Barack Obama : “Present”

Barack Obama made a lot of promises during his election campaign, but none more important than one he made to his young daughters. From the campaign's onset, he vowed to buy the girls a dog, win or lose. And as he stood before the country as president-elect, he announced that America would have a new First Dog come January. "I love you both more than you can imagine," Obama told his daughters, Sasha and Malia. "You have earned the puppy that is coming with us."

But, in usual Obama style he dithered and didn’t make a decision. President Obama wasn’t used to actually making decisions as he has more instances of not voting than voting as a U.S. Senator and 130 “Present” votes while in the Illinois senate. Four months into his presidency the decision was made for him; Ted Kennedy finally gave the first family a Portuguese water dog. Obama got to vote “Present”.

Why is this significant? It has been over two months now since his handpicked General, Stanley McChrystal, asked for troops for what then Senator Obama deemed a "war of necessity" and pledged to win. McChrystal has argued that without more troops the United States could lose the war against the Taliban and allied insurgents.

"Resources will not win this war, but under-resourcing could lose it," McChrystal wrote in a five-page Commander's Summary. His 66-page report, which was made public in a partly classified version after appeals from Pentagon officials, was sent to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Aug. 30 and is now under review at the White House.

High-level Obama aides said the Pentagon's case to send more troops was being pushed most aggressively by Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen. White House officials were caught off guard and reacted with displeasure when Mullen told a Senate panel that more troops were all but certainly needed in Afghanistan, and that a second report asking for the additional forces would be delivered "in the very near future." Gates has said he has not decided whether he agrees that more troops are needed, and Obama made clear in interviews that he is far from ready to decide.

As President Obama continues to go out on the campaign trail rather than stay in D.C. and get anything done, I am left to wonder if he is waiting for someone else to make the decision for him so he doesn’t have to. In essence, he wants to vote “Present”.