Posted on 06/22/2010 2:26:57 PM PDT by STARWISE
Now that I've read the whole thing, I still think McChrystal showed a terrible lapse in judgment by letting Rolling Stone into the tent and by saying anything that could be construed as disrespect for the commander-in-chief.
I can't agree with Cliff that this is all much ado about nothing. That said, I also think a lot of the quotes aren't as bad as they first sounded.
The mocking of Biden isn't actually mocking of Biden so much as a game of trying to come up with crazy hypothetical responses that might get McChrystal in hot water.
Even the stuff about Obama being unprepared and whatnot is offered from McChrystal aides, not McChrystal himself.
As for the bad-mouthing of the civilian and diplomatic crowd, it's unseemly, but I don't know if it rises to the level of scandalous. Still, Obama has every right to be angry, even if he shares some of the blame.
I should also say that I came away liking McChrystal a lot more. He really is an impressive guy. Clearly arrogant and all that, but you need a healthy ego to do what he does.
“Should He Go?”
The usual eggshell-deep insight from Jonah Goldberg...
He should go so that he can speak.
McChrystal’s real offense
Byron York
###
Excerpt:
There is a lot of uproar about Gen. Stanley’s McChrystal’s disrespectful comments about his civilian bosses in the Obama administration, and President Obama would be entirely justified in firing McChrystal for statements McChrystal and his subordinates made to Rolling Stone.
Obama is a deeply flawed commander-in-chief who doesn’t want to be fighting a war on terror, but he is the commander-in-chief.
He should have a general who will carry out his policies without public complaint until the voters can decide to change those policies.
But the bigger problem with McChrystal’s leadership has always been the general’s devotion to unreasonably restrictive rules of engagement that are resulting in the unnecessary deaths of American and coalition forces.
We have had many, many accounts of the rules endangering Americans, and the Rolling Stone article provides more evidence.
In the story, a soldier at Combat Outpost JFM who had earlier met with McChrystal was killed in a house that American officers had asked permission to destroy. From the article:
The night before the general is scheduled to visit Sgt. Arroyo’s platoon for the memorial, I arrive at Combat Outpost JFM to speak with the soldiers he had gone on patrol with.
JFM is a small encampment, ringed by high blast walls and guard towers. Almost all of the soldiers here have been on repeated combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and have seen some of the worst fighting of both wars. But they are especially angered by Ingram’s death.
His commanders had repeatedly requested permission to tear down the house where Ingram was killed, noting that it was often used as a combat position by the Taliban.
But due to McChrystal’s new restrictions to avoid upsetting civilians, the request had been denied. “These were abandoned houses,” fumes Staff Sgt. Kennith Hicks. “Nobody was coming back to live in them.”
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/mcchrystals-real-offense-96873364.html#ixzz0rcd0tKB8
By his own admission he voted for Obama.
A man stupid enough to vote for that turd-on-a-stick doesn’t need to be in any position of leadership — let alone leading our troops in wartime.
Good riddance.
This part really bothers me. I'm not as wild about McChrystal as everyone else here.
The General can write a tell-all book and make the talk-show circuit for months if 0bama fires him.
McCrystal knew who he was talking to, who they worked for, the history of reporting by that magazine, and the gist of the article they were interviewing for.
IOW....Stanley knew exactly what Stanley was doing, and meant to poke the Kenyan with this pointy stick.
i just wish mccrystal had not apologized. i think he is going down, and it would have so much better if he had done it by standing up to nobama, telling him in so many eloquent and diplomatic words to shove his anti-american administration up his ASH.
Keyes has it right, too many people keep thinking that nobama cares for this country, and he doessn’t
unmitigated POS
We need a new President, more than we need a new general.
The gen should have used WikiLeaks.
Libs would have no problems with him then.
I think we better deal with the fact that McChrystal is a liberal dork who voted for Obama and thinks Hillary is neat. McChrystal is an Obama kool aide drinker.
He should absolutely resign - immediately. Although I question his judgment after saying he voted for that moron, I believe he is a warrior.
I’m thinking that Texas or even Arizona may shortly have a need and job opening for someone of his qualifications?
The general wanted OUT from under this Marxist community organizer. This was an easy and effective way to do it. IMHO
I think is is obvious he was not losing the war fast enough for the muslim in the WH.
If the General doesn’t get fired or retires, he’ll be stationed someplace in the North Pole
He won't get the option to resign. He'll be fired.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH21LEmfbQ
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
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