That's an absurd analogy, SB. Getting the Olympics for Chicago is hardly on an order of magnitude as national defense. It's not a matter of 'domestic' vs. 'international', it's which domestic issues take precedence (the economy and jobs vs. healthcare) and which international issues (war strategy which affects the security of the nation and lives of troops vs. an Olympics bid which is largely seen as payback to political allies and friends.)

There is a happy medium between neglect and micromanagement, and I would guess that's where most people would want him.

Haha. You're right NCLB was passed. But it was never full funded. That's like promising your daughter her first bicycle for Christmas, but when she opens up the wrapped box the only thing in it is a set of training wheels.

The conservatives don't have priorities on running the country. Seriously, can anyone tell me whether conservatives believe Obama should focus on domestic or international issues? Rhetorical question.

Besides I thought everyone agreed that the chain of command was important. What strikes me is that conservatives didn't howl at Bush for breaking the chain of command.

That's not Obama's style. There were no leaks out of campaign Obama until the Hillary people showed up.

and all of these leaks border on insubordination.

Unless these leaks came from the top by order.

But as I said before, I am a jobs guy. I want Americans employed more fully before health care reform.

Agreed, having a job makes healthcare more affordable.

Though I do think it's ironic that certain conservatives who think Obama is a socialist incompetent demagogue, in some combination, want him to be more engaged personally in managing the war in Afghanistan…. We think he's out to kill our grandmothers and yet we're outraged that he's not heavily involved in military tactics.

Actually,that's 70 days, DG.

“Of course he is a smart President, but to be fair, the act that he follows is really not much competition in the smarts department.” is not only off-topic, but inaccurate, as the guts to go with Petraeus with the Surge was against nearly unanimous opposition. Opposition which had effusively supported his earlier Operation Cobra II. Until the going got rough.

But as a participant in the SouthEastAsian War Games, I can recall when LBJ would talk daily to Westmoreland, as would GHWB often do to Gen. Schwartzkopf where I also was in the war zone. As TSteele says, it's a matter of style with Obama, and he has other fish to fry, but he'd better watch out or he'll get into a situation where he tries to do it on the cheap, and as Cobra II indicates, that can be disastrous. Strange that Hillary Clinton should voice her opinion about Gen. McChrystal, and totally inappropriate.

Of course he is a smart President, but to be fair, the act that he follows is really not much competition in the smarts department.

Anything Bolton says I immediately discard out of hand. Also the republicans need to get that drunken Kit Bond off of TV trying to make political hay over the issue between shots of whiskey. Kit Bond is nothing, so go away.

Specifically: Would Pres. Bush have been so reviled? Would the Iranians and the Syrians have become as involved? Would the 10,000 or more Al Qaeda killed in Iraq have stayed in Af to fight and what would have been the outcome for America. (Please don't say that the AQ in Iraq were Iraqi AQ!) Would America have been out of AF by now having “won”?

The five year action in Iraq is beginning to look increasingly like a brilliant military masterstroke, opening up a second front to draw Al Qaeda out to where they could be killed, because it is much more difficult to kill them in AF and where it would have taken ALL the resources of IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN put together to fight to a stalemate or a Vietnam-like defeat! A holding action in AFG while decimating AQ in IRAQ: And now a holding action in IRAQ while a surge kills off the rest of AQ in AFG. Go for it, Barry. You still might pull your Presidential Cojones out of the embers!

Since McChrystal was responsible for the key report on Afghanistan that's been gathering dust it seems to me a little more direct contact would be reasonable.