No memos for several days.
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Another accolade from a fellow memo reader. I know now two people are reading them.
"Dick does a great job keeping us informed----best to you Richard."
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This from a friend, reserve officer and board member with me on a local company. (See 1 below.)
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Billy Daniels was famous for "Old Black Magic" and these words: "Down Down Down I ago.." (See 2 below.)
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Dick
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1)I have arrived (which I have told myself) for my final mission to Afghanistan. The draw-down is the buzz over here and its beginning to show. Less people, smaller bases closing, less money, and more Afghan involvement. You will hear more of my adventures and the state of affairs from the International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan (ISAF) in the coming days and months. These emails will effectively stop sometime around the end of December. So if you don’t get one in February 2014 that’s because, God-willing, I will be back in Savannah and seeing most of you.
The trip here was arduous as my flights out of Savannah were delayed which meant I didn’t get any rest and the rides on the airplane was moderately comfortable but I was too tired to sleep. Once I got into Manas Air Base in Kyrgyzstan, I got little sleep as they had very screwy hours for arrivals, meetings etc, and that sleep did not come easy. But I was lucky only to be stuck there for about 24 hours before arriving at ISAF Headquarters in Kabul. For me, that meant I got my permanent room assigned before I ever arrived which beats my assignment at NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (Dec 31, 2010 to July 4, 2011) by a mere six weeks. I have a Spanish roommate who will be leaving in a few weeks. But for all of you who think I may not have a roommate, sorry. Camp Eggers (home to NTM-A) will be closing and distributing their troops around the Kabul cluster of bases including ISAF HQ.
ISAF HQ has built some brand-new barracks made of brick with upscale (for the military) bathrooms (read all new porcelain). I lucked out and got one of those. Very nice. The food is considered an “international flare” dining facility which has real plates and silver ware. Only the best for us at the BIG HQ.
I will be the Media Operations Center Director for the night shift. Glorious title for a highly ranked and highly paid (military standards) slug like me to answer phones and create all the documents that were fed to us at NTM-A. I have a staff of three where as last time I had many more folks (the era of the Afghan Army and Police surge). With the draw down, we will do more with less and the positions will be eliminated or down-sized by rank importance. The biggest debate is whether a 4-star General will lead or “just” a three-star.
I am fairly familiar with ISAF HQs as I spent a fair amount of time over here last time and the office that houses Public Affairs is still the same. The gym is next door and the dining facility is fairly close, but then again, everything on these bases are fairly close. I sense that I won’t be getting “outside the wire” on this assignment as we try not to run the roads at night for actions that can be completed during the day. (Please don’t read that as operations, just meetings and other routine actions). So my days will be about me taking naps (like real life), working out and limiting my activities so I am well rested to answer that phone should it ring. Sort of like the Hillary Clinton commercial from the 2008 Democrat primary…who do you trust when that call come in the middle of the night. Obviously ISAF does but I’m not sure what they were thinking (read self deprecating).
Even though I entered the combat zone on June 20 or Afghanistan on June 21, my official first day here is TODAY, June 23. So today starts the 179 day countdown which has my departure set (hahahaha) for December 18, but they can add up to 14 days for transition, plus travel time back home so I figure there is a high probability that I will be back for Savannah-Chatham Day in Atlanta in late January 2014.
That’s all from here for now. If you don’t want the updates just let me know and I will delete you from the sharing. If I have missed someone let me know and I will add them.
Missing you all (that is why you are on this list because you tolerate me) and more to come. Feel free to contact me at this email for any Simons Political Group activities vs. my official email which is located in CC line. Use either for personal emails. The nice thing is that my new Spanish friend gave me a cord to hook up my laptop to the free wi-fi in my room. It also has a great service to download movies and TV shows for free.
2d e mail:
As I approach my fifteenth day here in Kabul, I’m not sure of how to understand the bigger role I am playing. I know I’m watching history being made but it seems to be from afar. I read about it, I hear fellow public affairs folks talk about it, and sometimes I’m asked for input, but all from afar. That’s the problem with being the head guy on night shift. Being on the night shift has its advantages and disadvantages. On the advantage side, I’m in charge of three (me, myself, and I). It’s usually quiet and I can communicate with you all back home when you are all awake. Listing the disadvantages, I miss all the day side activities, reporters visit, and being part of the operational aspects that public affairs should perform. Being on night shift means you are not part of the culture of what we are doing here. This isn’t to gripe, just saying what I’m doing and the “profound” impact I’m having as of 15 days into it. The good news is I don’t attend many meetings as most of the leadership is asleep.
As you all know, we are 8.5 hours ahead of you. Our Independence day activities included an urban road race (inside the compound), BBQ, and a visit by Senators McCain and Graham. My day consisted of taking a two hour computer class (mandatory for Colonels and below) and 11 hours of sleep. Missed all the activities. My low battle rhythm days are Thursday and Saturday where we come in four hours later. LBR’s are designed to allow for additional sleep or church or whatever else you want to do on this closed compound. So as I write this, my birthday has come and gone and now I’m just older…and yes, wiser.
My watching of the Taliban website for their silly reporting is much easier these days. It’s not up. Must not have paid its online billJ. Obviously the big things we are following here is the non peaceful “peace talks.” The Taliban won’t talk to the Americans, the Afghans won’t talk with the Taliban, Pakistan and the U.S. aren’t communicating with Afghanistan. They can’t even figure out where to sit down. The Taliban office created problems in Qatar as they opened it as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is the official name of the country when the Taliban ruled in the ‘90s until our big boot chased them out of Afghanistan. We can only hope and pray that is sorts itself out.
3rd e mail:
Well into the first full week of "Boots on the Ground" here in this sunny paradise we call Afghanistan. Temperatures for this oasis seem to be fairly nice but probably for two very good reasons. First, we are 6,500 feet up and second, I work nights so I miss the afternoons. I have begun sleeping better usually between noon and 7:15pm. My shift start at 8pm where I'm "in charge". Saying that, my team is a female Afghan interpreter from San Francisco and a young Lieutenant who handles social media.
I am responsible for two big products. The first is the SAR or Situational Awareness Report. The report is a collection of news articles with my spin on why they are important. This is sent from me to my General, who puts her name on it and sends it to the big General running the war (Gen. Joseph Dunford). Now as much as I would like to think I'm influencing the war via media clippings, I only have to look in the mirror to get back my reality. The other product, similar in vain, is for my General. I provide the top three news stories, based on my opinion, and provide analysis. Once again, influence and mirror come into play. I also track the Taliban websites for their delusional stories and President Karzai's web site for any new material coming out of the Presidential Palace (similar to our White House).
As I reported earlier, the big news this week was the Taliban attack on the Presidential Palace right down the street from here. It wasn't an attack on ISAF HQ but fairly close. Saying that, there wasn't any imminent danger for us at this base. However it was nice to see the Macedonian troops patrolling the base with their armored personnel vehicle driving the streets making sure no loose Taliban were scampering about this base
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2)Obama loses altitude, needs solid wins six months into second term
Six months into his second term, the momentum that President Obama gained from his reelection win is a fading memory.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/309485-obama-loses-altitude-needs-solid-wins-six-months-into-second-term#ixzz2YSQrnq2S
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
He needs wins and he needs them soon. There’s no way around that,” said one top Democratic strategist who routinely communicates with the White House. “I think just about everyone realizes that.”
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2)Obama loses altitude, needs solid wins six months into second term
Six months into his second term, the momentum that President Obama gained from his reelection win is a fading memory.
Few could have foreseen this White House struggling so much after Obama’s convincing 332-206 electoral vote victory over Mitt Romney last November
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/309485-obama-loses-altitude-needs-solid-wins-six-months-into-second-term#ixzz2YSQrnq2S
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
He needs wins and he needs them soon. There’s no way around that,” said one top Democratic strategist who routinely communicates with the White House. “I think just about everyone realizes that.”
Obama is headed into a key part of his presidency with immigration reform teetering, another debt-limit showdown looming and the daunting task of implementing his signature healthcare law hanging over him.
In 2012, Obama predicted that if he won, it would break a GOP “fever,” which was how he characterized Republican efforts to block his agenda. But since his inauguration, Republicans have battled him on many issues.
Obama’s year to date has been marked by a combination of failures, distractions and uncertainties.
A push for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school last December came to nothing.
Controversies over the IRS and, more recently, National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden absorbed administration energy and time.
The effort to enact far-reaching immigration reform advanced though the Senate on a 68-32 vote. But the fate of the measure is in serious doubt in the House, where Republicans balk at providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, which Obama demands.
His supporters argue that GOP recalcitrance is to blame for the lack of legislative progress, beyond healthcare.
“If you’re the president, who do you negotiate with?” Democratic strategist Doug Thornell asked rhetorically. “It takes two to tango, and Republicans have decided to sit on the sidelines.”
Still, Obama needs things to go his way in the second half of the year, otherwise his remaining ambitions will likely peter out, unfulfilled.
Months ago, optimistic Democrats in Washington felt that they had a shot at seizing control of the House in 2014. Obama in May said, “We’ve got a great chance to take back the House.”
Political handicappers disagree, with some now predicting the GOP could easily expand its majority next year.
Put it all together and it is easy to understand why even allies of the administration are becoming concerned.
Last week’s events in Egypt showed that foreign policy will probably not provide Obama with any relief from domestic challenges. In his first term, he withdrew U.S. troops from Iraq, which was popular, ordered a surge and then a drawdown of troop levels in Afghanistan, and gave the green light for the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
No one knows how events in Cairo will unspool, but critics are already charging that the United States has less leverage in Egypt than it once did. The wider ramifications of the 2011 “Arab Spring” are still playing out, and there is no guarantee that efforts to resuscitate the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians will pay dividends.
But the pendulum has not swung entirely against Obama.
The economy is improving, albeit more slowly than the president would like. If the recovery gains strength, it will lift
Obama and the general mood of the nation.
The president’s recent speech on climate change also underlined that he is capable of taking action without always having to deal with Congress. On that topic, he intends to use executive actions and regulations.
Some independent observers argue that Obama is being hamstrung by the political dynamics of the day rather than because of any failure of leadership on his part.
“Second terms are hard and, in an era of polarization, even harder. The idea that he was going to be able to get a very big legislative agenda through was pretty much a dream,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.
“We’re in an era where you get a kind of hatred,” Zelizer added. “Half the country votes for the president and the other half hates him. And that’s the kind of political environment you have to govern in.”
Zelizer, along with others who spoke to The Hill, noted that one key element in Obama’s second term and in securing his historical legacy will be the effort to bed down the legislative achievements of his first four years.
No achievement is more important than the Affordable Care Act, now more widely known as ObamaCare. This, in turn, explains why the recent decision to delay the requirement for employers to provide healthcare for their workers was met with such consternation, even from people who support the administration.
“Look, I know it’s a complicated law with many levers and buttons, but they should have had all this figured out before it appeared like it was ready to go,” one former administration official said. “It’s a good law, it will help so many people who need it, but it looks sloppy.”
The danger for Obama is that people’s faith both in him personally and in the more activist role of government that he favors will decline.
“The people’s trust in his leadership has fallen,” said Susan MacManus, a professor of political science at the University of South Florida.
But, she added, “people are increasingly disgusted with both political parties. For the average American, you really don’t have anyone who seems like they can craft solutions. People are losing faith that their government can do so much.”
Republicans are, predictably, even less charitable. “You’re in a bad place when scandals far outnumber your legislation achievements,” said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). “The president spent a billion dollars to get reelected and still has nothing to show for it.”
Yet Obama might benefit from fights with the GOP. A recent Gallup poll showed just 39 percent of respondents holding a favorable view of the Republican Party.
The last major legislative victories Obama secured came in early January when the GOP stumbled during debates over the fiscal cliff and a Hurricane Sandy relief package.
Even as the president has been frustrated in recent months, his allies take heart from their belief that he is lucky in his enemies.
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