Obama Expected to Name New Commander for Mideast

Anyone that would take this job under the present C-in-C probably shouldn't get it. You will toe the line set by Rice and Jarrett or you in the company of General McChrystal. JMHO

I feel for the person who will fill that role. Our leadership does not want to get a true and accurate assessment from the bottom - they want a pretty sugar-coated picture. Just like LTCOL John Paul Vann (documented in the book "A Bright Shining Lie") in his assessment as to how we could win in Vietnam, General Krulak (father of the author General Victor Krulak, author of "First to Fight - An Inside View of the United States Marine Corps) who was personally escorted out of the Oval Office by LBJ when he tried to insert his assessment of how the war should be fought and though a shoe-in for Commandant, was passed over and eventually retired. Look at how many are suddenly retiring or are getting fired in recent years. It's sad. Our modern day AOR commanders are walking on eggshells and that is a thing that our leaders should be ashamed of.

If we treated our auto mechanics the way our nation's leadership treats our AOR commanders, they would be too afraid to tell you what is wrong with your vehicle when you bring it in...

This nomination shows the ascendency of Special Ops in the military hierarchy. It's really quite remarkable compared to the way things were in the 80s and 90s. Then, while the best special operators could become SOCOM Cdr, there was little serious consideration that a SOF general would take over a combatant command. The pecking order had the combatant cdrs at a much higher level as SOCOM was just a force providing HQs back then.

As far as the comments about President Obama not wanting to hear the truth from generals, I believe that is simply a fiction created by his political opponents. For example, in 2008, then candidate Obama had a well publicized meeting with Gen Patraeus in Iraq, and it was widely reported that the two disagreed significantly. Yet Pres Obama chose him to take over in Iraq after McChrystal was relieved for him and his staff disparaging the President's policies openly. Even when you are a 4 star, you owe loyalty to your higher commander after a decision is made, just like a company commander is taught to never disparage his battalion commander in front of his troops.

So Pres Obama selected a man who told him things he didn't agree with to command all US forces in Iraq. Then, he made him the head of the CIA, the most important position for informing the President. This hardly seems to me like a President not wanting to hear the truth.