General Stanley McChrystal acknowledged during a television interview that aired Sunday that he's spoken with President Obama just once since arriving in Afghanistan more than two months ago. At today's press briefing Robert Gibbs provided "a little context," noting that the "President receives a memo every week from General McChrystal, as he does from General Odierno, on -- an update on how things are going in either Afghanistan or Iraq." These these memos apparently amount to "tremendous input from the commanders on the ground," as Gibbs put it later. He noted that Obama speaks frequently with Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mullen, and the president also "receives input from regional commanders like General Petraeus." An email to the White House asking how many times the President has spoken with Gen. Petraeus since McChrystal arrived in Afghanistan was not immediately returned. You can read Gibbs's full statement after the jump...
Q Is this the first conversation the President had with McChrystal since receiving his report? MR. GIBBS: I don't believe that they've spoken since the report has been given. Understanding for a little context, the President receives a memo every week from General McChrystal, as he does from General Odierno, on -- an update on how things are going in either Afghanistan or Iraq, respectively. Inputs also come from the diplomatic side. As well as each of those memos, the President meets, as he is today, regularly with the chain of command, including the two top people on that chain of command, Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral Mullen, both of whom will be a the White House today. [...] Q You mentioned the memos that the President gets every week from General McChrystal and General Odierno. Is there a reason why the President hasn't actually spoken with President -- with General McChrystal, except for the one time, since June? President Bush obviously spoke with his commanders every week. Is there a reason why this President -- MR. GIBBS: I think the President has -- receives tremendous input from the commanders on the ground; receives input from regional commanders like General Petraeus at Central; talks and meets weekly with, as I said, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, or the Vice Chair if Admiral Mullen is traveling; and meets weekly with the head of that chain of command, Secretary Gates, often.