Allen Would be Fourth Afghanistan Commander to Fall Under Obama
At 1:45 a.m. Eastern time today, the Pentagon sent out a statement from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announcing that Gen. John Allen, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, was under investigation for exchanging emails with the woman allegedly harassed by Gen. David Petraeus’ mistress.
And another scandal began in the short-lived string of Afghanistan tenures under this commander in chief.
Panetta said the matter was referred to his department on Sunday, two days after Petraeus’ resignation as CIA director was announced, and handed over to the Pentagon’s inspector general.
“While the matter is under investigation and before the facts are determined, General Allen will remain Commander of ISAF. His leadership has been instrumental in achieving the significant progress that ISAF, working alongside our Afghan partners, has made in bringing greater security to the Afghan people and in ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists. He is entitled to due process in this matter,” Panetta said.
“In the meantime, I have asked the President – and the President has agreed – to put his nomination on hold until the relevant facts are determined,” the secretary added.
Allen was already scheduled for a February transition to be Commander of United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced in a joint statement that this confirmation hearing “has been postponed until a later date” with a change of command in Europe expected “no earlier than March.”
The European Command, first held by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, is not an easy spot to fill, particularly with a dwindling pool of four-star generals seen as senior enough for the position. The current commander in Europe, Adm. James Stavridis, was just cleared in a financial investigation that still may have killed his chances to become chief of naval operations.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, was nominated by President Obama to succeed Allen in Afghanistan. Panetta asked that this nomination be acted upon in the Senate “promptly”; the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding his hearing Thursday, when the Hill will be largely engulfed by a trio of Benghazi hearings.
White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters today that Obama put a hold on Allen’s nomination to the European post.
“I can tell you that the president thinks very highly of General Allen and his service to his country, as well as the job he has done in Afghanistan,” Carney said. “…He has faith in General Allen, believes he’s doing and has done an excellent job at ISAF, and I would refer you to the Pentagon for the process under way with regard to General Allen.”
If Allen is forced out, though, he will be the fourth commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to fall to a career-ending scandal or outright ouster during Obama’s administration.
It’s an inglorious record for a president keen on quickly exiting Afghanistan and taking credit for ending the war begun there after the 9/11 attacks by President George W. Bush.
In a December 2009 address, Obama claimed progress in turning around a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and announced an 18-month troop surge. “We will pursue the following objectives within Afghanistan. We must deny al Qaeda a safe-haven. We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s Security Forces and government, so that they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan’s future,” Obama vowed.
The following year, U.S. casualties in Afghanistan jumped to the highest point since the beginning of the war. Obama campaigned for re-election on the withdrawal from Iraq and planned pullout of U.S. forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
In a late September interview, Allen told 60 Minutes he was “mad as hell” about the increase in attacks by coalition-trained Afghan soldiers on coalition forces.
http://rightreactions.blogspot.com/2012/11/1-bestseller.html
To understand, you must look to Chicago.
Open message for Rep. Darrell Issa, Re: John Chase of the Chicago Tribune
http://illinoispaytoplay.com/2012/11/13/open-message-for-rep-darrell-issa-re-john-chase-of-the-chicago-tribune/
The fact of the matter is that there are two caveats here – the Obama regime detests the military- and by definition its brass- and is desperate to hype the story on sexual dalliances, as exposed to Libya!
Of course,fidelity is an important issue, particularly when it comes to potential blackmail. But the fact of the matter is that too many officials – including The One’s sexual proclivities – are sexually compromised.
So, why go after these two? – http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/11/13/covering-up-benghazigate-exquisite-political-timing-sacrificing-a-cia-director-to-boot-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/
It’s a thankless task, with impossible guidelines and the only goal is exit.
I wouldn’t be surprised if every commander knew going in it was going to be awful and just stepped in for the duty. And I wonder who didn’t volunteer.
This president has already discouraged many young people from embracing the medical profession, and those in it to get into early retirement. Who will want to become a general now? Remember when young people used to be ambitious?
“Gen. David McKiernan, who began commanding forces in Afghanistan in June 2008, was forced out by Obama a year before his term was up. The reason given for McKiernan’s requested resignation was the new president’s desire to switch to a “counterinsurgency” strategy instead of conventional warfare. McKiernan retired after this rare ouster of a wartime commander.”
That says it all. Counterinsurgency doesn’t work. Anybody who comes in now is just squandering American lives to no purpose.
“The nature of this campaign is not ultimately for us to defeat the Taliban,” Allen told NBC the same week. “The nature of this campaign is for us to give the Afghan national security forces the wherewithal ultimately to create security in this country so that governance can take root, rule of law can be embraced, and economic development and opportunity can move forward.”
Trying to set up that pie-in-the-sky future in a place not only ruled, but entirely populated, by seventh-century savages is a fool’s errand. We should have annihilated the Taliban, then warned their successors that the same would happen to any other regime that collaborated with those attacking the US. With that warning, we should have left. Any more trouble and an H-bomb comes their way, and that’s that.
Is there not one honorable and courageous person willing to come forward and expose the black hole at the center of this universe of lies?
^^THIS^^
I’ve wondered this same thing myself. Perhaps I’m prejudiced, but I held out military personnel is VERY high esteem. It breaks my heart that that regard was perhaps misplaced.
I can tell you from personal experience that the rank and file is chock full of the kind of people worthy of your high esteem. As far as the top echelons go, keep one thing in mind: you don’t rise to that level in any administration unless you are “one of them”. Those guys up there that high are PIU’s – politicians in uniform. Remember that.
Two words for you Harry
Allen. West.
And look where he is now?
The Infantrymans Creed isnt “no good deed goes unpunished” for nothin’ ya know
Not where the military is concerned. At the Gen and Flag ranks, it is ALL political-from their appointments, to commands, to their final dispostions. All political. They could care less about our military, or our soldiers in harm’s way. Witness the lack of anger over out guys being murdered by ANP and insurgents in Afcrapistan. Or Hasan at Ft. Hood.
If there were any honor among America’s top military officers, the stolen election of 2012 would have been followed by a military coup followed by a thorough housecleaning to restore constitutional government and clean elections – after a suitable interval for PAPER ballots to be printed for a whole new round of primary elections.
General McChrystal should be called back for duty.
So the purge has begun in ernest – a 4 star general was reportedly broken back to 3 start and allowed to retire – Petraeus is gone – Allen is on the fence and nobody seems to know if he’ll land on his feet or his backside.
Isn’t the first duty of a despot dictator to take out the military heads in front of a takeover?
I see more of this purging of the ranks in the coming months. Its what they do.
Stalinesque. But without his crudeness.
That’s exactly what I think.
It will be interesting to see the selection of the generals that surround Dear Leader.
The clown posse is making sure they have ‘reliable’ Generals to fight the War of Succession with. Reliable as in loyal. None of them can fight their way out of a wet paper bag but the Administration doesn’t care about that.
Nobody has sat Axelclod down and exlained that the “Republic of North America” will contain ALL the major military commands. That is the exact opposite of The 1860 war.
The Confederacy’s two biggest problems in 1860 were a lack of manufacturing capacity (for weapons) and zero support from the international community.
In 2012, the shoe is on the other foot. As far as the Air Force, the major bases are about 50/50 but the manufacturing is mostly in the red states (RNA). Lockheed is in California, which will remain part of New America, unless the RNA trades it for a few Mexican states. The F-15 and F-16 are manufactured in what will be the RNA. Not sure about the F-18. For the Army, Fort Knox is a red state and will eventually join the RNA. That and Ft Hood, Texas are the main centers for Armor. Infantry is in Georgia (red), Not sure where arty school is. Not important any more. The SDB gave Fire Support wings, so the numbers of tubes is not very important in the 21st century.
Internationally, Most of the world will be happy to see the USA split up and rush to recognise the new Nation. Who gets the US security Council seat will be a major bone of contention. IIRC, McDill is home base for F-22 training. Trade a pair each to China and Russia for their votes and the RNA gets the seat.
Succession solves 90+% of the current problems of the USA. Not advocating, just pointing out.
As Paleo-Conservative said (# 6 ), I see this as a purge, this is just the beheading of the military, which is a textbook move for every tyrant who perceives a danger from that institution. Any challenge from the army (by force) would have a divided leadership, while accelerating the cultural change at the same time (by allowing the younger to escalate).
This SOB Allen was the one who basically excused our Afghan “Partners in Peace” for shooting our troops by saying the were stressed out from not being able to eat during Ramadan, never minding that it’s only no eating while the sun is up but Muslims can gorge themselves at night.
“I think that the holy month of Ramadan demands great sacrifice of Muslims who observe it. The idea that they will fast during the day places great strain on them.” – General Allen, the Son of a #itch!
The fact is that terror attacks often spike during Ramadan for a simple reason: The fasting and prayer during this period are intended to infuse one with faith in Islam and its fundamental tenets. And among those tenets is making war on infidels. So instead of a respite from fighting during this “holy month”, one sees more attacks.
My message the general:
If you care about your subordinates and your personal career, then you have to be smart enough not to get in messy relationships with those horny housewives who don’t care about anything except having some fun with an idiot like you. The sooner you are expelled from the military the better.
Does anybody else think it is noteworthy that a Lebanese woman is hobnobbing with American generals?
Bufalobob…that was my first thought. Why does the operation in Florida need a social liaison anyway? The generals and other mucky-mucks should be too busy to cavort with the social bigwigs. Apparently the Lebanese gal is deeply in debt and is what would be called nouveau riche anyway. They should be with their troops or riding around in a jeep. I was infuriated when I heard some general (I think General Franks) calling his troops in Iraq from his plush, air conditioned office in Florida. Maybe they shouldn’t have to do the house to house combat but they should at least experience the weather and smells and see the dead bodies;
Where did you any mention of a Lebanese woman? With names like Jill Kelley and Paula Broadwell, Lebanese isn’t exsctly the top of my list of likely ethnic backgrounds. If the article is correct that either of these “ladies” might be into the social scene in Tampa, Fl, that doesn’t precisely point to Lebanon either.
Jill Kelly’s maiden name is khawam. She is Lebanese. Her family immigrated to the US in the 1970s.
On the upside, the generals haven’t been sent off to Siberia never to be heard from again. Yet, that is.
Well, at least the generals haven’t been sent off to Siberia , never to be heard from again. At least, not yet. Purge.
Apologies for double post.
Barack Obama was the super intelligent, supreme knight with a silver sword riding a magnificent white horse when it came to killing Osama bin Laden.
But now, with all roads in this “B” rated journey of cheap sleaze leading straight to Benghazi, Obama is innocently clueless about who is using all of the Charmin toilet paper in the Whitehouse.
How many American soldiers and civilians have already died for these creeps?
Does anyone give a damn?
“Does anyone give a damn?”
No. Not a one. Nobody cares anymore.
It was over when Harry Reed announced The War Was Lost, and he wasn’t tarred and feathered
It was over when Ted Kennedy announced Abu Graheb was the same “torture chamber” that Saddam ran, under “new management”, and he wasn’t wasn’t hounded out of office.
It was over when Mainstream Hollywood types could promote the idea that 911 was an “inside job” and still find employment the next day
Nobody cares. No one HAS cared, for a very long time.
Actually I think many people care but compared to the leftists these people are unorganized.
@10 Does anybody else think it is noteworthy that a Lebanese woman is hobnobbing with American generals? Does anyone think it is noteworthy that a woman born in Iran to American parents is hobnobbing (controlling) obama?
It’s also being reported that Kelley (aka Khawam) ran a scam cancer charity – where all the money went to entertainment, travel, lawyers, utilities, etc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/jill-kelley-charity-david-petraeus_n_2124213.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
What the generals were probably going to say was that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are back and very strong. Our weakness from numbers to rules of engagement, etc., have only been encouraging them. They basically wore out the Russians and the British before them, twice. Why do we think they won’t simply wait us out, too? They don’t need to beat us in the field, just force us to keep troops there and whittle away at them, and our resolve.
Since Obama can’t stand to be told that he is failing when he has been told how magnificent and infallible he is, he’s sacking generals and wrecking their careers in revenge, just like so many other petty tyrants before him.
The only difference, so far, between the second terms of Richard Nixon and Barack Obama is that Nixon won his reelection in a landslide.
I like math; it tells you things. If Gen Allen sent / received 20,000 to 30,000 documents with Mrs. Kelley, over a two year period, he did little else. However, his job is to kill and destroy the Taliban, he should be canned for not doing his job. If he did not do this, if, as now reported, he send a few hundred emails, etc. to a friend, then the press, and government employees, are, again, irresponsible or lying. And his personal life is none of my business.
However, Petraeus’ announcement, the day after the election and his knowledge of the Benghazi killing of Americans, smells. Eric Holder’s story smells. Ambassador Rice has been proven beyond reasonable doubt to be a liar, or a fool.
We are not getting the truth. We voted without having the truth. Trust is the certain victim. And four dead Americans. And some hurting families.
“Ambassador Rice has been proven beyond reasonable doubt to be a liar, or a fool.” The two are not mutually exclusive.
Obama is doing exactly what Stalin did – purging the high-ranking officers he thinks could threaten him. There have been several other officers removed from duty prior to the Petraeus scandal. Stalin’s purge was the TRUE reason the Soviet Union suffered almost half of ALL deaths WWII, because there were few leaders with actual military experience! This precedent does not bode well for our own troops!