Please enjoy yourselves in the moment while in the White House. Take all the time you need to savor the moment as they will be memories to last a life time.
Forget the setback regarding the failed trip to Copenhagen, to lobby for Chicago as an Olympics host city. The healthcare bill, the increasing unemployment levels, the shrinking economy. The day to day needs of the military and the country can wait.
Please do not be bothered by the pressing needs of the country. Do not give it a second thought as our treasure is at risk in foreign countries, in harsh conditions, to protect American interests.
The war in Afghanistan and the deteriorating situation as described by Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal sent Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates can wait for another month or so, no hurry.
Yes while the country waits the president has found the time to play 4 rounds of golf, shot hoops with friends and visited with hockey players, celebrated Ramadan at the White House, eulogized Walter Cronkite in NYC, appeared on late-night television (one of eight interviews), delivered multiple speeches to AFL-CIO rallies and dropped by the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial for a visit with his wife and daughters. And let’s not forget the multiple fundraisers for the democrat party cause!
Maybe it was just poor timing on the part of McChrystal? After all the president and his family were vacationing in Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 30 when Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal sent Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates a war assessment in which he said more U.S. troops - and a new U.S. strategy - are urgently needed to defeat a growing insurgency in Afghanistan. How could anyone dare interrupt the first family's vacation?
How many more troops must die before Obama feels some since of urgency?
While the president at the recent meeting with democrat governors is enjoying his meal of arugula salad mixed with pecans, on golden embroidered tablecloths under giant crystal chandeliers, they proceeded to the baked salmon over risotto, finishing off the meal with small, delicate dessert canapés; the troops in the field are working in difficult conditions to accomplish a mission he set.
Obama MUST provide the military with the tools needed to succeed and he needs to act now!
Lord, how I hate to come to the defense of a standing president of either party. However, a few points deserve attention:
1. Every president in my memory has been chastised for taking time off from the job to play golf, tend to the ranch, attend family gatherings, jog to and from McDonalds, etc. They all have had a job that is on tap 24 hours a day, whereever they might be and I fail to see how these events adversely impact on their performance. I do find it ironic that both parties think it is OK for their person but not the other party's person.
2. The only way to stop troop deaths in Afghanistan is to withdraw now and do so completely. We have troops deployed in a large, mountainous country with a long history of hostility to foreigners or even next door neighbors who look or behave a lilttle different from oneself. President Obama did not commit us to that country but faces the very real decisions about how to continue the action. There is no good solution, only a lot of bad to terrible solutions.
3. As for the trip to Chicago for the olympics bid, I am unsure why President Obama felt he should make that plea but doubt that his efforts cost us anything. Certainly, it was time for the Olympics to be held in a SA country and Chicago seemed to have chosen an inauspicious time to make the bid and spend the millions required for such a bid.
I realize you have a problem with sarcasim, the point is that Obama's priorities are a mess.
He has time to do these things at the expense of meeting with those seeking to adjust troop levels in the field. Men & Women are at risk while he delays making up his mind.
I do not begrudge Obama's being able to live while in office, but not at the expense of our treasure, as they say. He has meet with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal one time until recently, when the General went to Europe to meet with Obama... Nor do I expect or state that I expect him to work 24 hours a day.
Obama and the Democrat party DID set the mission in Afghanistan, they did set the agenda, they did commit troops and have done so in words and deed for a long time.
Going to seek the Olympics for Chicago and failing only serves to run down the stature of the United States. Obama and his staff were on the phones for days prior to his trip, and yet they had no idea they would be eliminated in the first round. Heck a rookie diplomate should be able to gather better intel than that.
So yes, please defend his actions as though they were in line with the Presidents before him... even though they are not.
Back a few decades ago when I was earning a masters degree in systems management, we were taught that a significant percentage of senior leader time is spent in ceremonial matters. For a president, this includes speech making, appearing on interview shows, making (sometimes futile) appeals for one's people, giving public recognition to persons making achievements, and so forth. Day to day work in writing policy, negotiating treaties, sheparding Congress, etc is done by staff persons. The president may be out in front but his staff do the heavy lifting. I have no problem with that at all and found as a military commander that it made possible some quite significant achievements that would not have come about had I had to be involved in every day to day decision. Leaders provide a vision and mission. They then monitor the staff who enable that vision and mission.
I might point out that I disagree with a number of areas in President Obama's vision and mission but find little to fault in how he is working to achieve them.
Wow… with credentials like that you must have the only opinion that counts on these boards.
After all, my experience owning & managing several companies with hundreds of employees and my degrees count for nothing compared to yours. You must think you are the only one to ever have such opportunities, to write such nonsense.
Never seen or heard of 'Leadership by example'? A leader leads, and those in his charge are responsible for acting as per his direction. Obama has his staff, and they are increasingly under scrutiny because of their actions at his direction. You know as well as I that it will reflect on his presidency at some point.
Now back to the original subject.
Obama has his priorities wrong! That is the bottom line. It was not so long ago that Obama and his followers were slinging arrows in the direction of the last administration for not targeting OBL & the Taliban and yes the trips to TX etc.
Last I looked we were still in Iraq, still in Afghanistan under Obama’s mission critical description. Now, swayed by the left, he is ready to compromise on the tools provided to execute the mission he set. Next he will cut back on the number of bullets, or hummers to take the fight to the enemy.
This is from the group that was all critical of the previous administration. They need to be held to the standard they voiced in the preceding years.
Where was your voice when those criticisms were leveled at the previous administration? Or is it more of the one standard for a democrat and a different standard for a republican?
You seem to miss the point. However, given your preference for debate by insult, that is not surprising. I will refreain from further insult (could not pass the opportunity).
I am unhappy with a number of President Obama's failures to act during this presidency. These include failure to reverse the presidential executive order discriminating against the right of gay citizens to serve in the military, failure to issue specific guidance forbidding the use of coercive interrogation of persons detained from battlefields, failure to allow incompetently run corporations to fail and fold, failure to stay out of local disputes such as a professor and policeman both of whom behaved like playground children, and failure to give the "government" of Iraq an ultimatum to gain control of their citizens rather than continuing to depend on our soldiers, and failure to close down the speculation of whether President Bush should be prosecuted for "crimes". I could go on but see no reason since I am sure I have managed to aggravate both Right and Left closed minds with this diatribe.
I just reread my entries above and fail to find a single suggestion about President Obama's successes. The string of discussion began concerning his taking an evening to go to dinner with his wife several other actions such as supporting Chicago's bid for the olympic games. I did list a number of unfulfilled promises he made. I can only hope that, in time, he will begin to fulfill some of his promises.
I might add that he did extend an order to immediately cease coercive interrogation shortly after his inauguration. I did not credit this to him above but do believe it was the right, legal, and ethical action to take.
I started with my opinion expressing my dissatisfaction with my President's priorities and how it was affecting our troops.
To that end I've seen nothing to change my perspective that he has got it wrong.
Parties are fun, but most executives I’ve had experience with postpone them when there are deadline that are not being meet. All that I’m familiar with would cancel such engagements or send another in their place if it might mean that anyone’s life would be placed in harms way, let alone the death of 10 individuals!
I’m not surprised you are not in agreement with our President on many issues; just wish you saw the end result of his behavior.
""Well, the big question now, with the troops in Afghanistan, is how soon can we expect a decision from President Obama on this troop thing? We’ve been waiting, but I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon. Remember, it took him five months to decide on a puppy."
Well, if Mr Leno is ready to make jokes at his actions, then he must be incompetent. Does that only apply to jokes from Leno about President Obama or does it also apply to other recent presidents who he used as a foil for his humor?
1. Every president in my memory has been chastised for taking time off from the job to play golf, tend to the ranch, attend family gatherings, jog to and from McDonalds, etc. They all have had a job that is on tap 24 hours a day, whereever they might be and I fail to see how these events adversely impact on their performance. I do find it ironic that both parties think it is OK for their person but not the other party's person.
2. The only way to stop troop deaths in Afghanistan is to withdraw now and do so completely. We have troops deployed in a large, mountainous country with a long history of hostility to foreigners or even next door neighbors who look or behave a lilttle different from oneself. President Obama did not commit us to that country but faces the very real decisions about how to continue the action. There is no good solution, only a lot of bad to terrible solutions.
3. As for the trip to Chicago for the olympics bid, I am unsure why President Obama felt he should make that plea but doubt that his efforts cost us anything. Certainly, it was time for the Olympics to be held in a SA country and Chicago seemed to have chosen an inauspicious time to make the bid and spend the millions required for such a bid.