OBAMA'S AFGHAN TRAP - AT 9:32 A.M. ET:  There has been some remarkable press buzz, very rare, about Obama's inability to make a decision on Afghanistan.  Even liberal columnists, like David Broder, have rapped the president's knuckles.  You'd think, from the way the White House is acting, that no American president ever had to make a serious decision before.  Or, you'd think that this president, elevated above all, has some special wisdom, some secret cerebral cunning, that he's bringing to bear on the problem.

Well, the superior president got pretty testy when asked about Afghanistan on his current Asian trip, as The Politico reports:

SHANGHAI, China – President Barack Obama made no effort to conceal his irritation when his press corps used the first question of his maiden Far East trip to ask what was taking him so long on Afghanistan.

Jennifer Loven of The Associated Press had asked: “Can you explain to people watching and criticizing your deliberations what piece of information you're still lacking to make that call.”

“With respect to Afghanistan, Jennifer,” the president scolded, “I don't think this is a matter of some datum of information that I'm waiting on. … Critics of the process … tend not to be folks who … are directly involved in what's happening in Afghanistan. Those who are, recognize the gravity of the situation and recognize the importance of us getting this right.”

The cool president’s heated response reflected second-guessing from the press and Pentagon about a process that has spanned eight formal meetings with his war cabinet, totaling about 20 hours.

One problem with this president is that he's process oriented, not result oriented.  He thinks the process is the result, a concept he shares with many who think they're intellectuals. 

But the American people don't care how the president arrives at a decision.  They care about the decision.  Other presidents have made far more momentous decisions, and what history cares about is the impact of those decisions.

His handlers portray Mr. Obama as "thoughtful."  Well, someone slip them a note and tell them that no one outside the chattering classes cares if the president is thoughtful.  The public cares about the thoughts. 

Another problem, by the way, is that this is one of the most insincere presidents I've seen in my lifetime.  You don't know what he really believes, or if he believes anything.  Therefore, we don't know how seriously he actually takes Afghanistan.  At one time he called it a war of necessity.  Now he thinks it's a war of maybe.

Not good, not good.  The neighbors are watching.  Some of them live in Iran and North Korea.

November 16,  2009