The "rest of the story" that everyone seems to be missiing:

The main guy in the hottest war we've got going...supposedly a vital war.. and his "crew" are "missing in action" in France for almost a MONTH?

During the volcanic ash problems we heard DAILY about how inventive people were, in getting to their destinations..

they rented cars
they hired taxis
they took ferry boats
they took trains
they took buses
they took any surface transportation they could to southern European locations where they then could fly out.

How come the main guy in the war could not figure out a way to get back to the war-zone, when traveling salesmen & students managed to find their way?

Did no one find it odd that he and his crew went for a 3 day meeting & managed to stay "almost a month"..(cue Gilligan's Island theme here)

Was he that expendable , that his absence was okee-dokey? If that's the case, maybe we don't even need him there at all..

and another thing? why on earth is he so "available" to the press all the time, and why is he so available to make speeches & schmooze with any group that invites him? Doesn't he have a war to run?

Maybe that is a fire-worthy offense?

He set up a HQ at a "four-star suite at the Hôtel Westminster in Paris" - according to the article in Rolling Stone. Hmmm.....

On edit: I just checked out the rates for a suite at the Hotel Westminster--- right now @ $1281 per night.

is a Cheney hack. Need I say more?

With all the e-military technology, it's not like a general needs to be on a battle field to have situational awareness. Though he does need to be there to have press conferences from 'in-country.'

Considering the way the military is structured, there were undoubtedly plenty of field and general grade officers available to handle executive functioning.

:)

bombs randomly. We'd make about the same progress with the wars as we are now. :shrug:

Do I need to add this?
:sarcasm:

My understanding is that much of Gulf War I was handled through Northern Command in Florida.

And don't forget you gotta have a heroic general standing and waving in the back of the chariot, I mean Staff Car, or the triumphal parade through NYC is just a flop.

a reasonable answer, if you think about it. Go from France to Germany, check in at Ramstein, and go from there to one of our southern European bases, and fly back to Afghanistan. They all knew how to do it.

I wonder if there was something else going on during that month...besides eating truffled roast chicken and drinking excellent cognac.

Why is the general meeting with the President, at the WH, dressed in camo?
If there is a good reason, I am missing it.

and the uniform is authorized...

I prefer he meet in his Class As, but hey.

But I really think meeting with POTUS, however informal, warrants breaking out the good clothes. You can bet your ass you won't see any swabby Petty Officers in his presence in their dungarees.

and that he was pretty much obliged to wear it.

And yes a Petty Officer would be in his or her fatigues if that was the uniform of the day.

But then again, he's dedicated to his work.

although I'd love it if they did :)