THE LAST STRAW: Bush Blamed for Obama's Dithering

The WH says it is possible that Obama MIGHT make a decision about sending the additional troops requested by Gen. McChrystal before the run-off elections in Afghanistan.

Obama's continued dithering is bad enough, but the LAST STRAW for VP Dick Cheney was this lying statement by Rahm Emanuel:

(the president 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.”

Cheney gave a speech to the Center for Security Policy on Wednesday and not only chided the president on his dithering, he exposed White House lies. Cheney said the details of Barack Obama's Afghanistan policy (released in March) were, for the most part, the same strategies detailed in the Bush Administrations’s Afghanistan assessment.

(Obama administration's embrace of a counterinsurgency strategy announced in March) "bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them. "Now they seem to be pulling back and blaming others for their failure to implement the strategy they embraced," he said. "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."

When the assessment was given to the Obama transition team, they requested the Bush team to keep it quite. Cheney said that they gave Obama the benefit of doubt and, for the good of the country, agreed to allow Obama to present it as his plan. All Obama's team had to do was act like men of honor, but NO, as soon as Obama gets questioned or criticized they have to find someone to blame (usually Bush) even if they have to lie and make something up.

Cheney was also blunt and bold in discussing the Obama's lack of decision about General McCrystal's troop request:

"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," he said, calling on Obama to fulfill a promise he made in August to armed forces in a speech at the VFW to give them the support and resources need to get the job done. "It's time for President Obama to make good on his promise," he said. "The White House must stop dithering while America's armed forces are in danger."

"Make no mistake, signals of indecision out of Washington hurt our allies and embolden our adversaries," he added. "Waffling, while our troops on the ground face an emboldened enemy, endangers them and hurts our cause."

Link to Cheney's Speech: TRANSCRIPT and VIDEO

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Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog posted the following open letter to the president from the soldiers in the field. Everyone needs to read it, especially THE ONE that never will...

Mr. President,
You were elevated to the highest office in the land, a position that until recently held the the status of “Leader of the Free World’.

While you sit in the Oval Office, struggling to make the important decisions regarding our economy, regarding Wall Street, and regarding health care, those of us who take up the arms on a daily basis to protect the very freedoms that elevated you to your present office are waiting to see what type of true leader you are going to be.

Around the world, the Armed Forces of the United States take up the cause of freedom. To that end, in your own campaign, you vilified our great previous Commander regarding his strategies in Iraq, and vowed that you would focus the efforts of the United States in the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater. To that end, in March of this year, you announced a counter-insurgency strategy to be spearheaded by the architect of the Iraqi surge, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. As we have now been told, the strategy you announced was the direct result of the efforts of the Bush White House.

The General has requested, nearly two months ago, for an increase in our troop levels. To date, you have had minimal time to address this issue. We understand the importance of your trip to Copenhagen to make the sales pitch for Olympics in Chicago, as well as the Camp David “vacation after Martha”s Vineyard” vacation. We understand the need to travel to San Francisco, Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Boston to campaign and fund raise on behalf of your fellow Democrats. Gov. Deval Patrick will need that additional $600k in his coffers, and we see that even the big name of your office isn’t helping Gov. Corzine, Creigh Deeds, “Friend of Angelo Countrywide” Sen. Dodd, or Harry Reid.

Perhaps, just as a suggestion from someone out at the forefront, maybe you could bypass more campaigning in Jacksonville and Miami this coming week, and maybe take a cue from your predecessor.. Come visit your troops!! Bumbling Joe is great fun, but we would really like to be able to sit down for one of our great meals with you and discuss our efforts, our views, our commitments on behalf of the country you keep apologizing for. We would request that you spend a little bit more time here than you did in New Orleans recently.

We can promise you the respect that your office is due, but we cannot offer you the photo ops of children asking why”people hate ObamaCare”. In fact, the respect would be even greater if the trip was not used as a publicity tour (that is why the Honorable President George W. Bush made unannounced visits to join us).

In closing, Mr. President, we appreciate the enormity of your job, but we ask that you remember that your life and safety forevermore is protected by our great Secret Service… Our lives are on the line daily to assure yours remains free!!

Respectfully, The Brave Soldiers of the United States Armed Forces

May God bless our brave men and women in the military and all I can say is, so sorry this country let you down last November.

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A SIGN OF DISRESPECT FOR THE MILITARY
Images can be much more powerful that phony words that are culled from focus groups and polls then spoken with the aid of a teleprompter. I can't fault Obama for not knowing how to salute; I would have no idea how. But if I were elected as President and Commander in Chief, I would make sure that I learned how to properly execute a proper salute long before being inaugurated.