Its 3:00 AM in the Morning Who do you want Answering the Phone?

Its 3:00 AM in the Morning Who do you want Answering the Phone?

November 26, 2009 by Michael Mack

Remember the commercial during the Presidential Race about the call coming into the President at 3 AM? The commercial was intended to make us all think about the experience level and the seriousness of decisions that need to be made at the split second, When the Rockets have been launched and are on their way and the first strike will hit American Soil in 20 minutes, Who do you want answering that call?

Fast forward one year later:

Obama has been president for 11 months. While he was running for President he campaigned on Afghanistan being the “Just war.” That is where Al Qaeda and Taliban strongholds are and is and that is where we need to put our efforts.

President Hamid Karzai was the president of Afghanistan a year ago and after an election is still the president, so, through the ebb and flow of politics the leadership is still the same in Afghanistan. It as corrupt then and is corrupt now.

June 15th, 2009 General Stanley McChrystal takes over in Afghanistan.

Aug 30^th 2009 In a 66 page report Gen. McChrystal Wants Up to 40,000 More Troops in Afghanistan. . McChrystal has asked the president for about 40,000 troops, arguing that a robust but temporary surge was the best way to end the war. “Failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near-term (next 12 months) — while Afghan security capacity matures — risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible.”

The president and his top military and national security advisers have held 10 meetings to discuss future U.S. steps in Afghanistan.

December 1^st, 2009 Obama will announce his decision on Afghanistan request at a Photo Op Speech at West Point.

93 Days to make a Decision?

We are hearing through leaks from an unidentified party that it will be between 32,000 and 35,000 troops and they will be phased in over the next year.

So let me get this straight Mr. President:

You appointed General McChrystal to take over the War in Afghanistan in June. He evaluates the situation and makes a request in August; you don’t talk to him for weeks leading up to his request to check on the status of the war.

You have 10 meetings with your security advisors rethinking your strategy – code for “how do I get out of this one?” I believe they call this dithering – a state of indecision.

You give him less troops then he asked for, McChrystal says the battle is crucial in the next 12 months, 3 months have passed, deaths are increasing. Surge troops will be phased in over the next year.

(hypothetically) McChrystal thinking: ask for 40K get 35K ,ask for them now get them over the next year, 3 months into 12 month plan, so I am 3 months behind, so my battle is crucial did not mean anything? So I have to carry out this battle in a shorter time line with less troops? Now I am in a deeper hole? Does not look good!

In the mean time we have in October 59 soldiers killed in Afghanistan, deadliest month so far.

Since Aug 30th 116 soldiers have been killed.

93 days?

93 days is 2232 hours

93 days is 133920 minutes

93 days is 8,035,200 seconds

“You can’t fight a war from Washington D.C. There’s only one way this works: You have trust and confidence in the leaders on the ground, or you don’t.” -retired Army Lt. Col. James Carafano

Lack of Leadership and indecision causes Death, Lack of moral. Good people will quit when they have no leadership.

So, let’s go back to the original question.

Its 3:00 AM in the Morning Who do you want Answering the Phone?

If this is any indication of the decision-making process when the President has the facts in front of him.

America, If a 3:00 AM call is made and all he knows is the missiles have been launched, he has no teleprompter, no news conference, No one else to consult with and we need a decision and we need it now! America, We are dead!