I am not discussing here the military might of the US Armed Forces. I am focusing here on its political might; its power to force a democratic-elected President to follow its lead.
Few out there believe that President Obama is sending more troops to Afghanistan because this is what he really wants. The President dragged his feet as much possible, and then announced that the build-up will start coming down just a few months later. For a President who is “in command” of his team, one would wonder why he is sending more troops in the first place.
The answer is General Stanley McChrystal, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan. Months ago, he made public his request for more troops, and a short while later he gave a widely publicized speech in England laying out – forcefully – his plan. Following this, President Obama had two options. 1) fire McChrystal as the Bush Administration did with a general who “went rogue.” 2) follow McCrystal’s lead.
Both options had political perils with the President’s voting base. Therefore, Obama took a so-called middle way, i e. following General McChrystal’s request, yet only with one foot. If not for the military’s political might, Obama would have sided with his left base and Vice President who claim that small, fast-attack military teams can do the job to finish the Taliban.
