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Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 1:45pm

Breaking News: Obama Accepts McChrystal’s Resignation, Petraeus Named as Replacement

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, Current Events, Military History, The American Presidency

It’s not too surprising that this is how it ended up. Obama, who is already perceived as a weak and indecisive leader by many, would have lost pretty much all credibility as a serious leader had he not relieved McChrystal. Gen. David Petraeus is currently the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and oversees the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. So this is a bit of a peculiar arrangement.

A friend just e-mailed me with the following comment, “one 2012 rival out of the way…”

No Comments Tags: Barack Obama, Civil-Military Relations, David Petraeus, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Rolling Stone, The Runaway General

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010 at 11:54am

Eliot Cohen on Why McChrystal Needs to Go

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, American Politics, The American Presidency

A great piece by Eliot Cohen on the McChrystal-Rolling Stone episode.

The president has not spoken publicly about Afghanistan in any serious way since December, and one wonders whether he has the nerve to act, in respect to Gen. McChrystal, like a serious commander in chief. If he leaves a wounded—and therefore more malleable—commander in place, he will have shown a calamitous weakness masquerading as political cleverness.

For the rest of us, there is a lesson about re-establishing fundamental norms of civilian-military relations. For years both political parties have used generals as props. Democrats cheered when disgruntled generals snarled at Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Republicans, to their equal discredit, played up military disquiet with President Bill Clinton and may do…

No Comments Tags: Barack Obama, Civil-Military Relations, Eliot Cohen, Gen. Stanley McChrystal

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 2:11pm

McChrystal Tests Civil-Military Relations

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, American Politics, The American Presidency

From Politico:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly rebuked Gen. Stanley McChrystal Tuesday, saying in a statement that the top commander in Afghanistan had “made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment” in the biting remarks he and his aides made in a Rolling Stone article about President Barack Obama and others in the administration.

The statement from Gates followed news that McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, has been summoned to the White House to explain the comments published in a Rolling Stone article.

President Barack Obama has to relieve Gen. McChrystal of his command. I don’t really see how this ends any other way. I guess McChrystal could tender his resignation, but even that would be a slap in the face to the…

1 Comment Tags: Barack Obama, Civil-Military Relations, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Rolling Stone, The Runaway General

Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 4:25pm

Foreign Policy Amateur

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, American Politics, The American Presidency

The Obama administration’s inept management of U.S. foreign policy is finally becoming apparent, even to Democrats like Mort Zuckerman. Zuckerman writes,

The reviews of Obama’s performance have been disappointing. He has seemed uncomfortable in the role of leading other nations, and often seems to suggest there is nothing special about America’s role in the world. The global community was puzzled over the pictures of Obama bowing to some of the world’s leaders and surprised by his gratuitous criticisms of and apologies for America’s foreign policy under the previous administration of George W. Bush. One Middle East authority, Fouad Ajami, pointed out that Obama seems unaware that it is bad form and even a great moral lapse to speak ill of…

No Comments Tags: Barack Obama, Mort Zuckerman

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 6:28pm

Two Things the President Shouldn’t Do Tonight

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Politics, Current Events, Economy, The American Presidency

I don’t anticipate that the White House will take my advice, but here’s two things President Obama shouldn’t do tonight in his address to the nation.

Blame BP and Big Oil. Good leaders focus 80% of their time on the solution and 20% on the problem. People want to hear about solutions tonight. They want to hear that the government has relaxed the necessary regulations to ensure a speedier cleanup and resolution to the problem. Blaming BP and Big Oil will score the president points with the Sierra Club crowd, but that’s about it. No one wants to hear excuses or listen to the president of the United States point fingers–just what he’s doing to address the problem.
Push a new cap…

No Comments Tags: Barack Obama, Gulf Oil Crisis, President Obama's Address To The Nation

Friday, June 11th, 2010 at 9:39pm

The Conservative Mitch Daniels

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, American Politics, Conservatism, Current Events, The American Presidency

I’ve been watching Mitch Daniels’s career as governor of Indiana with great interest for the last few years. I was impressed by his election in 2004 and then his 18-point margin of victory in 2008, a very tough year to have an “R” next to your name. Daniels is a true fiscal conservative and effective decision-maker. Andrew Ferguson recently wrote a terrific profile of Daniels in the latest issues of The Weekly Standard. His achievements in Indiana have been impressive:

When Daniels took office, in 2004, the state faced a $200 million deficit and hadn’t balanced its budget in seven years. Four years later, all outstanding debts had been paid off; after…

No Comments Tags: Andrew Ferguson, Commentary, Family Research Council, Governor of Indiana, Jennifer Rubin, Mitch Daniels, pro-life, The Weekly Standard, Tony Perkins

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 at 9:05pm

Obama is “The Alien in the White House”

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Culture, American Politics, The American Presidency

If you haven’t read Dorothy Rabinowitz’s op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal, you should. It is one of the most articulate and sobering critiques of Barack Obama and his administration that I’ve ever read. It’s sad that an article like this needs to be written. The fact of the matter is that Obama’s love for this country is conditional. He views himself as a world citizen first and an American second. This administration apologizes for this country on a regular basis, both at home and abroad. This country’s top counter terrorism official, John Brennan, has made excuses for those who have killed Americans, saying that “violent extremists are victims of political, economic and social forces.”

“One of his first reforms was to…

No Comments Tags: Barack Obama, Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Alien in the White House, Wall Street Journal

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 6:32pm

Gulf Oil Crisis Highlights Obama’s Lack of Leadership Experience

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Politics, Current Events, The American Presidency

Byron York’s got an outstanding piece in the Washington Examiner on how the Gulf of Mexico oil crisis is highlighting President Barack Obama’s lack of executive experience.

In mid-February 2008, fresh from winning a bunch of Super Tuesday primaries, Barack Obama granted an interview to “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Croft. “When you sit down and you look at [your] resume,” Croft said to Obama, “there’s no executive experience, and in fact, correct if I’m wrong, the only thing that you’ve actually run was the Harvard Law Review.”

“Well, I’ve run my Senate office, and I’ve run this campaign,” Obama said.

Seven months later, after receiving the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama talked with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. At the time, the news was dominated by Hurricane Gustav,…

1 Comment Tags: Barack Obama, Byron York, Executive Experience, The American Presidency, Washington Examiner

Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 9:15pm

Obama Looking for “Ass to Kick” (His words, not mine)

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Politics, The American Presidency

Apparently, President Obama is really fired up over the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico (now that he’s seen the latest polling data), and he’s telling all the mainstream media outlets about his anger. On the Today Show, Obama said, “I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.” Watch the video. If you look closely, you can see smoke coming out of his left ear. Oh, never mind, that’s actually just hot air.