Now that it is official, I have to state that it is hard to condemn President Obama for his decision to fire General Stan McChrystal. As much as I feel bad for a great general, Obama was well within his rights to make this decision.
The principle of civilian control of the military is well-established and necessary-for better or worse. What was occurring here was a breakdown in military discipline that had gone public with the Rolling Stone revelations. It could not be swept under the rug. No matter what our military thinks of President Obama, and it is pretty obvious here that many if not most in the military hold him in low esteem, Obama is the elected Commander in Chief- Period.
Furthermore, it is astounding to me that McChrystal allowed some reporter from Rolling Stone to tag around with him and his aides then let their hair down in front of him-especially in a Paris bar! It boggles the mind.
"Don't worry boys. Your secret is safe with me."
Right. The guy is a liberal writer for Rolling Stone, for God's sake!
Charles Krauthammer, whom I respect, had a seemingly good suggestion-that the general arrive in the White House resignation in hand, and that the president after chewing him out, refuse to accept it. The problem is that politically, Obama had to show the nation that he was strong and decisive in order to counter the public perception that he was anything but.
I applaud the appointment of General Petraeus to go to Afghanistan. He may be the only one who can rescue this fiasco. As for General McChrystal, I hope he can retire and be honored for a great career that, unfortunately, has been marred by a lapse of judgement. The lesson learned? Don't go drinking with reporters, and when you make a statement in front of a reporter, assume it will be printed.
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7 comments:
Gary, I agree with your analysis of the General McChrystal situation. Unfortunately, as an excellent military man, he knew little of the political battles currently going on in the U.S. If he did, the Leftist, Rolling Stone writer would never be given the time of day. Most unfortunate that the divide and conquer strategy of the Progressives have won this round to shame the military.
Squid
Squid,
You are correct, and it is truly sad that Rolling Stone has impacted our military situation in Afghanistan so drastically and ended the career of a good man. They must be pretty proud of themselves for the scoop, but they have done our country no good.
Everything you two just said makes about zero sense. McChrystal himself is apparently a liberal, as he voted for Obama in 2008.
Secondly, I don't see how this is going to impact what is happening in Afghanistan. The strategy isn't changing at all, from what I understand. And if anything, Petraeus might even do a better job.
Anonymous,
So you don't think there is any possibility that it might adversely affect our troops morale or bolster the morale of our enemies?
You don't think this could raise the calls to get out of Afghanistan?
Not the slightest chance?
Nope, not really.
And if you believe that the reporter did this story for any other reason than to advance his own career, then you're delusional.
Anonymous,
Both sides are saying that this has to leave the military in turmoil whether the general had or to or not.
As to the reporter, of course he did it to advance his career-and I suspect his leftist agenda.
One doesn't have to be delusional to see that.
Interesting question- does being delusional include not seeing things that ARE in front of you as well?
Oh yeah, that's blindness.
I don't read Rolling Stone, and I have little patience for liberals, much less the navel-contemplating dreamers who pass themselves off as leftists these days.
I thought it might show strength and confidence for President Obama to keep McChrystal in place, although dozens of pundits would have screamed that it showed weakness. I admired that the president did not make a decision before meeting with him, and genuinely wanted to hear from him first.
There is a difference between sounding off in public, albeit that can be grounds for dismissal from a military command, and disobeying orders, which General MacArthur was guilty of in Korea.
The fundamental problem is that we are in a no-win quagmire in Afghanistan. There are a sizeable number of civilians who trust our armed forces more than their own government and its corrupt, racket-indulging, police. Those civilians are worthy of our sacrifice, and we may even have an obligation to them, now that we are there. The government we are propping up is unworthy of the sacrifice of our troops -- which is beginning to resemble Vietnam, even though we didn't go in the same way at all. If we pull out, it could destabilize Pakistan in all kinds of ways.
Quo Vadis?
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