Some are speculating that Obama’s appointment of General David Petraeus is a move to keep General Petraeus from running for president in the next election. I certainly wouldn’t put it past our dear leader. It’s apparent that the one and only thing he’s focused on is politics.
CFIF: Third – and perhaps most cannily – Obama has managed to serve his own political interests at the same time that he’s securing the nation’s strategic imperatives. There is no potential candidate for the presidency in 2012 who inspires as much fear from the Obama crowd as Petraeus himself. Now the general has much deeper equity in the president’s war. And walking away from the front lines in Afghanistan for a bid at the White House is a much more acidic way to start a campaign than leaving Central Command’s air-conditioned Tampa headquarters.
This is what happens when honorable men have to deal with the dishonorable.
And finally, Petraeus, the counterinsurgency guru par excellence, will still be left with a country where the preconditions of his doctrine – a stable political partner, adequate troop strength and copious reserves of time – appear sorely lacking.
Many of the general’s colleagues have pronounced this week that if anyone can pull this mission off, it’s David Petraeus. That may be true. But time may prove the futility of being the best man for an impossible task.
Regardless of the reasons behind his appointment, I wish the general, and our troops, all the best. Pray for all of them.
A young man from my area, US Army Specialist Blair Thompson, just lost his life in Afghanistan. His family members had a message for all of us.
YNN: Younger brother Bryant Benway said, “People who have their own soldier, of their own, make sure you hug him and tell him you love him.”
Older brother Sean Thompson said, “People need to know, it’s not peaches and cream over there, but people need to know that people are willing to give everything, like my brother who gave everything, so we can still live free here.“
To them, this is not about politics. Every life lost over there is the son, daughter, brother, sister, father or husband of someone over here. I’m sure they don’t care that much about some politician’s re-election . Those with loved ones still serving over there – they probably are more concerned with getting their loved ones home. And those that lost loved ones surely don’t want it to have happened in vain.
