"Credit and Blame"

When someone takes all the credit for something, then they must also take all the blame when things don't go as planned. In boxing, the fighter takes all the credit for a knockout; he's all alone in that ring, taking all those punches and he deserves the cheers. A tennis player who wins six straight sets is by himself on the court, and he should get that trophy with only his name on it!

In baseball and football there are awards for MVP (most valuable player), yet both of these sports require a team effort to achieve victory. Teams win championships together, and the trophies have team names on them. Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player that has yet played the game, yet he couldn't win a championship until he was surrounded with the proper players. A single "Super Star" can seldom win a team championship on his own. When a pitcher throws a "perfect game" he always gives credit to the great defensive play of his teammates, even though none of the opposition reached first base. No quarterback, pitcher or power forward is greater than the team he is surrounded by.

The biggest news story today is Barrack Obama's announcement of the troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. In his speech, he mentions his own name about twenty-five times, with no plaudits for anyone else. It was all about his triumphant troop surge (that took over three months to get). He said nothing about General Petraeus and his input and expertise in this decision. Mr. Obama is very proud of himself today. I think he may not be aware of the opinions held about him by line troopers and their officers. Obama's reticence about troop support and the announcement to the enemy about the weakening of troop strength doesn't sit well with soldiers. A commander should never give the enemy information that could possibly aid in their strategy. Telling the enemy that there will be fewer troops in a combat zone is pretty valuable information to an enemy; it's like telling a burglar when you are going on vacation!

I guess the terrorists don't need their own intelligence to gain information about our military operations; they have Barrack Obama! There are fewer things more disheartening than sitting on a perimeter and finding out you will have fewer troops around you because of a decision made by someone who is 8,000 miles away.

I hope this works; but I have definite reservations about Mr. Obama's military "smarts"; he has disregarded his military experts in the past, and they are the ones who have the experience. The closest Mr. Obama has come to wearing a uniform is a basketball jersey; perhaps he should pay more attention to those who have worn our nation's uniforms. Remember, Mr. President, if you take all the credit, you must also take all of the blame!