McChrystal Troop Plan Gains Backing

Wall Street Journal:

The Obama administration is moving toward a hybrid strategy in Afghanistan that would combine elements of both the troop-heavy approach sought by its top military commander and a narrower option backed by Vice President Joe Biden, a decision that could pave the way for thousands of new U.S. forces.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[NCAV2]

09:55 PM on 10/25/2009

Yayy let's send more troops to defend and die for a corrupt puppet government!

[Balzac]

01:49 AM on 10/24/2009

Ultimately, the USA must become solvent and sustainable or we could be looking at a drastic curtailing of international prestige like the USSR suffered, only not quite as pronounced. That's why we must cut our losses.

Bush and Cheney must wear the albatross of Iraq, which "broke the camel's back". They are the goats.

[Rubiconski]

01:46 AM on 10/26/2009

Looks like insolvent and unsustainable will be the only way to stop the war machine.

[Balzac]

01:48 AM on 10/24/2009

There's an optimal pace for the de-escalation of the conflict and the withdrawal of personnel. McChrystal may or may not get his escalation but if he does get it, he will also be told that the extra personnel and resources are to be used to hold position while assets are repositioned for a phased drawing down of forces.

McChrystal should be queried in detail on what he thinks are probable outcomes. Basically, I think President Obama is going to have to spend a fair amount of time working closely with this general. You don't want to have a situation come up where the media gets between President Obama and the military.

The most important thing is not to allow the conflict to drag on. Political strategy must be changed in preparation for the end of hostilities, and the occupation be ended decisively and deliberately. There can be no "report cards" and seeking "recommendations", or optimism about a rosy situation just 6 months from now.

The optimal ending of this conflict will be that our withdrawal will be done proudly and deliberately. Should Bush or Cheney seek to denigrate this withdrawal as "losing" to the "bad guys", they should be shown no mercy.

Also, this withdrawal is to end hostilities, not for the US to withdraw from the whole region, nor to stop pursuing known terrorists. There would be an awful power vacuum if the US withdrew from all of its military bases around the world.

[KillgoreTrout43]

03:44 PM on 10/24/2009

Who's talking about the US withdrawing all of it's troops from around the world?

[Balzac]

01:43 AM on 10/24/2009

If I were president, I wouldn't worry too much about what the generals were thinking, and when I wanted to know, I'd ask them a direct questions.

The generals want to have as much latitude as they can in which to achieve a successful outcome. How they define success is probably different from how I would define success.

Members of our military who interact politically with people in Afghanistan have been asking them to rely on us, and now some of these Afghans may be starting to wonder if that's a good plan. Too quick of a change in political strategy and things could fall into disarray.

[ABSORB]

01:24 AM on 10/24/2009

There is only one plan we need and that is to get the hell out!!!

[sense oar sheep]

01:42 AM on 10/24/2009

says OBL

[iceage7]

01:18 AM on 10/24/2009

The most interesting part of the article is this
People familiar with the internal debates say Mr. Obama rejected a strictly counter-terror approach during White House deliberations in early October. One official said Pentagon strategists were asked to draft brief written arguments making the best case for each strategy, but the strategists had difficulties writing out a credible case for the counter-terror approach -- prompting members of Mr. Biden's staff to step in and write the document themselves.

The pentagaon hate a thinking president. I ean these guys could not come up with a credible case for counter-terror approach

[Balzac]

01:13 AM on 10/24/2009

General McChrystal hasn't yet done or said enough contrary to President Obama to warrant being removed from his post. He has been a little bit too outspoken, but not nearly as bad as General McArthur in Korea.

This is a bit of a chess game, and throughout it, Mr. Obama won't become fatigued, paranoid, nor overly perturbed. He will be the one allowing others to become perturbing while remaining unperturbed himself.

I had a feeling there was going to be another accommodation. The General may well get another escalation in troop levels, but I hope not. Regardless of whether or not this happens, Barack Obama has to take control of what's happening in Afghanistan, because he has the highest rank and his office is not ceremonial.

President Obama and General McChrystal will have to work together as long as is necessary. The public will have to understand that President Obama is facing a great deal of passive as well as active resistance. The blood that will be spilled in Afghanistan between now and when the war ends is not going to stain President Obama.

The military is big and while it can strike very quickly, it moves the bulk of its troops and supplies more slowly. Extricating from Afghanistan is not like a bikini wax. It must be done in an orderly fashion. After these wars have ended I'm hoping President Obama will make big changes to prevent the next quagmire.

[sense oar sheep]

01:06 AM on 10/24/2009

disparaging media coverage on president obama and general mcchrystal

president obama and general mcchrystal are great americans along with so many others

our tone of discourse can change as well as our politics

[Tiger99]

01:05 AM on 10/24/2009

"The emerging U.S. strategy would change the tactics of conventional forces on the ground to a less-aggressive strategy aimed at winning support among Afghans" Echo's Of Viet Nam...

We should just pull completely out of that region and allow the Chinese to overrun it and let them deal with it... They have the manpower to invade with huge #'s and besides they want the place... Let the Taliban and Pakistan Deal with China and see how they like that... Let's see how the religious "Burka Lovin" zealots deal with this marching through their cities-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG3dPnD1SGo&feature=related

It's all about a pipeline anyhow and we could simply take about 1/4 of the money wasted on the war there and put it to good use freeing ourselves from reliance on foreign oil which is one of the "promises" made by this Administration... The money saved would quickly help turn things around here in the U.S.A.

[sense oar sheep]

01:15 AM on 10/24/2009

Vietnam didn't attack the US Homeland

9/11

[swift goat pet for truth]

01:27 AM on 10/24/2009

Neither did Afghan.
Or Iraq

[KillgoreTrout43]

03:49 PM on 10/24/2009

In Vietnam, were were fighting to defend a democratic government that really was a sham democracy. We escalated and escalated to the point of absurdity, getting 58,000 US troops killed.
We don't know what kind of Government the Afghan people will get. We do not want to fight and defend a corrupt government. Where would the sense be in that?
We went there to defeat al Qaida and rid the region of terrorist training camps. We didn't go there to fight the Taliban.

[sassafra]

12:53 AM on 10/24/2009

either way, mcchrystal needs firing. there is no place for senior military staff inserting themselves into the political process. another gen. mccarthy we don't need.

[JoeBlough]

12:51 AM on 10/24/2009

McChrystal was the man incharge of the Pat Tillman cover-up. He cares nothing for the troops and should be relieved of duty.

[sense oar sheep]

01:11 AM on 10/24/2009

I, Stanley McChrystal, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

President Obama is sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

don't disparage sworn americans

[sassafra]

02:44 AM on 10/24/2009

934. ART. 134. GENERAL ARTICLE

Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, ll conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.




mcchrystal, by his arrogance has attempted to usurp the presidents perogatives as CINC to set both military and political policy by speaking out against the wishes of his CINC in a brazen attempt to influence policy. it discredits both his commission as an officer and the discipline structure of the armed forces.