Has Obama turned a deaf ear to the generals?

Time is running out in Afghanistan … and fast. We made note of that a week ago here, and again last night here. Which is why we asked you all to sign the petition.

Obama claims he needs to formulate a plan before committing more troops. But the truth is, he has a plan in place and running. More on that below. But it appears … he just isn’t ready to accept the consequences and make the decisions necessary to complete the mission he not only campaigned on, but also endorsed and that means ignoring his Generals … at least for the moment.

Red State has a great chronilogical run down of  Obama’s bi-polar, “I have a plan, I don’t have a plan” approach to Afghanistan: easy to read, understand, and from a military standpoint, on the mark. What’s scary is that there are rumors swirling General McChrystal will resign if his request for more troops is denied. (Hat Tip for this one to RVO reader Vincent.)

The military commanders are reportedly distressed at this foot-dragging and wondering if Obama is really committed to victory as he claims. A split is widening between them and the civilian leadership, while John Kerry – who was so certain five years ago what had to be done in Afghanistan – now says we need time to figure out what’s going on in a war that’s now entering its ninth year.

In fact, so deep is the split that word is circulating that General McChrystal is threatening to resign if he doesn’t get the troops he feels he needs.

But it may not be that simple. This morning Scott Bates from the Center For National Policy told us the Afghan war assessment  trumpeted by the young President in March was in fact assembled by the Bush team, because  the Obama team had little time to come up with a new assessment. But as Scott points out, he readily claimed it as his own.

Well the plan he claimed as his own, to surge, co-opt  locals and rebuild, is not sitting well with the left, and the Generals he put in charge have told him “his” plan will not work without more troops.

Thus the disconnect. Thus the, “I am still formulating a plan” talk even while sending troops into harms way under “his” old plan. As Scott pointed out in the interview, things apparently deteriorated much faster than the Obama administration had anticipated. Now he is in a position where he must decide to stick with the plan in place or scale back and fight the war differently, as Scott suggests.

The interview unfortunately is unavailable, but I think Scott is right, as well as Red State. These Generals will fight and win any mission you send them on. BUT … if you ask the Generals to perform a mission, expect them to tell you what they need to accomplish it. McCrystal will perform whatever mission he is asked to complete, but don’t expect him to stick around if mission requires 60,000 and you say no. Soldiers are tough as nails … but not suicidal.

As Charles Krauthammer said last night … for the moment, no cart … no horse

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxi2IILt8sk&feature=player_embedded