President Meets with McChrystal on Olympic Trip
June 2, 2009 - Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America
As many Americans were wondering how it was possible for the President to fly to Copenhagen to meet with Olympic officials rather than heading to Afghanistan to meet with top military officials, and why NATO Commander General McChrystal could be in London to speak to leaders as well as the press but not be in Washington for the big Afghanistan strategy session, our wonderful President was quietly planning a move to squash any concerns and ease our weary minds. In what was undoubtedly a last minute reactionary move, the President met General McChrystal in Denmark while carrying out his Presidential Olympic lobbying duties.
The ever-clever President clearly saw this as a move to ensure that even if the Olympic bid failed, his trip would not seem completely inappropriate or a total waste of time. I am just glad he was able to squeeze the guy in…
FOX NEWS / COPENHAGEN – – President Obama summoned his top commander in Afghanistan for a 25-minute meeting aboard Air Force One on Friday as part of his review of a war strategy that has divided the president’s national security team.
Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Obama met just before the president returned to Washington from Copenhagen, where he was pitching the International Olympic Committee on Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 games.
McChrystal had been in London, where he said in a speech Thursday that insurgents are gaining strength in Afghanistan and more troops are needed to “buy time” for the Afghan military and police forces to prepare to take control of the country in 2013.
A White House spokesman said the meeting was part of the ongoing discussion about Afghanistan and no decisions were made. The pair met in the president’s cabin.
“The president wanted to take the opportunity to get together with Gen. McChrystal,” spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters aboard the presidential aircraft just before takeoff.
The meeting was the third conversation between the two since McChrystal disclosed in a television interview that aired Sunday that he had spoken with Obama only once since taking over the U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan. Obama tapped McChrystal in May to replace ousted Gen. David McKiernan.
