THE LATE GREAT OBAMINATION

Bob Woodward’s new book is out.  It will be officially released on Monday, and it is devastating for the Obama administration:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/21/AR2010092106706.html

Here is the problem:  Obama looked the American people straight in the eye, and lied. 

On August 18, 2009, in a speech given at the Veterans of Foreign Wars conference, he said the following:

 This is not a war of choice. This is a war of necessity; those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans.

Yet, according to Woodward’s book, in the fall of 2009, Obama made it clear that his only plan for Afghanistan was to leave.  All of his military advisors warned him that they needed more troops to win the war.  Here is how Woodward quotes Obama:

This needs to be a plan about how we’re going to hand it off and get out of Afghanistan,” Obama is quoted as telling White House aides as he laid out his reasons for adding 30,000 troops in a short-term escalation. “Everything we’re doing has to be focused on how we’re going to get to the point where we can reduce our footprint. It’s in our national security interest. There cannot be any wiggle room.

The following is crystal clear.

First, in spite of telling the American people that Afghanistan was a war of necessity, Obama was only concerned about how it impacted him politically.  There was not even a mention of the national security risk to the United States that he acknowledged in August, just a couple of months earlier.  He was primarily concerned over how it would affect his support within the Democratic Party.

Second, both Secretary Gates and General Petraeus have had it with the Obama Administration.  I think we are dealing with two genuine patriots who think the country’s only chance to survive an Obama Administration is if someone within the administration is advocating on behalf of national security.  It is now obvious that they virulently disagree with this administration, but felt the country had a better chance with them in the administration than with whoever Obama would choose to replace them.

Third, this is about to explode.  According to Woodward: “Petraeus told his own staffers that the administration was ‘[expletive deleted]’ with the wrong guy.”  He goes on to say that Gates was tempted to walk out of an Oval Office meeting after being offended by comments made by Deputy National Security Advisor Thomas E. Donilon about an unnamed General.   Could this be General McChrystal?

 What could Petraeus do?  The following article answers that question:

 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/i-wont-be-rushed-out-of-afghanistan-says-general-david-petraeus/story-e6frg6so-1225928174075

 The following quote, given to an overseas paper, so that it would be sure to be printed, was literally a public warning to Obama:

General David Petraeus told The Times that Mr Obama’s deadline of July 2011 for the start of a drawdown would in fact be the start of a “process”, and and described a major policy review ordered by President Obama as little more than a “mid-course assessment”.

It is not a date when we rush for the exit and reach for the light switch to turn it out before leaving the room,” as he reserved the right to set his own timetable based on conditions on the ground.

We now know the ugly truth about Afghanistan, and it is indeed ugly.  It was Obama who personally devised the strategy to send in less troops than ANY qualified military person said was required, and it was Obama who demanded the new rules of engagement. 

President Obama told General Petraeus that we are leaving in July of 2011, end of conversation.  General Petraeus just told the world that “HE” reserved the right to set his own timetable, based on conditions on the ground. 

Perhaps the biggest shocker of all is that the White House, and CBS news, apparently thinks this article presents a positive picture of Obama:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20017327-503544.html

However, virtually everyone else is drawing the exact opposite conclusion. 

Obama has a huge problem at the worst possible time for Democrats.  If he fires General Petraeus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Secretary Gates and Admiral McMullen follow him out the door.  Admiral McMullen already challenged Obama with regard to the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell.  He basically said this is a really dumb idea, but we do our best to follow orders, even dumb orders, and will somehow make it work:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/24/mullen-working-on-dont-as_n_207175.html

These top military commanders are very serious and capable people who are not intimidated by anyone.  Here we have a Commander in Chief, with no military experience, no executive experience and a record of jamming through one stupid idea after another with the only common ingredient being abject failure.  Unless the real Obama, behind closed doors, is secretly the brilliant leader worshiped by the Kool-Aid drinkers in the main stream media, these guys have to be seething.  What would you do if you were General Petraeus, and you were being given orders that were getting your troops killed unnecessarily, without adequate support, by a President whose only concern is how it will affect himself politically?  Maybe, just maybe, you would have a little conversation with the Australian press to make sure the right people get the message.

Guiliani obviously got the message and fired the first shot.  Watch for John McCain.  Perhaps more than any other member of congress John McCain may take this on.  McCain is third-generation navy, and duty, honor, country is part of his DNA.  He may be a RINO, but he also is a genuine war hero who always puts the country first with regard to national security.  If my interpretation of this article is accurate, then it is hard to imagine McCain remaining silent. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-giuliani-woodward-20100923,0,4073680.story

Several news agencies are reporting that the threat of an attack from al Qaeda is the highest since 9-11.  If, after the book written by Woodward, al Qaeda launches a successful major attack on the U.S., Obama will be lucky to escape impeachment.

TDM