Military Frustrated by 'Slow' Obama

Commanders irked by ongoing review of Afghanistan strategy

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 20, 2009 3:54 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama's ongoing review of Afghan strategy is frustrating military officers used to a different commander-in-chief's style, say past and present top brass. Some fear that the long deliberations over Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for more troops signal weakness and indecision to the enemy, while others fear the president is "pulling the rug out from under" them after promising to make the war a priority.

The military grew used to President Bush's policy of quickly picking one strategy and sticking to it "often to ill effect," one adviser to McChrystal tells the New York Times. Obama, by contrast, is readier to question assumptions. “There’s a value in that,” he said, “but that can be incredibly frustrating for those trying to operationalize the strategy.”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

President Barack Obama meets with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, aboard Air Force One in Copenhagen, Denmark. (AP Photo/White House, Pete Souza )

Soldiers of the 1/501st of the 25th Infantry Division begin marching at sunrise just after being air-dropped into a field last week in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. (Getty Images)

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The Bush administration would settle on a strategy and stick to it, and you could argue often to ill effect. - Andrew M. Exum,
adviser to General McChrystal

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 10 comments

oldgoat

Oct 22, 2009 10:59 AM CDT

Or maybe you have a corrupt and weak gov in Afghanistan that we can't depend on? Remember we supported corrupt gov before like the Shah of Iran and SH in Iraq just in recent times. That he doesn't do like Bush and just throw something out there without thinking it through should show that he does care about the troops. Remember that Bush was the one that sent troops without the armor vehicles and vests that they needed and had no plan for getting in and out of Iraq. Oh and by the way never had a plan to get OBL.

PhillytoWinnetka

Oct 21, 2009 8:42 AM CDT

What happened to all of Obama's campaign promises of shifting the focus to Afghanistan. He stood in front of all of us and repeatedly said that Afghanistan was the key to keeping America/cans safe by weeding out the terrorists residing there. Two things are going on here: he never believed that, or he doesn't care about our military.

Silverbow7

Oct 20, 2009 12:26 PM CDT

I still have this, 'wait and see,' about Obama. It is hard to stop and realize he has been in office less than a year. We might do well to have a little more patience. Imagine him not taking time to get his bearings and come to understand a subject before he 'decides' on a course of action. He has a lot to dig us out of and we have all seen and felt the results of someone being rushed into 'deciding' without understanding or checking the facts before deciding. Bush was so easily manipulated into doing just that. I'm for waiting for a good decision rather than a fast one.

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Military Frustrated by 'Slow' Obama