The Follies of the Obama Adminstration's Afghan policy

Recently President Obama decided to relieve General McCrystal from overall command from US forces in Afghanistan. The move comes not because of the continued rising violence in Afghanistan. It comes not as a result of a stalled offensive in Helmland province or a delay in even beginning an offensive in Kandahar province due to lack of "local support." It comes not as it becomes more and more known that the ROE that our forces are operation with over there are making us a joke. No, none of these are the reasons for General McCrystal's removal. The reason the man is getting canned is because of a Rolling Stone article in which General McCrystal and his aides were noted not saying very nice things about people in the Obama administration.

Now while I will not defend what was in the article, it is ridiculous on the Generals part that he allowed this piece to be published, there were numerous reasons for the General to be canned. The biggest reason IMO was that the man either sucked at implementing a counter insurgency strategy in Afghanistan or he was forced to implement a policy he didn't himself believe in. In either case he should have been canned and Americans should be upset of the half hearted nature in which the Afghan war appears to have been waged during his time. If you can't do your job than man the hell up and resign so that someone else can and so that fewer of our men and women come home in boxes.

While I could go on and on about this subject I will cut it short for now because it's the morning and darn it, I'm hungry. I will only also note that the President has asked the head of CENTCOM and brains behind the Iraq surge policy, the one that President Obama refused to credit with success during his 2008 campaign, General Petreaus to step in and command the forces in Afghanistan and implement an insurgency strategy that will work. I am hopeful that the General will be able to get the job done both because of his proven ability and sway in Washington to make changes on the ground without much risk of being undermined by civilian bosses back home. It's already become known that Petreaus is reviewing the ROE which hopefully will be revised to allow our forces to actually go after insurgents when we find them.

-Zach