Gates: Military to adhere to Obama's decision

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

Source: AP

Shouldn't this just go without saying. I mean, is this something that actually needs to be said given who commands the armed forces?


WASHINGTON — Despite the fierce policy divide inside the White House over Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that the military will fall in line with whatever President Barack Obama decides.

The debate over whether to send as many as 40,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan is a major element of the strategy overhaul that senior administration policy advisers will consider this week as they gather for at least two top-level meetings on the evolving direction in the war.

At issue is whether U.S. forces should continue to focus on fighting the Taliban and securing the Afghan population, or shift to more narrowly targeting al-Qaida terrorists believed to be hiding in Pakistan with unmanned spy drones and covert operations.

"Speaking for the Department of Defense, once the commander in chief makes his decisions, we will salute and execute those decisions faithfully and to the best of our ability," Gates told the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqyaFh_efr-brDq0rMLF1hkop0tgD9B51EHG0

[Ineeda]

1. Um...um....WTF? n/t

[mopinko]

2. sure, sure, that's the ticket. salute and follow orders. sure

that's how it works. give try to squeeze out at least a few thousand more boys for us to ruin. please, sir.

anyone else remember curtis lemay?

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. It's perhaps in response to the suggestion by one, Senor Ernesto Augusto Bilko of NewsMin,

of an imminent Situations Vacant ad for a military junta of presidential teleprompters, doubtless to be placed in the National Enquirer or some organ of Murdoch, the Dirty Digger. "Your bunker is ready, Senor!"

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. Not that I support this war. But isn't it sad that the Sec Of Defense

has to come out and say: "No we're not having a military coup."?

[Joe Chi Minh]

18. Absolutely. But the US is a country of extremes, including some extraordinarily

malign, psychopathic individuals, quite close to the levers of power, even by the standards of the far-right super-rich.

I mean, when you think of it, these people seem totally bereft of any shame at all .... They would want the country turned into a banana republic, if it meant they could rule the roost. Which is not to demean banana republics in themselves, since they were made that way by the brutal repression of the very same people.

[Birthmark]

4. How kind of them!

[alarimer]

6. They'd better. That's what the Constitution says.

Obama is in charge as Commander in Chief and those military repukes have to deal with it.

There is a very good reason why civilians are in charge and why the military is not. That's what the founders wanted and the way a real democracy should be. Obama should not defer to any general. It was a mistake in Viet Nam and it would be a mistake now.

[WriteDown]

7. You're right, BUT

A general can become president i.e. Eisenhower.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

9. Retired general. nt

[NashuaDW]

11. Resigned General

In order to take office Eisenhower had to resign his commission.
Congress reinstated it after he left office

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. I stand corrected. nt

[No Elephants]

19. But Eisenhower did not become President by disobeying his CIC.

See, General MacArthur.


And, while he was President, Eisenhower was a civilian. (Don't know about Jackson, Grant, Washington, et al., though.)

[No Elephants]

8. Possibly Gates is reacting to recent RW crap about a military coup.

Then again, it's not as though Gates made it sound like "of course, the military will execute whatever the Commander in Chief directs. Any else would be unthinkable."

No, Gates made it sound almost as though the military has a choice in the matter and has decided to go with following the orders of the CIC. In realty, it probably does have a choice, too. Scary thought, eh?

The country must have contingency plans re: a miltary coup, right? Please tell me it does.

[tblue37]

15. Like they are doing Obama a big favor. nt

[IndianaGreen]

10. Biden's proposal for relying on Predator strikes is a stupid proposal

It is those Predator strikes that have caused civilian casualties and insufferable grief in the population in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and has turned public opinion against America.

Fish or cut bait. Cutting bait is the wisest choice!

[swilton]

13. As If They Had a Choice?

Who runs this country? :wtf:

[No Elephants]

20. Big money. And there is big money to be made via wars.

See also "insubordinate generals," "military coup" etc.

[MaineDem]

14. And why wouldn't this be Standard Operating Procedure?

Commander-in-Chief and all.

:shrug:

[damntexdem]

16. Why does this have to be announced? That's what they're supposed to do.

Or do they consider it different when the Commander in Chief is ..... Hawaiian?

[timtom]

17. I love all the responses so far!!!

I'm totally in sync. When I saw the subject line, I (mentally) slapped my forehead and (in real time) exclaimed,

"I fucking HOPE so!!!"

[Sky Masterson]

21. Well thats mighty kind of him

Jesus...So I guess he's not up for a military coup.:shrug:
WTF!! This shit is almost surreal