Bob Woodward indicated that former JCS Chairman and Secretary of State Colin Powell might get the nod to replace Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense when Gates leaves in 2011.
Dear God, no! Please let him realize that he he has already done all that duty requires, and more, and that it is time for younger men and women to take up the burden.
Obama's Wars is Woodward's latest look at the innermost workings in and around Washington's halls of power, and the book gives some of the most detailed behind-the-scenes glimpses of the Obama White House to date.
Obama's Wars also highlights the personalities of those involved with carving out the current war strategy -- and the results aren't always flattering. For instance, the relationship between Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General James "Hoss" Cartwright, the Vice Chairman, "couldn't be more hostile".
Army vs. Navy? I'm quite certain they could be much more hostile.
General Cartwright works with Vice President Biden -- and around Admiral Mullen -- developing a counterterrorism strategy that would use fewer troops and resources than the counter insurgency strategy. Mullen is incensed and balks at presenting it to Obama, to which Cartwright retorts, "I'm not in the business of withholding options."
I didn't realize that Vice President Biden was a strategy maven. Which only goes to show the limits of my knowledge.
General David Petraeus, who is CENTCOM Commander through most of the book, seems wedded to his own version of counterinsurgency and thinks fighting terrorist with nothing more than drones would make more enemies than allies. "This is a chainsaw not a stiletto," he says, referring to the Biden-Cartwright plan.
National Security Council chief Jim Jones, a former Commandant of the Marine Corps, challenges the Pentagon on the demand for more troops without an evaluation of the impact of the previous increase.
#1
" didn't realize that Vice President Biden was a strategy maven. Which only goes to show the limits of my knowledge."
Snark of the month.....
Posted by: Slaick Oppressor of the Faith8847 ||
10/03/2010 15:35 Comments ||
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#2
Investigate Powell for employing illegals. That should take care of the possibility of him as Sec of Defense. California is finding out that it IS illegal to hire illegal aliens.
Posted by: Black Charlie Chinemble5313 ||
10/03/2010 15:40 Comments ||
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#3
Obama will select someone based upon his or her loyalty and commitment to the DISMANTLING of DoD. I doubt General Powell fits that bill.
#4
IIRC there were a good load of retired generals who were willing to stab Bush in the back during the period 05-08, often on TV. Surely they could get anyone of those for 30 pieces of silver again.
Of course, he could offer it to McCain. The ego and RINO status should qualify him. The real reason he's bitching about Obamacare is that it's not McCaincare. It would open up the seat in Arizona for another shot. It would get great MSM play with its faux bi-partisanship.
From the 'bad ideas' department...
US Congressman Dan Burton (R-Indiana), a known India basher, has sought the intervention of the Obama Administration in resolving the Kashmir issue, claiming this has direct impact on the global war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Err... not really in the top 5.
"Regrettably, the conflict has garnered little attention from the American media and zero attention from the White House," Burton, a Republican, said in his speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives early this week. Might be reasons for that.
Do many of his colleagues stand with him on this issue, or is this like Mr. Kucinich's concern about alien invasions from outer space?
"During the Presidential campaign, President Obama pledged to appoint a special envoy to the region and declared... that solving the 'Kashmir crisis' was one of his 'critical tasks.' So far, this has been a promise unfulfilled," said the Congressman from Indiana. A nutty Obama idea. Thankfully, the Indians slammed the door in the face of this nonsense by making Holbroke practically persona non grata.
Our sitting president also pledged to resolve the Palestinian crisis. He's good at promises, that man.
He said he believed that "an end to the violence and uncertainty in Kashmir would be widely welcomed in India and Pakistan as well as by our military commanders in Afghanistan." Sure. How would we have such an effect?
#7
Easy to joke about, but lots of pol dirtbags are doing the math. That will have some salutary effects down the road. they will always pay lip service to the comsymp droolers, but then, some things never change...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/03/2010 9:04 Comments ||
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#8
Hey, don't be unfair to the poor foolish unionists and ignroant socialists at their on rally...
The union people were paid to hold signs at the rally, it wasnt in the work rules for them to clean up afterward. And the Socialists beleive its someone else's job, not theirs, to clean up the messes they make. So why anyone expected them to clean up is beyond me. Heh
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
