Showing Afghan Command Team Who's Boss

President Barack Obama meets with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, left, and Gen. Stanley McChrystal at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, March 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza). This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Talk about killing four or five birds with one stone.

Obama simultaneously: knocks the Tea Party out of the news cycle with his Afghan drop-in (and, take that, NCAA!); illustrates his stronger grip following the big health care win; lets McChrystal and Eikenberry know who’s boss (a lot more convincingly than that last attempt); puts McChystal directly on the spot, given that the surge was really the General’s idea; and, with this over-the-top, supreme chairman-like set up, leaves both men almost cowering over all the Afghan civilians we’ve been bumping off in waging our high profile hearts-and-minds campaign.

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Michael Shaw
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