Mullen's 'Good Instincts' Cited In Joint Chiefs Role

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, U.S. Navy, addresses U.S. sailors in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) while underway in the North Arabian Sea on Aug. 27, 2008. The Lincoln is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James R. Evans, U.S. Navy. (Released)

From The Washington Times:

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen walked through the streets of Samarra toward the Golden Mosque, where the sounds of prayer have replaced those of explosions and shooting.

The admiral, recruited by the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1964 to play basketball, towered over a crowd of young children in ragged clothing who followed him. Forty years after beginning his military career, he is now charged with overseeing 2.2 million troops and two very different theaters of war.

"We need to know how to look through the eyes of the people," he told The Washington Times later aboard Air Force II during one of several interviews on a recent a nine-day trip to Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Pakistan. "I don't think any plan is to succeed in Iraq or Afghanistan unless we engage with the people, unless we understand who they are and what they need."

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My Comment: Admiral Mullen is laying the groundwork for a positive image before Obama assumes the Presidency. Unfortunately for him, many are still critical of his decision to oppose the surge in Iraq, and even more so when he tried to undercut it. Good instincts .... hmmmm .... in reference to Iraq I do not think so.