Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo Navy Times/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley / NavyFrom The Washington Post:
Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in chief -- no aides, no PowerPoint presentation, no briefing books. Summoned nine days ago to President-elect Barack Obama's Chicago transition office, Mullen showed up with just a pad, a pen and a desire to take the measure of his incoming boss.
There was little talk of exiting Iraq or beefing up the U.S. force in Afghanistan; the one-on-one, 45-minute conversation ranged from the personal to the philosophical. Mullen came away with what he wanted: a view of the next president as a non-ideological pragmatist who was willing to both listen and lead. After the meeting, the chairman "felt very good, very positive," according to Mullen spokesman Capt. John Kirby.
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My Comment: I have never read a news report in which the Chairman of the Joint's Chiefs leaves a meeting with a President-elect and is unhappy. True sentiments will only be known in the next few months when President-elect Obama's team at the White House starts to make their demands on the Pentagon.
My personal take .... this is the high point of the relationship .... everything (unfortunately) is downhill from now.