Not So McChrystal Clear

Subordination, it was said. Not as much as sheer stupidity. Having read the Rolling Stone article, I found the offensive comments to be no more than what most of the military who are frustrated with these unending conflicts might say to one another in their bull sessions. To relay it to a reporter is sheer stupidity. Or is it?

McChrystal surely marches to his own drummer just as does our President. As a military man, however, the President is his Commander-In-Chief. He is to serve. Not critique unless asked to do so. Which I'm certain he was on many occasions. Coming up on the short end of his requests, I wonder if this whole episode was designed to make public just what the upper echelons of the military think of the ambassadors, the Vice President and even the President. The whole mess. Even at the cost of a career. Never mind that he'll make millions on the lecture circuit.

McChrystal wasn't my favorite General. He was the one who decided to do away with the base fast food outlets that were such a reminder of home for the troops. It was under his command that the troops were to be awarded medals for restraint. Don't shoot unless you're sure a body is really a combatant. Come on! That's no way to fight a war. WAR!

Regardless of my opinion, McChrystal is a General of some note. The President can ill afford to be shown as weak or wrong, especially with his ratings as low as they are. He can accomplish that all by himself. It is not the General's place to do so. Discipline is essential. Chain of command is essential.

The days of Patton and Montgomery as showboating military leaders are long gone. War has been politicized to the extent, just like Obama's commission on the oil spill, that there are too many fingers with no appropriate expertise in the pie. Obama promised to listen to his generals. He may have listened but he didn't hear. The McChrystal incident shows the outcome of the thinking because of it.

For better or worse, the war is now truly Obama's. He can no longer blame any of it on Bush. The generals are his, the ambassadors are his and the strategy is his. What he now needs to do is get them on the same playing field and quit letting Karzai captain the team.

Who's Lying?

You cannot prove a negative. Senator John Kyl, R-AZ, said at a recent town hall meeting that he had a meeting with the President in the Oval Office where no one else was present.

The topic was border security. Supposedly the President told him that if the border was secured he'd have no leverage with Republicans for comprehensive immigration reform. The White House has said the President said no such thing. One of them is lying. It has come to this. What a disgustingly sad state of affairs.

But let's look at it. We know the Republicans and the administration are on different planets on this. The Republicans want to do it piece meal. Secure the borders then tackle what to do with the illegals already in the country. The Democrats want to do it in one fell swoop.

First of all, we have no idea if the President was really this candid or not if no one else was present. Therefore the White House denial holds no weight. On the other hand I can't imagine the President being quite so up front with a member of the opposition, even in private. Kyl, on the other hand can't prove the President actually said what he is attributing to him. In my opinion that makes it a wash.

We know from experience the President is not the "decider" Bush was. Right or wrong. Telling Larry King, of all people, We've already put more resources into border security than we ever have." doesn't mean squat when the illegals are still streaming across the border. More does not equate with doing what the law requires. Suing the state for trying to pick up the slack doesn't either.

Knowing the administration is for comprehensive reform or nothing it would seem Kyl's recollection of the conversation bears consideration. That the President would tip his hand that he plans to use border security as a bribe for votes seems unlikely though I have no doubt that is the game plan.

That either should lie about it or deny the substance of it is of value only if the administration thinks it can bully comprehensive reform through just as they did health care. Looking at how many Democrats are defecting on lesser issues and you'll see the flaw in that thinking.

I have little respect left for either side on a host of issues at this point. Incidences like this don't help. It just sticks in my craw that we have to play the "did too", "did not" game on such important issues.

When the President indicated that if the CEO of BP worked for him he'd be fired because of his handling of the oil spill, I might remind him that he works for me. Enough said.

To Fathers Everywhere

In honor of Father's Day, I'm going to give the President a break. Fathering seems to be a skill he does well and I'm sure his girls have a special day planned for him.

Fathers. It's one staple in life the whole world shares. No matter your race, nationality nor religion, there are Fathers. They are the lesser heralded of the parenting duo. Most likely because, at least when I grew up, they were around far less than Mom. Today that may not be as true with the numbers of duel income families.

We should be thankful we live in culture where parenting is celebrated. Where family is still important and we strive mightily to keep the unit a strong one.

Think of what it must have been like back during the days of Hitler Youth when children were dressed up in uniforms like the tin soldiers they were to emulate and encouraged to "snitch" on their parents. Most often their fathers.

In some ways things have not changed. Somewhere in the world the family unit is always breaking down over ideology. In Iraq this past week in Iraq a son shot his father to death because he refused to quit his job as a translator for the U.S. This was no mere child. He was a 30 year old man along with his 24 year old brother and a cousin, 19.

History repeats itself. Causes, no matter how ignoble, will always be sold to the vulnerable. I hope fathers who don't live within those cultures realize how fortunate they are and are the better for it. It is tragic when son turns against father for somewhere along the way the family unit has broken down.

I loved my father and though gone these many, many years, I still miss him. His patience, generosity and strength of character. His arms around me when I was sad or scared or sick or just for the heck of it. I was so lucky to have had him. He deserved every ounce of love that came his way.

The World Against The Government!

To listen to President Obama tell it everyone from BP to the auto industry, Wall Street and the health insurance companies are all against him, him being the government. As Daniel Henninger spells it out in this morning's Wall Street Journal he's making it personal. It's a glimpse into the mind of a man who seems increasingly angry. In the President of the United States, I'm finding it uncomfortable, to say the least.

Laws seem to be of little interest to him when he decides to take action. There is no law supporting his demand of British Petroleum and when the White House was asked, the questioners were told no law was necessary. There was no law to support his firing the President of GM.

We're going in the wrong direction here. It's not just the administration, nor just this one, but this one is the one in power. Include Congress. Of what possible value is today's grilling of Tony Hayward other than to allow the panel to posture and humiliate Mr. Hayward. Well, one thing it did do was, as usual, showcase the lack of knowledge Congressmen have about the issues at hand.

Yet they must be seen to be doing something. This is where we have a graphic example of just why the President's quest for bigger government is a flawed idea! The Coast Guard, Corp of Engineers, Salazar and Napolitano have done little but stumble all over one another. The end result is chaos.

At the head of the table sits the President. "Put a six month moratorium on all deep water drilling! BP can't pay their dividends! I'm tough. I'm in charge."

Whoa Nelly! Was any thought given to the consequences? Dividends are not like executive bonuses, for crying out loud. They go to investors, many of which are pension funds. Even rich ones like Obama's unions could be hurt.

As for the moratorium on drilling, an lot of jobs for those suffering Gulf states go away. It isn't the tourism business or fishing that generates the big bucks. It's oil . It isn't call it black gold for nothing. There is one other kicker. Other oil companies aren't going to let those rigs sit idle for six months. They'll be moved and just try getting them back. In truth I don't think Obama cares. I don't think he wants them.

The other kicker is how the world views all of this. We had dinner with friends from England last week and they had no kind words to say about our President and his ways. Companies considering U.S. operations may think twice. They see how he's treated the auto industry, banks and Wall Street. How health care was ramrodded through. They see how he's treated Toyota yet what have you heard about the recent recalls at GM? Is Obama Motors exempt from the press? They're looking at this BP business and thinking maybe not.

The President made a point of apologizing for all sins American from years past on a world wide tour. Who's going to apologize for what he and his Congress are doing to us?

Some Men Lead, Then There Are Others...

I remember when I was doing publicity for a charity many years ago. The president of the organization intrigued me. The position was held by a lady, very attractive and very distant. Unlike what you would expect a leader to be. No rah, rah cheering on the army of volunteers, but rather a distant, cool persona. After a while I realized why. She hadn't a clue as to how to do her job.

That's how I'm seeing Obama these days. He seems to be two dimensional. He is either apologizing to our friends and enemies alike for sins past, or bullying them. There is no touch. No finesse. Nothing that a true leader usually displays. As I've observed before, he seems to have a penchant for playing catch up while trying to disguise it with bravado.

He's getting what he wants - more and more government intervention. If anyone is more clueless than Obama it's government and it's layer upon layer of bureaucracy. I honestly felt the politicizing of his speech to the nation last night was disgraceful and an insult to all the people, be they small entrepreneurs or large corporate enterprises who stepped forward at the onset offering help.

Where was the apology for not having the government's emergency plan staffed, equipped and ready to respond? Don't blame Bush. Flowery speeches and the consumption of snow cones does not a leader make. Yeah, he seems a nice enough guy but he's Peter principled out. He wanted the job, he got it, but it seems more than he can handle. I don't recall at the moment who said he seems paralyzed when it comes to decision making, but he does, so commissions are formed and another czar appointed.

In some ways I'm glad he's the way he is. The dreamer. Enough damage has already been done to our country by those who know how to control him. Were he more effective matters could be even worse.

The one man who has stood out as far as having passion is Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. He is engaged, he is angry. He has been acting like a leader. He has not been afraid of taking on the government's response. Or lack thereof.

Ahem, Republicans. You're looking for a face to put on that figure of leadership you so desperately need. You might give him a more serious look. One bad speech shouldn't end one's career. Don't get hung up on how far to the right he is or isn't but observe what the man does in the face of crisis. Stepping in to salvage what should have been the government's responsibility has him looking worthy of consideration to me.