I have an odd read on this. McChrytal is a brilliant mind, but he’s a messiah of this “Peace Corps Special Forces” school. Don’t shoot. Take a bullet, but don’t shoot. To this end, he surrounded him with like-minded men, mainly also also True Believers in the New COIN.
So this philosophy relates to his “trusting” the RS reporter. He believes he can WIN OVER the reporter, by showing how open, unrestricted, peace-corps-ish, great guys we are. Then the reporter will understand us, and he will want to help us, and h will write an overall favorable article.
IOW, McCrystal is a hopeless naif in this situation, and thus probably also in his “war of hearts” for the Afghan people against the Taliban.
Which since the other side knows darn well we’ll be GONE in 4 or 5 years max, all they have to do is keep up a little bleeding of American troops and wait us out.
ALso knowing that the Taliban will outlast the Americans, only foolish Afghans will help the Americans, and risk later Viet-Cong type night visits or worse later. Beheading for starts.
Excellent points, all of them. Not an “odd” read at all, IMO.
Not an odd read. If you recall general officers like Powell you have the type.
General officers like Powell learned the game in a different set of circumstances. When it came down to being a soldier, he deferred to his instinct to be a political general first and foremost, then to pander to whatever side he thought looked the best in the long run. Powell as I understand it also played the race card to get his way.
McChrystal is a different animal, and your assessment of his “ability” to win over any reporter tells me that he had a staff guy whispering in his ear that he could do no wrong. In effect, he started to believe his own press.
In my experience, general officers who do not do a self analysis ever so often tend to believe that they are as great and monumental as their staff officers tell them they are.
The Romans employed people to tell the generals as they paraded their war prizes that “All glory is fleeting”, and so it is true.
On the positive side, if the stuff really hits the fan, history tells us that men will rise to the occasion, not men like McChrystal, not men like Powell, not men like Shinseki, but men like Patton.
Just my take.
Regards,
AR
So this philosophy relates to his “trusting” the RS reporter. He believes he can WIN OVER the reporter, by showing how open, unrestricted, peace-corps-ish, great guys we are. Then the reporter will understand us, and he will want to help us, and he will write an overall favorable article.
@@@@@
1) This philosophy could also explain how he could cast a vote for Obama.
2) Taking a reporter on a pub night with his senior staff has to be the stupidest thing he ever did.
Also, it is no coincidence that this article is in the issue on the stands at the beginning of summer — when the Kandahar offensive is scheduled to really get going.
It is open sabotage, if that is not an oxymoron.