Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
If you think he is just a yes man for the president, and is an idiot, then I could understand not wanting to give him what he asks for. But if you, like the Senators, think he is the perfect man for the job, then why not give him what he asks for? What possible good could it do to not give him what he asks for?
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I'm not sure what you're hoping someone will say.
He doesn't have to be a "yes man" or an "idiot" to be publicly asking for something which is less than he would privately desire. First, he's a soldier. That would be insubordination. Second, if even raising the issue of whether the plan is good/sufficient/workable provides succor to the enemy, how would it look if the man in cahrge of the military operation started things off by saying "I may be able to make this work, but without 50,000 more men, we may be fucked". How would that help?
The fundamental problem is with the ultimate boss and his sidekick. Lots of people don't trust what George and Dick say or do--and since they are the guys in charge, their soldiers--Gates and Petreaus--are not going to contradict them publicly. If they did so, I'd expect that they'd be fired.
You're basically asking why the senate would get into a political/policy fight with the president via proxy. What the hell else are they supposed to do? Just sit down and shut up, because the Decider says so? Isn't that how democracy breaks down?
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