Having witnessed numerous Dog and Pony shows with dignitaries running the gamut from Governors, Senators and House Reps, to DoD Secs, JCS and even a SMA, I've never seen a honest, accurate assessment given to the respective dignitary...

With Obama's upcoming visit to Iraq and Afghanistan, I've decided to sound off on the subject. Awhile back I ran across this awesome blog post on how to truly give the dignitaries/top brass a realistic account... (Btw, Welcome Home, Satirist!)

The first thing I'd like to point out is that I've seen deplorable living conditions a few times during my sojourn in the Army, and those instances have all had the following in common: 1) outside in the sand or mud 2) heavy precipitation 3) stinging / biting insects 4) lack of food and/or water Our FOBs have beds, or at least cots, air conditioning, and well-prepared food. Who goes to Afghanistan and expects a four-star hotel??? There's no pleasing some people, I suppose. The next thing--and this is important--is: how did I know that G1 was coming for an inspection tomorrow? I guess the logic must be: "if they know we're coming, and they're s***'s jacked up, they're *really* bad." I've seen this on countless occasions--a "Distinguished Visitor" will fly into the battlespace, we'll know far in advance, prepare a highly-scripted briefing, and said visitor will come away with our well-spun version of the truth, which is always more complicated than can effectively be summarized in a one-hour brief. And yet, General after General comes through, speaks to a few high-ranking officers that have been preparing for days to receive him, then leaves, beaming, full of satisfaction that he's doing a good job. The military cannot hope for accurate and effective top-down assessments if this is allowed to continue. We are sabotaging ourselves and our ability to self-criticize effectively by choreographing this type of event. If I were a General, or a Congressman, and genuinely interested in soliciting honest battlefield reporting this is what I'd do: 1) grab a blackhawk and an apache from a primary hub 2) fly, unannounced, around the battlespace, visiting COPs and FOBs in no particular pattern 3) spend 3 or 4 hours at a single location, and speak *privately* with a representative cross-section of NCOs and low-level officers, before speaking with the commander. Why? If nothing's going wrong, that'll show. If, on the other hand, there are corrections that need to be made, the time to identify those corrections is not during a powerpoint presentation from the very individual / individuals who have the most at stake. In this fashion, we, the military, could identify problems BEFORE they spun out of control, rather than waiting for some tactical or strategic disaster and performing "After Action Reviews" to brainstorm solutions. Often, a serious military reverse is the last act in a long-unfolding drama. Then again, institutional change is painful; if nothing's wrong, no change is necessary. And, of course, every individual in the institution has some vested interest in keeping things the same--the closer you get to the top, the stronger the loyalty to the institution. Few leaders succeed who *question* the institutional capacities and functions of the Army--though to question those capacities should not automatically be construed as disloyalty. So you get to the top, and you're not thinking: "is that 240B broken?" You're thinking: "I'm glad everyone's doing great out here. I'm going to get you more air conditioners."

Sorry for the long excerpt, but it's too good to trim it...

Here is a good example for how a House Rep can try to find out the real deal...

...Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) recounted his experiences visiting the detention center. Hastings, who arrived at the facility “two hours early one day” during his visit, said he witnessed Guantanamo staffers “whitewashing the walls” in anticipation of the arrival of the other members of congress:

I know that they had washed it that day. Cleaned it up. And the prisoners were eating the best meal that they had gotten in a week. And I could go on and on and on and on. I even remember I got there — I did so deliberately — two hours early one day. And they were still whitewashing the walls and what have you.

Hastings said he “wasn’t impressed” by the “dog and pony show.”

Nice job, Rep. Hastings...

As Reuters reports on McCain's take on Obama's trip...

McCain, who is running behind Obama in public opinion polls, was trying to make a major campaign issue of Obama's Iraq policy in hopes of convincing Americans that the Illinois senator is too inexperienced to be trusted to lead the country as commander in chief.

On his bus, he said he hoped Obama will listen not only to commanders on the ground in the two war zones but also to the troops.

"They'll tell him they don't want to be defeated," McCain said. "They'll tell him that the surge has succeeded," he said, referring to President George W. Bush's 2007 troop buildup.

"They'll tell him that we're winning this war, will win it, if we don't do what he wants to do, which is to set a date for withdrawal."

Having said all that, McCain said he was glad Obama was making the trip, disagreeing with his communications director, Jill Hazelbaker, who told the Fox News Channel:

"Let's drop the pretense that this is a fact-finding trip and call it what it is: the first of its kind campaign rally overseas."

Excuse me, McInsane? Are you serious...? I seem to recall your Dog and Pony show of strolling through a Baghdad Bazaar... Are you happy with those rugs you bought while Apaches hovered above...?

It's a shame you can't follow your own advice...