Dear Mr. President: K.I.S.S.- Keep It Simple, Sir
The O-ppressor President needs to simplify his approaches to many issues. This example from Afghanistan is repeated in the Health-scare plan and many other initiatives.
For a ‘Dumb’ Afghanistan Strategy [Rich Lowry]
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZGY5ZTU2NDY5MDRjMDU3M2U1MjY1MmZkMTg1ZTdlZjg=
At this point, Obama needs to settle for a “dumb” Afghan strategy. He’s clearly trying to be too cute and clever, and micro-managing aspects of the military campaign that are beneath his pay-grade. If he believes success in Afghanistan is important and a counter-insurgency campaign is the best way to achieve it, he should give McChrystal the troops he says he needs …
This business of examining the troop numbers province-by-province, and devising various “off ramps,” and parsing out what troop commitment will best pressure Karzai is a foolish attempt at an impossible exactitude…
Obama needs a “dumb” approach — figure out the basic strategy, resource it, and leave it at that. If it’s a successful strategy, most of the other things will probably follow … Obama just needs to make the simple — if not easy — decision and provide the political leadership to back it up. The world is waiting.
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Re: ‘Dumb’ [Rich Lowry]
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjVlOWI5ODc4Nzc1OTE5MzVlMDYyMGJlOGQ2YmY4MTU=
E-mail from a friend:
Rich,
Yep. Too right. This is why you have to keep intellectuals away from the executive branch… Life’s messy, dudes. Pick the plan that sounds best, see how it goes. This ain’t rocket science… Having a coherent set of principles—or even just mores—is a lot more useful here than the ability to see six sides of a problem and figure you can reason your way to a Platonic ideal state…)
One other simple thing: The President must set a clear goal of VICTORY in the war, and DEFEAT of our enemies. The President previously has disavowed any intent to seek victory over the Taliban. Pres. G.W. Bush had it right in 2001:” “I had the responsibility to show resolve. I had to show the American people the resolve of a Commander in Chief that was going to do whatever it took to win. No yielding. No equivocation.”
Bob S.
November 14, 2009