One is the Loneliest Number
[Guest post by DRJ]
General Stanley McChrystal, Obama’s commander in Afghanistan, has talked to President Obama once in the past 70 days:
“McChrystal talked about his interaction with the president in an interview with CBS News.
“I’ve talked to the president since I’ve been here once on a (video teleconference),” he said.
“You talked to him once in 70 days?” CBS’ David Martin asked.
“That’s correct,” McChrystal said.”
Meanwhile, Obama played golf almost every weekend this summer while General McChrystal and his troops toiled in Afghanistan. Obama also found two spare days this week to travel to Copenhagen to appear before the International Olympic Committee in support of Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics.
Obama is not serious about the war in Afghanistan.
— DRJ
What a contrast to President Bush spoke to his Generals in Iraq and Afghanistan on a weekly basis and often times every single day during some weeks! Of course, Obama already knows everything so there is no need for The One to speak to anyone about everything he already knows!
Brett (b4b7da) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:16 pmOr, in fact, anything involving actual decisions on his part.
Scott Jacobs (in class) (6aff37) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:19 pmRush Limbaugh mentioned this today. With regards to the Olympics, he also wondered aloud how many times Obama has talked with Richie Daley about Chicago’s 2016 bid (among other things) in the same 70 day period.
If this is true, then we might as well prepare ourselves for blowing it in Afghanistan.
JVW (409963) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:30 pmHe gets his orders through the chain of command. I’d be worried if he WAS talking to Obama on a daily basis.
mojo (8096f2) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:35 pmSpot on. He is not serious about anything other than being president. That shouldn’t surprise us, as Senator “Present” wasn’t all too taken with the responsibilities of that job either.
Matador (ad4464) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:36 pmGosh, it’s good that the press is really hammering the President on this, as they did with GW Bush going on vacations, etc.
Hey, wait….
Eric Blair (57b266) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:42 pmI’m spamming the internet with my notion that Obama will stop in Afghanistan on the way from Copenhagen. He’s got to do something to salvage this thing (reputation).
MayBee (4a75f2) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:46 pmTalk to me of patriotism, please.
Ed from SFV (d4f5c2) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:50 pmOn the bright side of it, President Obama would almost certainly be an upgrade if he was mayor of Wellford, SC.
SteveG (97b6b9) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:51 pmHe gets his orders through the chain of command.
See, some of us think that the president might benefit from listening to General McChrystal, as opposed to just sending orders down to him. A dialog, as it were. You know, “listening to the generals on the ground” and all that stuff that the left used to claim they thought was important.
I’d be worried if he WAS talking to Obama on a daily basis.
The opposite of “once in 70 days” is not “daily basis.” During times of crisis, though, daily briefings would be appropriate; it would at least give the appearance that he cared about what was happening.
As it is, well, CHICAGO 2016!
Pious Agnostic (b2c3ab) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:53 pmHe gets his orders through the chain of command.
What a difference a year makes.
With that vote, our hope – – our prayer – – is that this President will finally listen. Listen to the Generals. –Harry Reid
Vatar (55055f) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:58 pmhttp://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=267725&
Maybe this is all a big mistake and he thought he was running for president of Chicago ! That was his ambition. Along that line, there was a discussion of Detroit on Chicago Boyz a week or two ago and the consensus was that, once the last Daley retires as Mayor, Chicago will follow Detroit in decline.
That would probably be pretty good timing for Obama to be Mayor of Chicago after Daley. Then he could complete his life’s work by wrecking that place, too.
Mike K (2cf494) — 9/28/2009 @ 1:59 pmOn the bright side of it, President Obama would almost certainly be an upgrade if he was mayor of Wellford, SC.
Comment by SteveG — 9/28/2009 @ 1:51 pm
Really? Maybe it was just the rantings of the crazy gal, but she at least claims a much greater concern for the taxpayer than old jugears.
Matador (ad4464) — 9/28/2009 @ 2:00 pm#4
I noticed that McChrystal went on raids in Iraq so he would know what was going on out in the field… he mentioned that in Afghanistan he could sit in a room back at a base and watch video and listen to radio traffic, but nothing substituted for getting out there in person.
Leaders show up and lead.
If President Obama had not spent so much campaign time lampooning Bush on Iraq vs. Afghanistan and over which war was the righteous one, I could take a little more of his neglect.
SteveG (97b6b9) — 9/28/2009 @ 2:07 pmSo Obama has talked with David Letterman more than General McChrystal. Our republic is in good hands.//
Dr Carlo Lombardi (36c21a) — 9/28/2009 @ 2:19 pmMike, I read that post, and the commenter who said that about Daley’s a real ignoramus. Anyone with half a brain knows that the Cook County Board has been controlled by Daley and his brother for decades at this point (his brother serves on the board). Stroger’s a doofus and he deserves the condemnation for his terrible mismangement, but the only reason he got to be President of the board was to act as head stooge and fall guy for the Daleys. No one in the city or county gov’t with any clout isn’t closely connected to the Daley clan. Why the press here continues to ignore this elephant in the room mystifies me to no end – but then again, they were in the tank for Obama from the very beginning, so what else is new?
Dmac (b905fa) — 9/28/2009 @ 2:23 pmWhere’s the Michael Moore film showing this president playing golf while troops — including my nephew, scheduled to be deployed Oct. 15th — are fighting and dying overseas? Where’s the righteous indignation directed at a commander-in-chief that is too busy, toadying up to his puppet masters, to command?
Icy Texan (31328b) — 9/28/2009 @ 2:29 pmDmac, those are all Chicago people and I think they were saying (no surprise as it is conventional wisdom in Chicago) that the Daley family, bad as they are, are better than whatever would follow them in Chicago politics. We got a chance to see what Harold Washington was like and the next generation without Daley are worse. Sort of like Louis XV, Apres moi deluge. I think that keeps a lot of Chicago whites voting for Daley no matter how crooked the machine is. There was a samll chance for reform in the Stroger election back in 2006 when the old man had the stroke and Obama supported the crooks.
Reading the comments on that thread could be a prediction for the rest of the Midwest unless things change.
I should add that California is going the same way with Hispanics like Villaraigosa, the LA Mayor. That’s why I’m edging toward AZ.
Mike K (2cf494) — 9/28/2009 @ 3:19 pmMike K, you would be a most welcome addition to AZ.
Gazzer (22ecdc) — 9/28/2009 @ 3:36 pm3……2……….1
That’s Different!
Techie (482700) — 9/28/2009 @ 4:01 pm– The Left
I am shocked, shocked I’ll tell ya that the man who agitated for his country to concede Iraq to al Qaeda and Iran, and who said the Surge would make things worse, is now preparing to concede Afghanistan to the Taliban and al Qaeda. Shocked. Just shocked. Shocked I’ll tell ya.
Terry Gain (4045b4) — 9/28/2009 @ 4:23 pm[…] Obama has seen it fit to have a meeting with McChrystal only once so far in his Presidency, and that was back in April and via Video Conference. Contrast that to […]
Obama Can’t Be Bothered To Meet With His Generals | Axis of Right (4bdcf7) — 9/29/2009 @ 5:17 am