Gen. McChrystal’s fate
You can find the Rolling Stone article everyone’s talking about here. In the article we learn a lot of things we already know:
- Vice President Joe Biden is an idiot.
- Rolling Stone doesn’t realize that Biden is an idiot.
Rolling Stone tries to make hay out of the fact that McChrystal and Biden disagree on the best way forward on Afghanistan – giving undue credibility to Biden’s foreign policy “knowledge.” This is the same Joe Biden that opposed the Iraq surge, suggested partitioning Iraq into three separate countries, and when the surge worked suggested that the Obama administration should get credit for it.
- We learn that Rolling Stone doesn’t really comprehend those who disagree with them politically.
The magazine refers to “COINdinistas” (counter-insurgency) as mindless supporters of McChrystal who believe that what worked in Iraq (which they said would never work there) will work just as easily in Afghanistan. No one who knows anything thinks it worked easily in Iraq and I challenge Rolling Stone to identify anyone with substantial influence on the right who has suggested that this will be easy.
The entire thrust of the article is that continuing in Afghanistan is a mistake and McChrystal is the problem. The possibility that President Obama’s arbitrary deadline for pulling troops out and the hapless U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry might be part of the problem isn’t explored.
Someone in the military made a stupid mistake – they approved embedding Rolling Stone. As one wag noted: Unless you’re Al Gore or a Kennedy, you’re not going to be happy with the end result of an article in that magazine.
McChrystal showed incredibly poor judgment in what he said in front of the Rolling Stone reporter. President Obama has every right to fire him.
I don’t know that that would be the best move for the war. Obama is notoriously thin-skinned and I’m not sure if he can see past his own victimhood to determine if McChrystal staying on is best for the military and the war. Overall, Obama’s handling of Afghanistan has been inept at best. His delayed decision on sending additional troops to that country, the public bad-mouthing of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the arbitrary deadline, his failure to secure troops from our NATO allies, etc.
President Obama, you’re doing it wrong.
2 comments on “Gen. McChrystal’s fate”
Tags
[...] I outlined in the post below, President Obama has every right to sack Gen. Stanley [...]
Let me state up-front that I have not yet read the article.
I think there is an important point here that should not be overlooked. Every President is confronted with a situation where he/she needs to re-inforce a time-honored, and sometimes core constitutional value regardless of how he/she is affected. In this case, the American value is the supremacy of civilian authority over the military. It is something we tend to take for granted, but is arguably as important for the grand experiment called the USA s freedom of speech, the right to assemble, a free press, etc.
So, while this will be difficult for Obama, who has extreme difficulty viewing any issue as being greater than himself, he may have to sack McChrystal to re-inforce the notion of civilian authority over the military.
I realize this may not be ideal for him, or for the war effort in Afghanistan, and as I said, I have not read the article so I don't know if this rises to a level of insubordination. But, he may have to accept McChrystal's resignation for the sake of future Presidents.