Posted on 06/22/2010 7:04:51 AM PDT by i88schwartz
What Gen. McChrystal said "crosses the line of insubordination and it crosses the line of the military code of justice. He has challenged the commander-in-chief and legally, morally, ethically and professionally he ought to be canned."
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
andrea ought to be caned.
Not entirely accurate. Upon receiving his Commission, each US officer swears the following:
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Any officer who feels he cannot abide by the terms of this oath should resign his Commission immediately. There have been plenty of times when civilian leaders have made terrible -- sometimes even ruinous military decisions. Before Obama there was Clinton, Carter and LBJ. Even Lincoln, who was in many ways a great President, meddled in military strategy with often disastrous results. Yet the Army stayed loyal, because the Republic could not survive if it weren't. When one of Lincoln's top Generals, George McClellan, decided he couldn't follow Lincoln's orders, he resigned his Commission and ran for President against him in 1864.
Not entirely accurate. Upon receiving his Commission, each US officer swears the following:
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Any officer who feels he cannot abide by the terms of this oath should resign his Commission immediately. There have been plenty of times when civilian leaders have made terrible -- sometimes even ruinous military decisions. Before Obama there was Clinton, Carter and LBJ. Even Lincoln, who was in many ways a great President, meddled in military strategy with often disastrous results. Yet the Army stayed loyal, because the Republic could not survive if it weren't. When one of Lincoln's top Generals, George McClellan, decided he couldn't follow Lincoln's orders, he resigned his Commission and ran for President against him in 1864.
The oath is to protect and defend the Constitution and to OBEY the LAWFUL orders of the PRESIDENT of these United States. While the first part of the oath is to protect and defend the Constitution in principle; the second part of the oath is to OBEY lawful orders in practice.
While the oath is not sworn TO either the Constitution or the Presidency (it is sworn to God), it obligates one to obey the lawful orders of the President.
Insubordination against a TRAITOR is a GOOD thing!
There was Wesley Clark, and they were rallying behind him as a hero. But Clark had the decency to retire before publicly criticizing his commander in chief.
Why does the name, Andrea Mitchell, bring to mind a finger nail on a blackboard?
Yep, McClelland didn’t want to have any failure or perceived failure that could be attributed to him. He was truly a great asset to Lee and the Confederacy.
The Constitution names the President as Commander in Chief. If you think this is wrong and support an alternative arrangement, then please state so publicly.
And if opposing a military coup makes me an "Obama pet," then so be it. I'm happy to be lumped in with the "moderate" 99.9% of the public that thinks a bad one-term President is still better than replacing the Constitution with a military dictatorship.
Needless to say George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were far better Presidents than Obama, yet both made disastrous military decisions. The Republic stood, despite the belief by some disgruntled officers that they could do a better job.
Then we start on the road to a military dictatorship. This country was founded on the idea of civilian supremacy over the military. Sure it has its drawbacks at times, but in the long run it has helped keep this a free nation.
And I say this having served under Clinton.
The military should follow all legal orders of the President. Period. Except for some demented leftists, I don't think anybody's arguing that Obama's military strategy in Afghanistan is illegal -- just dangerous and counterproductive.
If an Officer believes an order is ruinous, then he should resign his Commission and state so publicly. But insubordination or mutiny means the end of the Republic.
BTW, I think McA should have gone ahead and bombed the crap out of North Korea and the Chinese troops screaming down towards the south as he proposed. Truman was wrong, as history has well proven.
So in other words, you think the Army should run the country. Not only does that violate the Constitution, but it's a really bad long term decision. Abraham Lincoln made plenty of terrible military decisions, but I think we're far better off today than if the Army of the Potomac had gone rogue and taken over.
I agree.
If McChrystal personally said what was reported, or took no action to correct the record before publication, he should have resigned long ago.
Since he didn’t, he should resign now.
If he doesn’t, he should be fired.
All that said, none of the foregoing takes away from the facts about the Obambi administration.
But not to do so in the media.
An officer should speak up firmly, loudly, repeatedly and respectfully if, in his expert military judgment, the President’s policy or plan must be opposed. But he must do so within bounds of private meetings and under the proviso that he will support the President’s final decision, even if it goes against his advice, or resign.
That is all.
McChrystal either consciously or unconsciously wants to be fired. He can’t possibly be so stupid as to think his comments wouldn’t result in his being removed. I suspect he has ‘lost it’ knowing that he is losing the war. The other excerpts quoted soldiers int he field on the subject of McChrystal’s rules of engagement and specific instances where the idiocy of those rules has gotten men killed for absolutely no reason. He should go and his strategy should go with him. Unfortunately, he will likely go and his strategy will remain. It’s long past time to get the hell out of that hell. We lack the will and resources to fight an enemy we refuse to recognize.
Absolutely - and the media helped Shinseki when he was against Bush!
Hypocrisy from the media.
But NOT like this! Not in a way where Hussein can score points and look tough. DAMMIT.
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