An American Lion

This is disgraceful. Can’t the Obama Administration do anything without leaks?

The U.S. ambassador in Kabul sent two classified cables to Washington in the last week expressing deep concerns about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan until Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government demonstrates that it is willing to tackle the corruption and mismanagement that has fueled the Taliban’s rise, said senior U.S. officials.

Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry’s memos were sent in the days leading up to a critical meeting Wednesday between President Obama and his national security team to consider several options prepared by military planners for how to proceed in Afghanistan. The proposals, which mark the last stage of a months-long strategy review, call for between 10,000 and 40,000 more troops and a far broader American involvement of the war.

The last-minute dissent by Eikenberry, who commanded U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, has rankled his former colleagues in the Pentagon — as well as Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, said defense officials. McChrystal has bluntly stated that without an increase of tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan in the next year, the mission there “will likely result in failure.”

Eikenberry retired from the military in April 2009 as a senior general in NATO and was sworn in as ambassador the next day. His position as a former commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is likely to give added weight to his concerns. It will also likely fan growing doubts about U.S. prospects for Afghanistan among an increasingly pessimistic public.

Although Eikenberry’s extensive military experience was one of the main reasons he was chosen by Obama for the top diplomatic job in Afghanistan, the former general had been reluctant as ambassador to weigh in on military issues. Some officials who favor an increase in troops said they were befuddled by last-minute nature of his strongly worded cables.

They weren’t befuddled. They were sidestepped and shut down by the dissent, which was leaked on purpose to give cover to anyone advocating the idea of not sending as many troops as General McChrystal has asked for.

By leaking this information, they play the game that allows the White House to escape some measure of accountability. If Eikenberry truly dissents, then why leak that? Let him have his say behind closed doors and let him answer for that. Let the process of finding the path forward continue without leaks and without pitting the White House against the uniformed military.

Leadership means you don’t let the underlings do things like this. The media doesn’t need to be part of this process. Someone needs to say, yes or no, to what General McChrystal has asked for. Making it a political football doesn’t do anything positive for the troops who will have to go. If the considered decision of the civilian leadership is, no, we won’t send more troops because this does nothing to further our strategic interests in the region, then let that be the direction forward. If McChrystal dissents, accept his counsel and then accept his resignation.

UPDATED - now, this comes out:

President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government a senior administration official said Wednesday.

Obama still is close to announcing his revamped war strategy, most likely shortly after he returns from a trip to Asia that ends on Nov. 19.

The president raised questions at a war council meeting on Wednesday, however, that could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and what the timeline would be for their presence in the war zone, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama’s thinking.

Time for some resignations all around, I would imagine. Time to shake loose whoever won’t play along and perhaps—just perhaps—this might encourage fewer leaks. I doubt it.

Dithering was never so costly.