It's being reported that General Petraeus, Admiral Mullen, and Secretary Gates all tried (unsuccessfully) to convince President Obama to back off his 16-mo. Iraq withdrawal campaign pledge.
OK, there's nothing wrong with military leaders giving the president advice, even advice they know will not be welcome. In fact, I acknowledge that this, in and of itself, is admirable, and exactly what you want from senior people: their independent assessments. But given the intense politicization of the Bush administration vis-a-vis the Iraq war, using retired brass to secretly sell their war agenda, etc., I think it would be appropriate for Pres. Obama to pass over these individuals and select new senior leaders, who share his vision for the future. Including Gates. Keep him a while, till things are settled, then ask for his resignation. We need a totally new aproach, and these guys aren't it.
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
02 February 2009
10 December 2008
A Major Distraction for the Obama Administration
Although there is as yet no indication at all of any involvement on the part of President-elect Obama or anyone in his transition team with the debased shenanigans of Governor Blagojevich ("Blago," as he's becoming known), it is impossible to see these events as anything other than an extremely unwelcome distraction for the Obama transition and the commencement of his presidency. As a senator from Illiniois, there have to be normal contacts between the governor and his staff and Obama and his aides, and inevitably the prosecution and investigators will want to talk to people close to Obama to find out what they know.
The best outcome would be if it were to trun out that Blago was pretty much a loose cannon and rogue element, and the investigation turns up an open and shut case against him and one or two close aides, and that's it. The second best would probably be that for whatever reason the whole thing is delayed and slow to develop, so that whatever interviewing of Obama's aides and contacts takes place will not come until after the "hundred days" or whatever you want to call the critical first few months of the administration. The hope that there will be no serious distraction from what must be the greatest need for focus on issues a new administration has had to face in many decades is, unfortunately, forlorn.
The best outcome would be if it were to trun out that Blago was pretty much a loose cannon and rogue element, and the investigation turns up an open and shut case against him and one or two close aides, and that's it. The second best would probably be that for whatever reason the whole thing is delayed and slow to develop, so that whatever interviewing of Obama's aides and contacts takes place will not come until after the "hundred days" or whatever you want to call the critical first few months of the administration. The hope that there will be no serious distraction from what must be the greatest need for focus on issues a new administration has had to face in many decades is, unfortunately, forlorn.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
