Our President, dragging his feet.

President Obama has had the troop figures for Afghanistan for more than a week now; after having met with General McChrystal for 35 minutes. 35 minutes to meet with the Commander of American Forces in Afghanistan, the man who has the best first-hand knowledge about what is going on in Afghanistan; that is less time than Obama spent trying to solicit the Olympics to come to Chicago. 

As President, Barack Obama is the Commander in Chief over our armed forces.  Successful commanders spend extensive amounts of time studying the enemy and the arena in which they will fight long before the battle begins, and then they act decisively.  General McChrystal has spent that kind of time in Afghanistan, and made a decisive request to Obama for an additional forty-thousand troops.

In contrast to the 35 minutes spent with General McChrystal, President Obama is now seeking the counsel of people like Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden; each of whom have no military experience and are driven by political motives. Meanwhile, Soldiers and Marines are being killed trying to hold the frontline against al Qaeda and the Taliban that are now escalating their attacks while Obama is saying it will take weeks before he can make a final decision on General McChrystal’s request.

President Obama should have been spending the weeks he is now using to make up his mind, by counseling with General McChrystal and other generals over the last 9 months as to what strategy to follow in Afghanistan; and much less time on television trying to sell his socialist health care plan and getting the Olympics to be held in Chicago.