General McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan originally came in a report he submitted on August 30, 2009.\u00a0 Since then at least 97 American soldiers have died while President Obama tries to decide on a course of action in that war-torn country.\u00a0 One cannot help but wonder if Obama considers this primarily a political decision.\u00a0 In fact, it has even been suggested the president has been waiting to announce his decision until after next Tuesday’s elections. I hope that is not the case.<\/p>\n
Mr President, two months you have now delayed making a decision.\u00a0 Two months since your hand-picked general first gave you his frank assessment of the situation in Afghanistan. You obviously valued his opinion or you would not have placed him in that most difficult of command positions.\u00a0 He has asked you for an increase of 40,00 more troops and he has explained why.\u00a0 Yet you have still not made a decision.\u00a0 Perhaps you have taken that time to reflect on the difference between skillful utterance of campaign rhetoric and actually being Commander in Chief.\u00a0 Perhaps you are really struggling with this terribly difficult choice.\u00a0 I hope so – it’s not supposed to be easy.<\/p>\n
Mr. President, I suggest you look down at your hands, do you see the blood there?\u00a0 It is the blood of brave soldiers who have died on your watch.\u00a0 Don’t bother washing your hands, the stain will never go away – just ask any other President who has faced the extremely difficult choice of sending troops into harm’s way.\u00a0 I’m sure they will tell you how many times they washed their hands… to no avail.\u00a0 I’m not saying the deaths of those 97 soldiers could have been avoided had you decided on a course of action sooner – it is impossible to say,\u00a0 But I am saying that you can no longer claim to be “mopping up someone else’s mess”.\u00a0 It is now your mess.\u00a0 It is now time for you to understand and embrace what is meant by the phrase, “The buck stops here”.<\/p>\n
It is my most fervent prayer that you will make the best possible decision – not the most expedient or the most politically calculated, not the one that might endear you to the most people, or shine the best light on you – but the one that is best – best for our troops, best for their families, best for the people of Afghanistan, best for the people of The United Sates of America, best for the cause of those who hold freedom and liberty dear.\u00a0 But I do know this – decide you must, and no matter what you decide that stain will still be there on your hands, long after you leave office.\u00a0 It comes with the job.<\/p>\n