What Message Is President Obama Sending Over Afghanistan?

President Barack Obama holds briefing on Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Situation Room of the White House on Oct. 14, 2009. Photo from FOX News

No Wonder The Afghan Review Is Taking So Long -- Robert Haddick, Small Wars Journal

While on his way today to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed to reporters (in the course of blasting anonymous leakers) a few snippets from the Obama administration’s review of Afghan policy. According to the AFPS article, Gates said “Obama appears to be leaning toward [a policy option] that combines parts of various alternatives presented so far.”

Gates went on to say:

The question, [Gates] said, comes down to "How do we signal resolve, and at the same time, signal to the Afghans and the American people that this is not open-ended?"

If President Obama and his team are waiting until they come up with an answer to that dilemma, it is no longer a mystery why the review is taking so long. Sorry, you can’t commit to both the long road and the exit ramp at the same time – you have to pick one or the other.

Read more ....

My Comment: President Obama may be trying his best to project an image of being a Commander in Chief who is being thoughtful in developing the proper strategy on what to do in Afghanistan .... but on the ground a different message is being received .... a message in which many people are starting to now go public with their frustration on the pace of consultation and analysis on the Afghan.

The conservative website "Human Events" sums it up best .... Indecision is Obama's Decision.

This lack of Presidential leadership has now impacted the team that is suppose to give him the options on what to do in Afghanistan. They are now in disarray, resulting with Secretary of Defense Gates publicly voicing his own frustration of how confidential and secret information is being leaked. But it is too late, the U.S. military and their political allies are now divided into two factions, and both of them are going after each other through the press.

The public is also frustrated. When a grieving mom who lost a son in Afghanistan starts to make demands to President Obama to make a decision on Afghanistan troop levels .... that is when you know that you are losing the support of America.

But as bad as this news is, the impact in Afghanistan is magnified many fold. The Taliban know that they are winning, and what is worse is that the Afghan people are now resigning themselves to the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in the near future.

Mr. President .... the message that you and the AP were hoping was being sent is not the message that we are receiving. In fact .... if there is a message it is one in which many of us are starting to believe that you should first start cleaning up your own house before you can even contemplate cleaning up Afghanistan's.