment to the whole prosecution of the war!

It is time for us to face the facts: The only time we could have won in Afghanistan was right after September 11, IF President George W. Bush had committed adequate forces and equipment to overcome Osama Bin Laden! It was his failure to do so, that has dragged out this war for almost nine years now!

This war may be abandoned at some point, but it is not the fault of Barack Obama, but rather George W. Bush and Dick Cheney!

Mr. President, take advantage of this moment of decision to make the ultimate commitment to stop sacrificing our young men and women to an impossible war that cannot be won! 🙁

The General Stanley McChrystal Problem For President Obama

Unfortunately, General Stanley McChrystal is complicating the problem for President Obama on Afghanistan policy.

The General has been extremely vocal publicly regarding what he sees as the essential need for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan as soon as possible.

The Obama Administration is in the midst of what may be the most important decision making of this Presidency. Should the President get this country more deeply involved in a country where the war is being lost, and historically, no one has ever been able to win control?

Retired General James Jones, the National Security Adviser, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have both roundly criticized McChrystal for such public advocacy, and there are rumors that Obama is furious with the Afghanistan commander for making this such a public issue. In many ways, it reminds one of General Douglas MacArthur challenging President Harry Truman in public about Korean War strategy, leading to his dismissal by Truman in 1951.

Under our system of constitutional government, the President, whether we agree with his strategy on military policy, is the final determinant of our military strategy. So McChrystal is wrong, but this major public flap could lead to Obama firing McChrystal, or the general resigning, in either case creating a massive political problem for Obama.

This just adds to the growing sense that Obama has definitely lost his honeymoon and is being besieged on all sides, after nine months in office.