Obama's A-Team...Remarkable Cohesion on National Security

[babylonsister]

Coming from Broder, this is remarkable! The whole article is worth your attention.



Obama's A-Team
Remarkable Cohesion on National Security

By David S. Broder
Sunday, September 27, 2009


For President Obama, last week was rather like a major exam on his skills as a diplomat and architect of foreign policy. He can count on being tested again and again by unexpected events. But in his debut at the United Nations and as host to the Group of 20 economic powers in Pittsburgh, Obama was given more scrutiny by foreign leaders and domestic constituencies than at any other time in his young presidency.

There were no historic breakthroughs but, as far as we know, also no gaffes -- at least in part because of his ability to find the right words to make his points without offending others.

Official Washington is starting to realize that in addition to his personal skills, Obama has assembled a highly professional and effective national security team that serves him and the nation very well.

snip//

What got me thinking about the skill with which this team has functioned was the Sept. 17 announcement that the United States was abandoning its plans for anti-missile installations in Poland and the Czech Republic and, instead of targeting long-range Iranian missiles, would use seaborne weapons to combat Iran's short-range missiles.

The decision was explained on the basis of fresh intelligence showing that the Iranians had shifted their program to emphasize the short-range weapons and that this will allow countermeasures to be in place much earlier than would have been the case under the original plan.

I'm told by the White House that the president asked for a review of the missile defense plans in March, that the Pentagon held some 120 internal meetings on the issue and that the National Security Council staff conferred 15 to 18 times, culminating in four sessions of the NSC deputies in August and September and two meetings of the principals -- the Cabinet officers and the other statutory members -- preparing for a presidential decision. All this without significant leaks. The inclusiveness of the process was affirmed by the immediate public endorsements by the Pentagon, the State Department and the intelligence agencies.

In the end, Gates, who had signed off on the original Bush plan in 2006, emerged as one of the most forceful advocates for redoing it -- another example of his intellectual and political courage.

Tougher tests undoubtedly await, but so far this team looks really good.

[IndianaGreen]

1. They are all war hawks!

There isn't a single dove in the group! Whatever differences they have among themselves, they are differences in tactics, not strategy.

[Windy]

3. That comment is intellectually and factually deficient.

If McCain was president and frankly, some other dems who will remain nameless, the troops would already be heading for Afghanistan with no thought as to strategy. He is sensible and is taking his job as commander in chief seriously. It is a very difficult, and sensitive job that takes deliberation and thought. He and his team are weighing all info and not jumping into any decision. That is as it should be!

[Cha]

5. Thank you,

Windy.

[IndianaGreen]

6. Name one dove among that crowd of hawks.

Can you think of one?

[phleshdef]

7. Barack Obama.

[IndianaGreen]

9. None of Obama's advisors are doves

which is the point I am making. Obama only hears the voices of people that went along with IWR.

[phleshdef]

10. Actually thats complete horse shit, he is taking advice from alot of people from all different sides

You are being disingenious if you are telling me that the so called hawkish military and national security people are the only people he is listening to.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Bob Gates? Hillary Clinton? Joe Biden?

Here is link to article which the OP forgot to post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/25/AR2009092502469.html

Gates history, beginning with what he did to SOVO at CIA, is rather murky.

Hillary and Biden voted for IWR.

Broder didn't mention General James Jones, the gung-ho former general that Obama has put as head of National Security Council, but I assure you that Jones is not a dove.

Haven't you noticed that none of them is calling for all the troops to come home from Afghanistan? They are arguing about tactics, not strategy.

[polichick]

8. True. nt

[DevonRex]

2. That's an excellent article. Thank you for posting it. K&R. nt

[Cha]

4. By Broder, yet! Yes, President Obama is All That.

We've come a long way on getting through to the masses that the Dems are better on National Security..they aren't going to go off and bomb a country to breed more terrorists for one thing and they will micromanage the intel and make sure they're thinking of everything to keep us safe.

They sure as fock won't be going off on vacation in hopes we get a strike to up the poll numbers and feed the military complex.

PO and his Team want the best for our country and that means keeping it safe and cleaning up the bush-cheney disasters.