Why General McChrystal Must Be Fired – But President Obama May Not Be Able To

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  June 22nd at 02:52 PM  | 

President Obama should fire General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, for a highly impolitic interview Gen. McChrystal gave to Rolling Stone magazine (of all places) mocking the Vice President and the U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan, among others, and making evident his disdain for the Administration’s civilian management of the war effort. Obama should fire him – but he’s painted himself into a corner | Read More »

BREAKING: Mullah Omar Captured?

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  May 10th at 08:16 PM  | 

That’s what best-selling novelist Brad Thor is reporting over at Big Government: Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar has been taken into custody. If Thor’s sources pan out, this is excellent news, and a moment for real vindication for everyone – from the military brass to Republican | Read More »

Will Obama Ask The Taliban The Deal-Breaker Question?

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  October 13th at 02:22 PM  | 

The major decision the Obama Administration continues to procrastinate is whether to continue the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Victory in Afghanistan was, as you will recall, one of Obama’s main campaign themes – one he used to convince people that he wasn’t the dyed-in-the-tie-dyes peacenik his left-wing record, background and positions on other issues suggested. Under President Bush, America’s war aims in Afghanistan | Read More »

General McChrystal to Obama: More Troops Or I Quit!

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  September 22nd at 03:22 PM  | 

If you are old enough to remember the George W. Bush Administration and the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns, you will recall that a favorite theme of critics of Bush’s war management was that Bush hadn’t listened to Army brass asking for more troops in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. In particular, the Democrats practically made a secular saint of General Eric Shinseki, who supposedly was fired | Read More »

Rules of Disengagement: A Troubling New U.S. Combat Posture In Afghanistan

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  June 22nd at 07:30 PM  | 

As a general matter, while I write a fair amount about national security strategy, I’m usually hesitant to wade into military tactics, a subject best left to the professionals. Even among those who know their stuff, military tactical decisions often involve difficult tradeoffs on which reasonable people can and do disagree, plus people who lack a military background (as I do) often make hilarious mistakes | Read More »

In Iraq and Afghanistan, President Obama Should Remember Paris

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  January 23rd at 12:54 PM  | 

The peace we seek in the world is not the flimsy peace which is merely an interlude between wars, but a peace which can endure for generations to come. It is important that we understand both the necessity and the limitations of America’s role in maintaining that peace. Unless we in America work to preserve the peace, there will be no peace. Unless we in | Read More »

How Do You Ask A Frenchman To Be The Last Man To Die For Tax Cuts In Pennsylvania?

By: Dan McLaughlin (Diary)  |  July 28th at 11:24 AM  | 

Barack Obama is trying to sell his request for more European troops in Afghanistan as a budget-savings move: Barack Obama said Friday that persuading NATO allies to contribute more troops to Afghanistan could lead to U.S. troops cuts and help improve the U.S. economy, with reduced military expenditure being diverted into tax cuts to help middle class families. +++ Asked what message his traveling abroad | Read More »