President Obama said the war in Afghanistan was a “war of necessity.” He told the Veterans of Foreign Wars,
"Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans."
Now it seems that the “war of necessity” isn’t as important to the Obama administration as politics. With Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, calling for more troops lest the war in Afghanistan be lost to the Taliban, the White House turns to civilian advisors:
“But before any decision is made, some of President Obama’s civilian advisers have proposed looking at other, less costly options to address his primary goal of preventing al-Qaeda from reestablishing itself in Afghanistan. Those options include a redirection of U.S. efforts — away from protecting the Afghan population and building the Afghan state and toward persuading the Taliban to stop fighting — as well as an escalation of targeted attacks against al-Qaeda itself in Pakistan and elsewhere.”
Why would the White House do this? Because the left doesn’t think it’s the right thing to do. After all, “generals always want more troops.” And the polls show the war isn’t as popular with Americans as it was in 2001.
Here’s the danger Obama faces. If he goes the political route, and refuses to follow the advice of his generals, one of them could simply decide to hang up his stars.
In Kabul, some members of McChrystal’s staff said they don’t understand why Obama called Afghanistan a "war of necessity" but still hasn’t given them the resources they need to turn things around quickly.
Three officers at the Pentagon and in Kabul told McClatchy that the McChrystal they know would resign before he’d stand behind a faltering policy that he thought would endanger his forces or the strategy.
"Yes, he’ll be a good soldier, but he will only go so far," a senior official in Kabul said. "He’ll hold his ground. He’s not going to bend to political pressure."
On Thursday, Gates danced around the question of when the administration would be ready to receive McChrystal’s request, which was completed in late August. "We’re working through the process by which we want that submitted," he said.
So, with the soldiers and Marines on the ground, fighting and dying, and the generals calling for more help, the Obama administration is “working though the process” to get the request for more help to the president.
Are we still to believe that Obama sees this as a war of necessity when they can’t get the general’s assessment to the president’s desk faster than I can order and receive something from eBay? Honestly, if I bought a pair of Timberland boots in late August and I still hadn’t received them, I would be irate. However, we are to accept that the administration hasn’t been “ready to receive McChrystal’s request.”
Can you imagine McChyrstal’s feedback?
“Buyer bought into war yet refused to return emails asking for additional troops. Waited 6 weeks then quit trying. Trust at your own risk.”
This isn’t something to play politics with. If Obama refuses to take the action necessary to win this war, it will reinforce the image of America quitting when the going gets tough. Remember, that is the exact image Osama bin Laden had of us prior to attacking.
Win the war, politics be damned.
Cross posted at Right Wing News.
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