Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A good flight wasted

I see where Obama met with Gen. McChrystal for 25 minutes today in Denmark. I do no find this reassuring. That’s what you do with an obstreperous cabinet secretary like James Watt who is causing more trouble than he is worth. If Obama were serious about Afghanistan — or even if he wants to look ...

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U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he sits with U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley during the Chicago 2016 bid presentation at the 121st International Olympic Committee session at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo are competing for the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The IOC will choose the winning city in a vote on Friday in Copenhagen. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool) (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, Pool)

I see where Obama met with Gen. McChrystal for 25 minutes today in Denmark. I do no find this reassuring. That’s what you do with an obstreperous cabinet secretary like James Watt who is causing more trouble than he is worth. If Obama were serious about Afghanistan — or even if he wants to look serious — he would have asked McChrystal to fly home with him on Air Force One, and sit and talk for a few hours.

Charles Dharapak-Pool/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1
Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Military

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