President Obama And His Generals

The President & the Generals -- Frederick Kagan, Weekly Standard

The New York Times reported last week that President Obama decided not to apologize to Pakistan about the U.S. airstrikes that killed Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border in part because he did not want to be seen to be overruling his military commanders yet again. How ironic that the president should feel the need to accept the advice of his military leaders on diplomatic matters while regularly disregarding their opinions on military matters. This most recent incident illuminates the ongoing confusion in the White House and among the American political elite generally about how the president should take advice from his senior military commanders. The situation has become very dangerous for an administration that has overruled its commanders dramatically and frequently and is reportedly considering doing so again by announcing accelerations of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan beyond what military commanders have recommended.

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My Comment: President Obama does not strike me as a person who would defer to what his Generals may advise. He is in essence .... what most Presidents are .... a political person whose view of the world is through a political lens. So .... while it may not make military sense for a quick and substantial withdrawal from Afghanistan .... from a political point of view (during an election year) this makes total sense.