Nake M. Kamrany - Obama Is No Truman On War And Peace --- After having submitted his written recommendation to the White House concerning U.S. troops level after 2014, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. who command all international forces in Afghanistan impinged upon the purview of presidential decision making of war and peace when he requested an audience with President Obama on Monday January 27, 2014 to influence President's decision of troop withdrawal from Afghanistan - a possible subject in President's State of the Union speech. Instead of granting the General an audience, the President should have relieved him for crossing the line. Under the Constitution, the ultimate decisions of war and peace are those of the President's and generals are kept at bay. President Truman fired the highly decorated General Douglas MacArthur, hero of World War II, on the spot on 11 April 1951 when the General's views were determined to be contrary to his administration policies. Indeed President Truman set the standard on such critical occasions. -- Regarding the domain of authority on this subject under the eagles of the U.S. constitution Truman wrote, Civilian control of the military is an American tradition dating back to the founding of the republic in his 1956 memoirs, Truman further elaborated: 'If there is one basic element in our Constitution, it is civilian control of the military. Policies are to be made by the elected political officials, not by generals or admirals.' -- Although there was public uproar but Truman was correct to fire a decorated general - a fellow greater than life at the time, exercising presidential power and determination and brute force decision by keeping the General out of the decision loop and drawing the line on such issues. It has been reported that President Kennedy resisted the intrusion of some generals during the Cuban crisis for attacking the Soviet Union. -- Did General Dunford's request to meet the President after having submitted his written recommendation concerning U.S. final troop withdrawal crossed the line? Did it passed the test of time that President Truman had set on these issues approximately 70 years ago? Indeed such decisions are complex, they are embroiled in intelligence, secrecy, security, confidentiality, national interest and personalities involved in the White House for pro and anti-complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of 2014. However, the lines of authority and decision making must remain clear and intact and military generals and admirals must be kept at bay as the constitution requires; whose propensity for war may intrude. -- In this instance it is not clear whether the President decision was a sellout or it was it in the national interest? It would have to be determined from the analysis of the facts in the ground, i.e., what does the Afghanistan diaspora conveys after nearly 13 years of war? On this issue of troop withdrawal at the end of 2014, two prominent recommendations have been submitted to the White House that were diametrically opposed to each other and these proposals were made by credible organizations. One recommendation was submitted jointly by 16 intelligence agencies of the United States opting for "zero option." And the other recommendation was that of General Dunford's opting for continuation of limited NATO forces into the future. - More, Huffingtonpost, at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nake-m-kamrany/obama-is-no-trueman-on-wa_b_4715065.html