WASHINGTON — President Obama and his predecessor differ significantly in their approach to America's wars. They differ at least as much in their relationship with their top battlefield commander.
During the Bush administration, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the then-ground commander in Iraq, assumed the role of a trusted advisor who frequently visited the White House or talked to the president by phone.
But Obama's commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, occupies a defined place in the chain of command. The two have met face-to-face twice -- and one of those was after the general infuriated the White House by discussing U.S. strategy in an overseas speech.
The reasons for the marked contrasts run deeper than personal preferences. Under Obama, top Pentagon officials have worked to keep McChrystal out of the spotlight, in part to avoid creating "another celebrity general" as the White House debates its Afghan strategy.
Senior military officials have pushed for a more traditional relationship between Obama and his field commander than existed between President Bush and his field commanders, in particular Petraeus.
Whether that approach will succeed in persuading the White House to endorse McChrystal's plan for Afghanistan is not yet clear.
McChrystal has made recommendations on strategy and troop levels for Afghanistan that are the subject of intense debate within the administration. Obama is expected to decide over the next two weeks whether to approve his general's strategy and request for 40,000 additional troops.
Some in the Pentagon think that with strong backing from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, much of McChrystal's request will be approved. Others worry that the lack of a personal connection between McChrystal and Obama may have made it more difficult for the commander to explain his proposal and answer concerns.
"There is no division" between Obama and McChrystal, said a Defense official, one of several speaking on condition of anonymity when discussing the relationship. "It is just an absence of a relationship."
Officials close to Mullen and Gates say the two men have been forceful in presenting McChrystal's views to Obama and are comfortable with how the president prefers to be briefed on the war.
"There is a general comfort level with the manner with which the president has chosen to get his military advice," said a military officer in Washington.
