Obama versus McChrystal

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dirtbag

climber

Jun 23, 2010 - 12:43am PT

Voigt is an idiot, a tea bagging cry baby. He's also a big bore.

survival

Big Wall climber

A Token of My Extreme

Jun 23, 2010 - 12:47am PT

I was taught as a no rank airman that it was not allowed to speak against your superiors to the press. This was not optional.

Funny how a high ranking General managed to miss that....

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Jun 23, 2010 - 12:55am PT

There's a very long list of peremptorily retired US generals, who somehow thought they were in charge, and were foolish enough to say so in public, or to express opinions on political/policy matters.

Ksolem

Trad climber

Monrovia, California

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:15am PT

Personally... I wish more republican leaders would follow mccrystals lead....

McCrystal is a Democrat and voted for Obama. It's in the article.

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:22am PT

When you speak against your CInC in public and without permission, you always lose. As Bob D'A said, there's nothing wrong with disagreement, but in the military, you must go through channels. As fattrad pointed out, just see what happened to MacArthur. It's called insubordination.

John

apogee

climber

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:28am PT

"I was taught as a no rank airman that it was not allowed to speak against your superiors to the press....Funny how a high ranking General managed to miss that...."

"As fattrad pointed out, just see what happened to MacArthur. It's called insubordination."

Yep. Anyone wanna take bets on how long before his resignation (aka 'resignation in lieu of termination') comes forward? I say a few days, a week, tops.

Mighty Hiker

climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:29am PT

The New York Times reported that he had already submitted his resignation. It's just a question of whether it will be accepted.

apogee

climber

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:33am PT

Really? That quickly? Good thing I didn't put any money down on it...

If it has happened, Obama will accept it- he has no choice- gotta look strong.

Damn, that POTUS of ours seems to have been served with an endless stream of shitty situations with no easy solutions. Glad I don't have his job.

Slabby D

Trad climber

B'ham WA

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:45am PT

McChrystal owns this war every bit as much as Obama does considering it's his strategy that Obama implemented. Best bet is to let McChrystal follow through on this dreary ass mess. I don't think this country takes to well to losing wars which seems where we are headed in Afganistan regardless. If Obama replaces him then that will inevitably be the reason everyone claims the war was lost. Obama will look plenty strong by kicking the guy in the ass and telling him to get back to work and keep his mouth shut.

apogee

climber

Jun 23, 2010 - 01:53am PT

McChrystal Reportedly Offers Resignation Following Derisive Remarks

"Joe Klein, a Time magazine correspondent citing an unidentified source, said on CNN that McChrystal had already resigned. The New York Times, relying on Pentagon officials, said he had prepared a letter of resignation -- standard practice for a military officer in such a strained situation with civilian leadership. But the real question remained: Would the White House accept the general's resignation?"
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/22/gen-stanley-mcchrystal-called-to-white-house-over-derisive-rema/

healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Jun 23, 2010 - 05:31am PT

Unfortunately it's irrelevant what Obama or McCrystal say or do, it's all a matter of shuffling the deck chairs.

There never was and never will be a chance in hell of being effective at a COIN or any other kind of strategy with the force levels we have dedicated to either Iraq or Afqhanistan. The entire [transaction] history of both wars has been an endless cycle of taking / sweeping ground and then promptly delivering it back into the hands of insurgent forces because we don't have the force levels necesary to hold the ground we sweep. And that we need to sweep Kandahar at all at this point tells you our efforts have already failed.

The bottom line is the American people don't have the will or stomach for what would be required to create any outcome short of a rout. Given that sad reality, the better approach to dealing with states like Afganistan and Iraq is to use Predator drone attacks and lightning raids to decapitate hostile leadership. Once that's accomplished simply tell the new leadership we'd like some basic changes and that we will keep decapitating until we get a leadership / government interested in a better relationship.

Wack

climber

Dazevue

Jun 23, 2010 - 07:56am PT

"The pen is mightier then the sword"

Rolling Stone did what AQ and the Taliban have been unable to do, take down their number one adversary.

philo

Trad climber

Somewhere halfway over the rainbow

Jun 23, 2010 - 08:51am PT

Regardless of his past service record, McChrystal lost all credibility when he created and perpetrated the politically motivated myth of the heroic death of Pat Tillman. That alone should have earned him a demotion. Now he publicly wipes his o ring on the President.
Sorry you frothing chicken hawks but soldiers do NOT do that.
If a Sergeant under McChrystal had done the same what would Stanley do? What should he do?
The dude is NOT the greatest American warrior his replacement should be prompt.

I know, put him in charge of the crisis in OUR gulf. Let's see what he can do.

philo

Trad climber

Somewhere halfway over the rainbow

Jun 23, 2010 - 09:37am PT

I knew better than to just say it wasn't only Obama who is displeased with Stanley.
Here is an excerpt of an article about troop scuttle butt.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37865973/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times
By C.J. Chivers

updated 1 hour, 32 minutes ago
Riding shotgun in an armored vehicle as it passed through the heat and confusion of southern Afghanistan this month, an Army sergeant spoke into his headset, summarizing a sentiment often heard in the field this year.

“I wish we had generals who remembered what it was like when they were down in a platoon,” he said to a reporter in the back. “Either they never have been in real fighting, or they forgot what it’s like.”

The sergeant was speaking of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and the circle of counterinsurgents who since last year have been running the Afghan war, and who have, as a matter of both policy and practice, made it much more difficult for troops to use

------------------------------------------------------------

What should the General do about the insubordinate Sergeant?

TGT

Social climber

So Cal

Jun 23, 2010 - 09:48am PT

Michael Yon wrote a particularly critical article a couple of months ago about the general that he took a lot of heat for. Basically said he was out of his depth and turning a blind eye to some looming issues.

I'll bet it's 50/50 that BHO refuses to accept the resignation, to look magnanimous and to have someone to pin the blame on later when his June 2011 deadline comes and goes.

High Fructose Corn Spirit

Gym climber

Full Silos of Iowa

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 23, 2010 - 09:55am PT

TGT wrote-

"I'll bet it's 50/50 that BHO refuses to accept the resignation, to look magnanimous and to have someone to pin the blame on later when his June 2011 deadline comes and goes."

Let me guess, Republican?