Afghanistan

I write these words as more than just a casual observer. My son-in-law, Carter Johnston, will very soon ship to Afghanistan as an Apache pilot. Some of our readers may have seen the recent CBS documentary, "Battle of Wanat - Inside the Ambush," where 9 US soldiers were killed. One of them, Lt. Jonathon Brostrom, was Carter’s best friend. Jonathon’s father, retired Army Colonel David Brostrom, was quoted in the piece. We know that Colonel Brostrom questions the lack of resources, the lack of support personnel, the slimly manned base for example allowed to continue to operate in the face of a profound threat. He is on to something. Indecision costs lives.

Let’s back up a tad. In the early days of the Civil War Lincoln was in a quandary. He wanted to take the battle to the enemy but he had a commanding general - McClellan - who was strong on parades but weak on action; every situation lacked certainty; nothing was just perfect enough for a major offensive; all was just too, too complex and only he, one of the anointed, had the mental horsepower to ever fully understand it all. And McClellan always "needed more time," just one more meeting. Lincoln finally had enough.

Now we have just the exact reversal of situation. We have a commanding general in Afg who has a plan and wants to take it to the enemy, and who knows what he needs to get the job done. But we have a president who, just like McClellan, can do nothing but nuance, dither, parse here and there, look ahead to more meetings, and who is in our judgement (and I'll bet Lincoln's if he were still here) ill equipped for the task.

Stanley McChrystal is the General Grant in this war on terror. He recently met with Obama, who was furious that McChrystal had very publically asked to 40,000 more troops, and told the International Institute for Strategic Studies that, "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, nor will public support." Obama’s advisers were "shocked and angered" by "the bluntness’ of McChrystal’s speech. One of BO’s staffers said that, "To my mind McChrystal doesn’t seem ready for Washington hardball and is just speaking his mind too plainly." What a crock.

It’s no secret how to win this war. We’ll win if we listen to the pros. We’ll fail if we listen to the elitists, the anointed, the lefty arm chair quarter backs who have never fought a battle for their Country in their lives but who are just so, so wise - Lenin’s useful idiots.

Witness this from the British Army chief of staff Sir David Richards: "If al-Qaeda and the Taliban believe they have defeated us - what next? Would they stop in Afg.? Pakistan is clearly a tempting target not least because of the fact ...of nuclear weapons.....if only a few fell into their hands, believe me they would use them."

Or from former CentCom Commander Gen Anthony Zinni: "I think we have to be careful how long this goes on. We could be seen at being indecisive - unable to make a decision. We have a general out there who is probably the best qualified we could have that’s telling us what we need on the ground....And I just don’t understand why we’re questioning that judgment at this point..."

Or from the chair of the House Armed Services Comm Ike Skelton (D - MO): "That’s the purpose of this entire mission - to quell al Qaeda and to make sure the Taliban are not there to invite them back. The president chose Gen McChrystal who is the best in the business for this type of conflict. He asked McChrystal for an assessment. He got that assessment. ...I back him up. I sent a letter to the president 6 days ago - spelling out basically - ‘Give the general what he needs’"

Finally, even from Henry Kissinger: "Those in the chain of command in Afg., each with outstanding qualifications, have all been recently appointed by Obama. Rejecting their recommendations would be a triumph of domestic politics over strategic judgment."

Here we go again? Iraq - Wise men frowned, cleared their throat and declared Iraq lost in op-ed opinions. And then Bush did the lonely and good thing by placing his all with Petraeus, the surge, and keeping our commitment. Can Obama follow suit? Sure. Personally, we have little respect for this guy; a charlatan, a Chicago pol, who through the dynamic of political correctness ended up as president despite his complete lack of experience in foreign affairs, despite his history as a community organizer and fan of Acorn, despite a vacuity of judgement as illustrated by the extremist company he kept. But he can listen and he can learn and key - take a lesson from the past. Let's hope he picks up a history book, for Carter’s sake and for all the rest of us.

Robert Craven