Posted by Tina
Leadership requires the willingness to be responsible, make decisions, and bear the consequences of those decisions. Good leaders don’t make excuses. When they make errors or see that a new approach is necessary they just dig in and do what is necessary to repair and accomplish their goals.
The Presidents hesitation and excuses regarding Afghanistan is troubling and begs the question, when will this administration step up to the plate and take charge? Instead of making decisions, instead of acting confidently the President seems to be avoiding the issue. The administration also continues to wage war on the Bush administration as a way of excusing their own indecision:
Rahm Emanuel to CNN:
(President Obama is) “asking the questions that have never been asked on the civilian side, the political side, the military side and the strategic side.” ** “It’s clear that basically we had a war for eight years that was going on, that’s adrift, that we’re beginning at scratch, just at the starting point…and that there’s not a security force, an army, and the types of services that are important for the Afghans to become a true partner.”
Does the President think he’s still a low level politician in Chicago running a local campaign? Do he and his advisors realize the position they are now in? They wanted this job, is it too much to expect them to make decisions and then have the manliness to bear the burden on their own shoulders?
It shouldn’t be too much to ask! It’s unseemly for Rahm Emanuel to go on television and make scurilous accusations about the previous administration to cover for the current administration’s own weaknesses. Their constituents are watching so it may make political sense to them but the entire world is also watching. Our allies have to be shaking their heads in concern…our enemies are smiling.
Read a transcript at The Weekly Standard of remarks on foreign policy made by former Vice President Dick Cheney speaking at the Center for Security Policy. I have excerpted points that refer to Afghanistan and the accusations made by Emanuel, but I urge you to read the entire speech:
“Most anyone who is given responsibility in matters of national security quickly comes to appreciate the commitments and structures put in place by others who came before. You deploy a military force that was planned and funded by your predecessors. You inherit relationships with partners and obligations to allies that were first undertaken years and even generations earlier. With the authority you hold for a little while, you have great freedom of action. And whatever course you follow, the essential thing is always to keep commitments, and to leave no doubts about the credibility of your country’s word.” ** “We should all be concerned as well with the direction of policy on Afghanistan. For quite a while, the cause of our military in that country went pretty much unquestioned, even on the left. The effort was routinely praised by way of contrast to Iraq, which many wrote off as a failure until the surge proved them wrong. Now suddenly – and despite our success in Iraq – we’re hearing a drumbeat of defeatism over Afghanistan. These criticisms carry the same air of hopelessness, they offer the same short-sighted arguments for walking away, and they should be summarily rejected for the same reasons of national security. Having announced his Afghanistan strategy last March, President Obama now seems afraid to make a decision, and unable to provide his commander on the ground with the troops he needs to complete his mission.” ** “President Obama has said he understands the stakes for America. When he announced his new strategy he couched the need to succeed in the starkest possible terms, saying, quote, ‘If the Afghan government falls to the Taliban – or allows al-Qaeda to go unchallenged – that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.’ End quote. Five months later, in August of this year, speaking at the VFW, the President made a promise to America’s armed forces. ‘I will give you a clear mission,’ he said, ‘defined goals, and the equipment and support you need to get the job done. That’s my commitment to you.’ It’s time for President Obama to make good on his promise. …” ** “Recently, President Obama’s advisors have decided that it’s easier to blame the Bush Administration than support our troops. This weekend they leveled a charge that cannot go unanswered. The President’s chief of staff claimed that the Bush Administration hadn’t asked any tough questions about Afghanistan, and he complained that the Obama Administration had to start from scratch to put together a strategy.” ** “In the fall of 2008, fully aware of the need to meet new challenges being posed by the Taliban, we dug into every aspect of Afghanistan policy, assembling a team that repeatedly went into the country, reviewing options and recommendations, and briefing President-elect Obama’s team. They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt. The new strategy they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them. They made a decision – a good one, I think – and sent a commander into the field to implement it.” ** “Now they seem to be pulling back and blaming others for their failure to implement the strategy they embraced. It’s time for President Obama to do what it takes to win a war he has repeatedly and rightly called a war of necessity.” ** “It’s worth recalling that we were engaged in Afghanistan in the 1980’s, supporting the Mujahadeen against the Soviets. That was a successful policy, but then we pretty much put Afghanistan out of our minds. While no one was watching, what followed was a civil war, the takeover by the Taliban, and the rise of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. All of that set in motion the events of 9/11. When we deployed forces eight years ago this month, it was to make sure Afghanistan would never again be a training ground for the killing of Americans. Saving untold thousands of lives is still the business at hand in this fight. And the success of our mission in Afghanistan is not only essential, it is entirely achievable with enough troops and enough political courage.” (emphasis mine)