Statesman - July 17

'War is bigger than one man'

EDITORIAL BOARD

Published: 7:06 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 2010

As President Barack Obama walked back into the White House after accepting the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Wednesday, a reporter tossed a question at him: "Can this war be won?"

Obama ignored the question but it is one that he won't be able to ignore for long. Nor should he.

It is a most appropriate question in light of the president's pronouncement that "war is bigger than one man or woman."

McChrystal, the four-star general who proposed the counter insurgency strategy now being executed in Afghanistan, lost the president's confidence after a widely publicized profile in Rolling Stone.

McChrystal and members of his staff were quoted ridiculing and belittling members of civilian members of the president's national security team.

It was, as the president said, conduct unbecoming any officer, especially a four-star general.

It was an enormous lapse in judgment that called into question McChrystal's judgment in other matters.

So McChrystal had to go, but the blow was cushioned somewhat by allowing him to tender a resignation rather than being fired.

Nonetheless, the message down the chain of command was clear: There is a standard of conduct and you are expected to adhere to it.

Obama communicated to the audiences both national and international that the president is the commander in chief of the military and that the mission of the military transcends individuals.

"War is bigger than one man or woman," Obama said.

In choosing Gen. David Petraeus, a proven commander and author of the surge strategy in Iraq, Obama avoided what could have been an awkward effort to see a lesser known officer's nomination through the Senate and just as importantly, selling that choice to the NATO allies.

Petraeus commands respect of both civilian and military authorities, making the transition a fairly painless one.

If there are successes in Afghanistan, they are few and far between. Soldiers in the field complain that the rules of engagement — designed to minimize civilian casualties — are exposing them to unnecessary risks. Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, has voiced doubts that the military effort in his country will be enough to defeat the Taliban.

As if that weren't enough, there is a new report that millions of dollars being paid by U.S. contractors to Afghan warlords is winding up in Taliban coffers.

The president's choice of Petraeus was a good move, but changing commanders doesn't necessarily ensure "success." We put the word in quotation marks because administration officials no longer speak of "victory." Success in Afghanistan has yet to be defined except in the most general of terms.

Obama may have relieved McChrystal, but he hasn't abandoned the strategy.

That makes the question he ignored on his way back to the Oval Office a sound one: "Can this war be won?"

Source : http://www.statesman.com/opinion/war-is-bigger-than-one-man-765499.html