Thor’s Hall

Over at “American Thinker” today they had post titles “President Dogbert”.  Now being a fan of Dilbert, and seeing many parallels between Dilbert’s daily adventures and my professional experience I was naturally intrigued by the title.  The article is a little slow to start with and then it hits the accelerator.  Go give it a read.

Here’s a bit to wet your whistle:

At one time we had a pretty clear mission statement for Afghanistan.  According to The Washington Post, it fit neatly on a viewgraph.

“Defeat the Taliban.  Secure the population.”

But as the Post reported, such clarity caused consternation within the Obama administration.  So they changed it.  Here is the new mission for the International Security Assistance Force, according to the Pentagon.

“ISAF, in partnership with the Afghan Government, conducts population-centric COIN operations, enables an expanded and effective ANSF, and supports improved governance and development in order to protect the Afghan people and provide a secure environment for sustainable stability.”

This is one of those “D’Oh” moments.  A case where the symptoms point directly to the root cause.

The Democrats are not even bothering to write a budget this year.  If they did, we could calculate the deficit and determine government priorities.  Too damn much clarity.

If you want “to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math,” try showing them that objectivity matters.  “Science, math and engineering” are endeavors where not every opinion and cultural behavior is equally valid.  Hypothesized scientific relationships have to square with physical observations.  Math must follow rigid, unforgiving logic, with right answers.  Engineers must design bridges that don’t fall down.

Clarity and Objectivity.  The do make a difference in our world.

One of the things that I see over and over again in my line of work, is the daily demonstration of leadership skills and accountability.  In some cases it is a definite lack of those traits, and then I see the consequences of that vacuum.

It looks like POTUS is at it again in this department.  He has abdicated his role in dealing with a crisis, and is looking for someone else to step in.  As is ably documented at Hot Air today, there is a very clear line of accountability already in place.  Additionally, there is a chain of command from the top down, although at the tactical level there may still be some confusion.  Perhaps the problem is that the chain ends in the oval office.

My experience tells me that the symptoms that we are seeing are typical of someone in a position is unable or unwilling to take accountability for the responsibilities of the role.  When that happens things fail.

Feel free to draw your own conclusions.

POTUS is at it again, today US
President Barack Obama has said the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
will have the same impact on the US psyche as 9/11.  

Unbelievable.  A lot of folks have commented on this.  Over at Chuck Z’s, I think he has nailed the situation on the head. 

Sir, I strongly doubt the American people will rise up, and demand
vengeance. 
I strongly doubt Broadway will go dark, in mourning. 
I doubt anyone will camp out on your front yard to protest their son’s
lost life. 
I doubt we will see the military recruiting in record numbers because
people want to fight the oil slick. 
I doubt I will wake up sweating in the middle of the night, after
dreaming of the poor widdle pelicans covered in oil.

Go read the whole thing, it’s worth your time.

POTUS does not have it, and it shows at every turn.

Full POTUS quote: “I was down there a month ago, before most of these talkin’ heads were even paying attention to the gulf. A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standin’ in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be. and I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar, we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.”

Here is one of the many takes on this new item.

It really is a shame.  The administration, the house of representatives, and the senate.  All three bodies controlled by the same party, with the same views and they are not aligned to the desires of the majority of the voters of this country.  They are not responsive to events.  They have drawn into question their baseline competence it steer this country to a vision.

Admittedly their vision for the future of this country and my vision are diametrically opposed.  But that’s ok, that is how this Republic is designed to work.  But the outright display of incompetence, and setting of priorities that is on display borders on the criminal.  Politically, it is going to be a very interesting couple of years.

Wow, another surprise. I think most Presidents have always had contingencies and levels of escalations defined in their minds before they ever had to approach a situation involving the use of special weapons.

This has to be the first time that POTUS has gone public with an intent not to limit the use of special weapons. According to the unscientific poll over at Foxnews, this strategy is not going over so well with US citizens.

Thank you for voting!
Yes, limiting our options makes no sense 91% (35,456 votes)
Maybe, but he’s right on need to curb nukes 3% (1,194 votes)
No, his plan is just what the world needs 6% (2,257 votes)
I don’t know 1% (211 votes)
Total Votes: 39,118

91% say POTUS is not playing with a full deck.   Not looking so good there for the CINC.

Life has been intruding lately and I have been absent from meaningful posting.  Apologies.  Even though it is very near the holidays, and demands on the “spare time” are high, I am working to remedy my absence.

We start with the POTUS address last night.  I will wind up sending you to another blog that has dissected the address more carefully than I have, and brings you many of the same observations that I would.

Here are some of my knee jerk reactions:

1.  West Point, with and audience?  WTF?  Is this a presidential address or a campaign stop.

2.  Did you see the cadets?  Not a lot of enthusiasm from them to be there, or to provide applause.  I think perhaps BHO would have been better with a traditional oval office address.

3.  A TIMELINE??  It is great to have a goal but, to announce a definitive timeline for withdrawl that is just fucked up.  If I were the enemy, I would be celebrating my victory today.  Step 1, ratchet down operations and plays opposum for the next 24 months.  Concentrate on recruitment, training and planning.  December 2011, all hell breaks loose in Afganistan, Pakistan, Europe, and the US.

3a.  Alternatively, if BHO just lied outright and has every intention of fighting this thing to the finish.  Bringing UBL to justice, dismantling Al Qaida and the Taliban, and leaving a politically strong Afghani government in place then my hat is off to him for superb disinformation, deception, and comprehensive strategic approach to one of our greatest security threats.

Given 3 and 3a — which do you think is most likely.

As a leader POTUS is providing direction and leadership.  It has taken too long to make a decision, and in my opinion he has gone for a compromise decision.  The fence sitting decision if you will.  This is a long term “holy war” that has been hot and cold for centuries.  We are again in a hot phase, and have the opportunity to tip the scales and push it back into a cold phase.  It takes determination, fortitude, perseverance to complete this action.  When it is complete, all that will have been accomplished is a return to a colder phase of a centuries old conflict.  Our current course may result in a short term feeling of success but, the rebound from that initial success is going to be extreme and more painful than if we had done the job right the first time.  For the sake of this country, I hope that I am terribly wrong.

Take a few minutes to head over to Cdr. Salamander’s for his reactions.

UPDATE:  An interesting piece over at Hot Air.  I particularly liked this, “…Obama has made opponents more or less irrelevant, since he seems to be opposing himself.”

A little bit of schooling that POTUS should be getting

The beer summit is over, and it is amusing how the entire event was stage managed.  The most interesting thing to come out of the entire event, is that someone at the White House posted this picture on the official White House site.

This is another one of those photos that tells more about the character of the individuals than folks expect.

Draw your own conclusions, then slip over to American Thinker and see how your analysis compares to theirs.

There is no rocket science to this one, even I grasped the obvious.

Today we take a look at some of the lighter aspects of the presidency that are being reported across the country.

Item 1 – Beer selection

The upcoming Presidential Summit between POTUS, Prof. Gates, and Sgt. Crowley features a variety of beers.  The selections being reported by the MSM are:

For Obama: Bud Light, owned by Belgian beverage giant InBev

For Gates, Red Stripe, Jamaica-brewed and owned by premium drink behemoth Diageo

For Crowley, Blue Moon, owned by MillerCoors.

Draw your own conclusions.

Item 2 – Scouting Report, and Pitch Comparison

I draw your attention to this post (since I can’t possible do it justice).

Once you are done enjoying the comparison, you can draw your own conclusions.