Sep 30, 2009

Obama will listen to Gen. McChrystal first time since troop request

Barack Obama apparently has been too busy to listen to his commanding general in Afghanistan - until now.

Fox news reports:

The president is attending the first in a series of Afghanistan strategy sessions with his national security team, amid concerns that he's not acted quickly enough to address the challenges of that country and is downplaying advice from Gen. Stanley McChrystal (pictured).

President Obama will hear from his top commander in Afghanistan on Wednesday for the first time since the general warned that America's mission in the unstable country will likely fail without more troops.

The security team includes top military and diplomatic officials with whom Obama has been in regular contact. But McChrystal, who will join the private meeting via video feed, has talked with Obama only once since taking over U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan over the summer.

The meeting, via video feed, will finally give General McChrystal to a chance to tell Obama personally why he asked for more troops more than ten days ago.

Mr. Obama has only talked to Gen. McChrystal once since taking over U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Possibly Mr. Obama has been too busy trying to promote a 2012 Chicago Olympics than to be bothered about his war in Afghanistan.

The White House announced Monday that the president will travel Thursday night to Copenhagen to make a personal appearance before the International Olympic Committee to promote Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Games.

Link here and here.