Hopefully, Karzai has it clear in his mind now that the Commander in Chief runs the show, not the general. Apparently,
Karzai has already switched loyalties. Now Gen. David Petraeus is his man. If you couldn't tell, I loathe Karzai. There's something about him that screams skeezy, icky and yuck.
In a call earlier today, President Obama informed President Karzai of his decision to accept General Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and his intent to nominate General David Petraeus to assume command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Both leaders expressed admiration and praise for General McChrystal’s leadership and service over the past year. President Obama underscored that this personnel change in no way impacts United States policy in Afghanistan or the level of our commitment to Afghanistan’s future. The President also emphasized that the United States and Afghanistan must continue to work together to sustain the momentum against the Taliban building on the constructive VTC that the two leaders held yesterday. President Karzai welcomed the nomination of General Petraeus and assured President Obama that he would take all steps necessary to support a successful transition.
Obama also called David Cameron:
Following up on earlier conversations between their national security teams, President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron spoke today on Afghanistan. The Prime Minister confirmed that U.K. Lieutenant General Nick Parker would serve as the acting Commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force mission until a new U.S. Commander is confirmed by Congress. The President reiterated his desire for the Senate to confirm General David Petraeus for this role as swiftly as possible. Prime Minister Cameron said that General Parker, who has served as the Deputy Commander to ISAF since September, 2009, asked him to convey to the President that the mission “would not miss a beat” and that he was fully confident in our shared strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
