I'm going to refrain from commenting on all the politics of the situation regarding Gen McChrystal until the fall out settles down a bit. That said, things are interesting to watch as they unfold.
Today started with an early run to Camp Phoenix to drop off one of our team members to catch an MI-17. He's headed down south to Khost province for some research and liaison duties with a local unit there. As our expert on negotiation strategies, which he also teaches at Westpoint, his skills should come in handy. I'm just jealous he gets an MI-17 ride...
Later in the day I did some training in the language lab with the Afghan that leads the English training program here. Then, after lunch, I participated in one of our seminars that we're doing for the CompSci instructors. Since there are three CompSci mentors here, we've split up the duties. I'm focusing on information warfare, cyber warfare, and networks, and the other two are emphasizing programming, software engineering, and information technologies. Today Mark presented a nice technique for teaching debugging to 2nd year CompSci students. The instructors are really appreciative for any help and advice we provide.
Now to my "special topic of the day." You know that "sour" smell wash cloths get when you let them sit damp beside the sink too long? Well, that is the smell that slowly develops and creeps into almost every classroom and office here as the week progresses. Tomorrow is the end of the week for the Afghans since they have Fridays off. It's becoming painfully apparent that they only launder their uniforms once a week, at best. It's been extra hot this week, so today was brutal sitting in the offices and classrooms. I may avoid it tomorrow morning, but I already have some commitments.
Most of you that know me, know that I have a really good sense of smell. To make things worse, that sour smell is my least favorite of all time. I'm a bit phobic about it. Just ask Gina. Well, I have proven that I'm extremely diplomatic. Not one comment or joke about it since I arrived (yet). If I were going to be here any longer, I think my mission would be to introduce bleach to Afghanistan. I could go down in history. Imagine what it could do for the bathrooms here, which is another topic all together.
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I read the McChrystal article in Rolling Stone myself (didn't want the media interpretation). While I strongly respect him as a warrior, I was surprised by his outspoken questioning of the administration. One point in his defense, that at least gives some perspective, is that his criticisms were of people like Biden, Eikenberry, and Hollbrook, all of whom are part of the Obama administration, but not actually in McChrystal's direct chain of command. I just think it's a case of a very plain-spoken leader finally encountering the limits of personal charisma over political savvy. Reminds me of Hackworth...
ReplyDeleteLate-breaking: McChrystal is out, Petraeus is in. I at least liked the way Obama handled the announcement. (Interesting to see the cast of characters standing beside him - all people on McChrystal's enemies side). Starting to feel like musical chairs though, since this is actually a demotion for Petraeus. Who will now take over CENTCOM, and how will that guy effectively command over a general who is obviously already the White House's favorite? And if Petraeus was the best guy for Iraq, who now? This does feel like the wheels are starting to come off a bit...
Jeff, sure miss our chats and wish you'd be able to comment more freely, but I understand the dynamic. Maybe we can catch up one of these days...
I'd love to catch up. To be blunt and candid, I completely agree with President Obama. Gen McChrystal was way out of line. America is founded on civilian control of the military. It is one of the key things that sets us apart. No military officer, regardless of rank, position, or past accomplishments is above that. And this isn't the first time that Gen McChrystal has pulled this stunt. We reap what we sow. Now that the decision is made, I'll comment some on the blog tomorrow. Gen Petraeus is a great choice!
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