Featured Obama picks retired general for help.

OK, 0bam@'s gramps was arrested by the British for suspicion of Mau Mau activity and 0bam@ threw the bust of Churchill out of the White House, as we know. Also, 0bam@ gave some tacky cheap gifts to the Brits and his wife touched the queen in violation of protocol, although the queen dismissed the incident. But the Brits are colonialist and 0bam@ dislikes them for that. The Germans came out to see and hear him once but the second time they barely showed up. The French are complaining about 0bam@ behind the scenes about his golfing and vacationing during a crisis.

The bad news for the Messiah is that he is less popular than the cowboy.

 

"But"? You just proved my point. Why not use Odierno, instead of bringing in a retiree and telling an active JCS "this is the guy who's gonna tell you what to do"?

Odierno and the other JCS' will do it; they all know Allen, and respect him (at least, as much as they respect each other); but the question still remains, why bring back a retiree when you've got same-qualified personnel already on the payroll? What makes this guy *more* qualified than them?

Again, I'm not questioning Allen's qualifications; just the decision to "out-source."

 

Because Odierno already has a job. He is the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Army and his job is to oversee the United States Army all over the world. He was promoted upwards after running U.S. Army operations in Iraq. He probably doesn't want a demotion. I've already stated why Allen was more qualified. His strength was in working with the tribal sheiks which almost serve as a shadow government in most of Iraq. Allen understood this where others did not. He knows the players in the game and what motivates both sides. You seem to almost want to find something wrong with this which is fine but if that is the case and this is just another Obama thing then let me know now so I can stop. If you want a member of the Join Chiefs of Staff to serve in that role while also running an entire war then I think you are uninformed on how the military is structured. That is a lot to put on one man's plate.

 

Because you apparently missed this the first few times I've posted it: I have no problem with Allen. My question has, and continues to be, why Obama felt it necessary to "outsource" this.

Further, your comments in this thread indicate you have military experience; but your fundamental mis-understanding of the role of the JCS makes me wonder just how much experience. If you'll look up even a Wikipedia article, you'll find that the JCS' primary role is to advise the SECDEF and other executive offices--including POTUS--on military matters.

Thus, my question. POTUS already has a dedicated group of active military members who are identified by statute and appointed by POTUS himself to advise him on such matters. Yet he pulls a retired Marine to advise him instead.

Now do you understand my confusion?

 

I think I understand your confusion and I think we are just talking past each other. When Odierno oversaw Iraq he actually lived there. The Chief of Staff remained stateside to advise the President and oversee the Army as a whole to include all sorts of things like policy, recruiting, finances, etc. Two separate jobs! I'm willing to bet that Allen was recommended by one of the JCS's. Allen wasn't hired to advise the President. That's Odierno's job. Allen was hired to oversee the "war" and spearhead the formation of a coalition. There are approximately 40 countries that have expressed a willingness to oppose ISIS but like the U.S., they are hesitant to put troops in harms way. That by default implies that he will report to the JCS's because they will be the ones authorizing the assets to be used. Im sure Allen will advise all of them on his strategy, progress, needs, etc.

What I don't know is if Allen is actually going to set up shop in the embassy in Baghdad. This campaign is a little bit different. I suspect that much of the strategy will be utilizing his past relationships in Iraq to set up intel sources in the area. I would think he would need to be there to do that.

Bottom line is that he is the right guy for the right job. I don't know what else to tell you. Even in the last two conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, retired officers were present in a myriad of ways. They instructed at the COIN academy, taught tactics and advised on tribal relationships. Allen retired in 2013 as the top Commander of Afghanistan so he is still very relevant.

EDIT: I forgot that ADM Mullen was replaced by GEN Dempsey, USA as the Chairman of the Join Chiefs of Staff so Odierno is technically the second highest ranking Army officer.

 

Perhaps he tried Odierno first and Odierno said oh no way.

 

Imperial President

IMHO, The President always has a reason for his madness. Although I believe this general has given great service to his country. The President has done his best to remove any people that either were not a "yes" person or did not learned to keep their mouth shut.