It's Good To Be Commander-In-Chief

By: Mark Knoller
Topics: White House

The man who 2? months ago was the junior senator from Illinois, today made his first visit to the Pentagon as commander-in-chief.

With the help of police who shut down traffic in both directions on Constitution Avenue and the Memorial Bridge over the Potomac – President Obama made the trip from the White House to the River Entrance of the Defense Department in ten minutes flat.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

He was escorted to "The Tank" – nickname of the secure conference room of the Joint Chiefs of Staff where he spent longer than expected - nearly two hours - discussing his plans to withdraw most U.S. forces from Iraq and send more American troops to Afghanistan.

"I had a wonderful discussion with the Joint Chiefs," said the president upon emerging from the talks, "we kind of lost track of time."

He conceded there are "difficult decisions" to be made "almost immediately" about strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Our efforts to continue to go after extremist organizations that would do harm to the homeland is uppermost on our minds." Worth noting: he said "extremist" not "terrorist."

Waiting to meet the new commander-in-chief in the corridor outside "The Tank" were about 60 uniformed military personnel – most of them non-commissioned officers, from all branches of the armed forces.

"Very nice to see you – thanks for your service," Mr. Obama was heard to say to a number of them. He asked the troops where they were from and spoke to one woman about her pregnancy.

For the second time today, the man from the Windy City felt compelled to ridicule Washington area schools for shutting down because of icy road conditions this morning.

"Aren't you a little surprised that they canceled school for my kids?" he asked one of the troops.

Earlier in the day, he said "that when it comes to the weather – folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things."

"We're gonna have to try to apply some flinty Chicago toughness to this town," he said.

As commander-in-chief, he can't order local schools to stay open in bad weather so that his daughters don't have to stay at home, but he made it clear he can make sure the U.S. military has "the resources and the support they need to carry out the critical missions that keep our nation safe each and every day."

He also made the charge that for a long time the nation put enormous pressure on the military to carry out a whole set of missions but didn't supply the "strategic support" it needed.

"And that's something that I spoke with the Chiefs about and that I intend to change as president of the United States."

Reporters didn't get to enter "The Tank," but did spend a few minutes in the Joint Chiefs Dining Room. It's decorated with the flags and insignias of the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. The artwork on the walls shows various military scenes including an F-14 on the deck of an aircraft carrier, Marines in the desert of Iraq and a Coast Guard chopper plucking someone out of the sea.

And if Obama's popularity took a hit today in D.C. because of his comments suggesting locals were wimps about bad weather, it wasn't helped any on his drive back to the White House.

At the height of rush hour, traffic was blocked on key thoroughfares so his motorcade could get him home quickly. Every president does it – and Washington motorists always hate it – no matter who the president is.

Mark Knoller
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent.
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by morsecode5 January 30, 2009 1:27 AM EST: You may want to know this Scripture too from I Chronicles 7:14, "If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and heal their land." Is that so hard?; Reply to this comment


by assemblyofso January 29, 2009 10:53 AM EST: We can all sleep better tonight knowing we have a commander in chief with such vast military, foreign relations, and senate experience.; Reply to this comment


by idnnsg January 29, 2009 10:08 AM EST: ''On the inside, they are laughing at him and thinking "This guy is the boss? My cat knows more about the military and warfare than this dunce."'' -- RichardJ390

Wasn''t that just EXACTLY what they thought about the Chimp, little King George the Imbecile? Funny how all you repukes can do is project your own negatives on to your perceived enemies.; Reply to this comment


by idnnsg January 29, 2009 10:03 AM EST: Truthin2009, you have a good point: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. But you "Christians" are SO SELECTIVE about which parts of the babble you quote, and how and when you decide to abide by what it says, and how narrowly you interpret what it (as IF there were only 1 version!) says.

"As you sow, so shall ye reap" applies equally to everyone. "Thou shalt not kill" does, too. But you retards claimed the previous prez was "doing God''s will" by killing, murdering, torturing, lying, stealing, breaking the law, etc !!!

You are totally inconsistent and, therefore, unbelievable.

All of the end-timers are completely deluded. Some idi.ots made up all that cr@p by picking and choosing stuff from the babble about a hundred years ago. Every few years, the "Christians" have to change what they believe, to keep the suckers confused and living in fear. THIS is the cr@p you believe now. It''s definitely NOT what Jesus taught. It''s definitely NOT what Christians have believed for ages.

The biggest problem with the cr@ppola you belive is that you live in fear, but with an exaggerated sense of your own infallability, and a feeling that everyone else is inferior, and to be hated and distrusted because of their "evil". That makes you impervious to reality, and it makes you a grave danger to yourself and to the rest of society. I expect some kool-aid is in your not-too-distand future!; Reply to this comment


by idnnsg January 29, 2009 9:50 AM EST: "Federally funded schools rely on attendence figures for $$$...lost days of school in Chicagos school systems is lost revenue.
Obamas in-experience and naivete is showing already! " -- piercetheval

YOUR inexperience and naivete is what''s showing! Schools throughout this country that receive federal funding have "snow days" built into their schedule every year. And if they have to cancel classes too many times due to the weather, they add those days back at the end of the school year, in summer-- no Federal revenue lost! So, Obama''s point was absolutely correct: the people in the DC area are PANSIES regarding the weather. They freak out when there is a tiny bit of snow or ice and everything shuts down.; Reply to this comment


by wardoglrs January 29, 2009 9:10 AM EST: Let the killing begin

America is a disgrace to the poor in this world. Killing maiming injuring destroying confiscating everything in there path a hate full Nation of Death not Life
America''s Motto should be

Peace is War
Love is Hate
The people are still asleep Obama will only bring tears too you all who voted this Monster in office; Reply to this comment


by piercetheval January 29, 2009 8:57 AM EST: ...Obamas kids go to a private school which doesn''t recieve federal funding.
Federally funded schools rely on attendence figures for $$$...lost days of school in Chicagos school systems is lost revenue.
Obamas in-experience and naivete is showing already!; Reply to this comment


by rf35 January 29, 2009 7:07 AM EST: Truthin2009, you do realize the Bible is a collection of writings made by various humans and edited by a bunch of Romans (also humans) in order to perpetuate a slave culture, right? How does that make it infallible if it was written and put together by humans? What about the %u201Cinfallible truths%u201D that the early Church excluded because they called into question the divinity of Jesus? Anti-Christ indeed. You%u2019d be bitter about any President who didn%u2019t try to establish the Christian Empire of America, wouldn%u2019t you. You%u2019re savior Bush tried to trash the Constitution and look what it got his entire party.

Nice how hard-line Rupubs have already determined that the Obama administration is a failure after barely a week in office. Remember, these are the people who think Bush is a hero and probably believe Iraq had something to do with 9/11.; Reply to this comment


by richardj390 January 29, 2009 5:31 AM EST: On the outside, the generals salute him and addresses him as sir, and appears to respect him. On the inside, they are laughing at him and thinking "This guy is the boss? My cat knows more about the military and warfare than this dunce."; Reply to this comment


by robert2237 January 29, 2009 4:05 AM EST: WEll the first week has been a total failure. Only a bunch of exc. orders which means dictatorship. So he fails well only 3 years 357 days left, can we make it. I really don''t know.; Reply to this comment