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 Greetings! You are reading an article from The Mudville Gazette. To reach the front page, with all the latest news and views, click the logo above or "main" below. Thanks for stopping by! June 2, 2009 McChrystal/Stavridas Confirmation HearingsBy GreyhawkHere's the video and liveblogging, so consider those thoughts as first impressions:
Today is an opportunity for the Senate to focus the eyes of the nation back on Afghanistan and demand of General McChrystal how, exactly, he intends to carry out the president's strategy. How will he measure success? How will he secure the population? How will he ensure the passage of a free and fair election in August? These are serious question and are more important than either the death of Pat Tillman or the alleged abuse of detainees. (And this blog has, for the record, always taken a firm stance against torture.)But question one was on the alleged abuse of detainees. However, after quickly hitting that topic (and the Tillman issue) the focus shifted to the pertinent questions on strategy and plans, and for the most part the Senators stayed focused. I'd note too that Levin asked the abuse question and McCain brought up Tillman - in what I saw as a bi-partisan acknowledgment of those issues and their level of significance (a hurdle to be quickly cleared before getting down to business). The political and strategic levels of war are deeply intertwined, often to the detriment of those whose business is the strategic. And confirmation hearings are one example where the overlap is apparent - at least to those who are aware of the difference in the first place. In the past (think Petraeus here) the injection of the political has been excessive, to the great detriment of the process. The more political the theater, the more simple the task for those providing media coverage - you don't have to understand the issues to report the blow-by-blow of a fight. (Recall that when Hillary Clinton called General Petraeus a liar that became the story.) Much of the anticipation of a focus on abuse or Pat Tillman has been a reflection of the desire for that focus on the part of those who don't want to really develop any understanding of the strategic (or operational/tactical) issues confronting us in Afghanistan (and Pakistan) today. But the tone of this hearing has been markedly different than those of the past. The balance between the political and the strategic has been rediscovered. (That may or may not be obvious from the resulting coverage - we'll see.) Everyone in D.C. wants the U.S. to "succeed" in Afghanistan (even Lindsey Graham wasn't afraid to say he supports the President). Ironically, Exum's (valid) lament that "there is no real sense of urgency in Washington to deal with Afghanistan" probably reflects that reality; it's now viewed as a strategic/operational/tactical issue, and few congressman (or reporters) have the experience or knowledge base to weigh in on that sort of thing. Quick notes (paraphrasing): McChrystal doesn't like "AfPak" term. Some of the kewl kidz are going to have to adjust. Graham to McChrystal (after McChrystal assured him that Adm Mullen had told him to "ask for what you need"): Will the administration support your requests for additional resources? McChrystal: "I don't know." (Update: here's a closer look at that exchange.) Whoops - spoke too fast: Webb is hammering away on the Tillman issue. I like McChrystal's reminder that we were also fighting wars at the time. Say, maybe they could have some sort of separate hearings on Tillman? Oh, nevermind... (By the way, here's the transcript from the 2007 hearings on "Misleading Information from the Battlefield". McChrystal's name is misspelled "McCrystal" if you want to search for it. Say this out loud: "Poppy crops". It sounded funny when McCain said it, too.
General: War in Afghanistan is `winnable' (AP/Robert Burns)
Posted by Greyhawk / June 2, 2009 10:12 AM | Permalink 2 TrackBacksTrackBack URL: http://www.mudvillegazette.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/16210 Yesterday's hearings on Capitol Hill were kind of important, right? I mean, the confirmation of a controversial new commander for the war in Afghanistan should have attracted as much attention as the Spring 2007 hearing with General Petraeus and Ambass... Read More McQ:Congress is on a "dollar hunt" right now to pay for their favorite domestic agenda items. Afghanistan (and Iraq) are places where some dollars can be stolen. Lack of popular support and money to be had should be more than enough impetus to begin th... Read More |
March 19, 2010Dawn Patrol 03/19/2003 [Greyhawk]
"Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world." Mudville was founded in March, 2003. Our efforts to bring the thoughts, words, and deeds of milbloggers to a wider world evolved to become The Dawn Patrol in March, 2005. With today's entry we're going to reset the clock - but not re-write the history - and recreate the world as it was - on a day the world changed...
Updating... more to follow.... MILBOGSAndrew Olmsted, 19 Mar 2003, Stateside: It would appear that the liberation of Iraq has begun. Greyhawk, 18 Mar 2003, Germany: A united world could have, just maybe, brought down Saddam without firing a shot. We will never know. 19 Mar: We'll never know what a united world could have achieved... the UN could not agree on anything, the situation degenerated, and here we are. Status quo was not working. The French were too desperate for oil and trade at any cost. Well-intentioned Americans were led into the streets by Communists (and others) with an agenda. The media distorted the split. Many in America and abroad thought they could manipulate the situation to their personal gain. They miscalculated. The fire is lit. Pontifx ex Machina, 18 Mar, undisclosed location: Rolling out the gate, the guard gets a quick "hook-em, horns" sign as we weave through the barricades. Then we're off, cruising through the desert in a battered-up SUV. On the eve of war, only one thing passes through our minds: is there going to be any appropriate music on the radio? Lt Smash, 19 Mar, undisclosed location: Read the President's speech today. The clock is ticking. Chief Wiggles, 22 Mar, Kuwait: The war started Wednesday morning for us right after the president gave a speech to the American people that lasted about 4 minutes. We were all very anxious for this whole thing to be either over or get it on its way. Will, 22 Mar, en route: I am going to Baghdad to personally shoot that paper hanging son of a bitch! Lt Smash 20 Mar, undisclosed location: Sgt Stryker, 20 Mar, Stateside: Iraq to File U.N. Complaint About Attack Primary Main Objective, 30 Mar, undisclosed location I Dare Kofi to Come Get Me.
BruceR, Flit, 19 Mar, Canada: AND SO IT BEGINS. Godspeed, Yanks. Come home safe and soon. Andrew Olmsted, 20 Mar 2003, Stateside: The most important thing to remember over the next few days is this: the first reports are almost always inaccurate. First reports are generally submitted in the heat of battle before any real analysis can take place. Therefore, they're highly subjective, based on limited information, and rarely hit the mark. So as the first reports of 'surgical strikes' on Iraqi forces come in, it's best to take those reports with a grain of salt... Iraqi BlogsSalam Pax, Baghdad: The bombing aould come and go in waves, nothing too heavy and not yet comparable to what was going on in 91. all radio and TV stations are still on and while the air raid began the Iraqi TV was showing patriotic songs and didn't even bother to inform viewers that we are under attack. at the moment they are re-airing yesterday's interview with the minister of interior affairs. THe sounds of the anti-aircarft artillery is still louder than the booms and bangs which means that they are still far from where we live, but the images we saw on Al Arabia news channel showed a building burning near one of my aunts house... American BlogsGlenn Reynolds has a ton of links. Newpapers
Updating... more to follow.... |
The Mudville Gazette is the on-line voice of an American warrior and his wife who stands by him. They prefer to see peaceful change render force of arms unnecessary. Until that day they stand fast with those who struggle for freedom, strike for reason, and pray for a better tomorrow.
 
 
 I like having visitors to my house. I hope you are entertained. I fight for your right to free speech, and am thrilled when you exercise said rights here. Comments and e-mails are welcome, but all such communication is to be assumed to be 1)the original work of any who initiate said communication and 2)the property of the Mudville Gazette, with free use granted thereto for publication in electronic or written form. If you do NOT wish to have your message posted, write "CONFIDENTIAL" in the subject line of your email. Original content copyright © 2003 - 2009 by Greyhawk. Fair, not-for-profit use of said material by others is encouraged, as long as acknowledgement and credit is given, to include the url of the original source post. Other arrangements can be made as needed. Contact: greyhawk at mudvillegazette dot com  |
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