Whatever your opinion of President Barack Obama and General Stanley McChrystal, and whatever you think about the nature of McChrystal’s remarks or the circumstances in which they were said, I would hope you would agree that the change in military command that took place today is emblematic of the democratic values that have preserved the American experiment over the past couple centuries.
In many other nations, including many democracies, the president or prime minister would have been reluctant to remove a top general under similar circumstances out fear of how the rest of the military might react. But here in these United States, our President had to remove Gen. McChrystal for exactly the same reason.
The President is the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces, and under our principle of civilian control such public mockery of the President by a top general and his staff is no more acceptable than public mockery of the general by his lieutenants. Regardless of the immediate impact on the war in Afghanistan, had President Obama not accepted McChrystal’s resignation of command, it would have set a dangerous example that could only lead to further insubordination, and a deterioration of military discipline.
While many pundits seem surprised by President Obama’s actions, it’s hard to see how he had any other choice.
It looks well handled by President Obama, but I think it’s time to bring the troops home.
If any of you can lay your hands on a copy of last month’s Esquire, you might go to the trouble to slog through the the unfortunately long-winded piece about the abrupt end of Rep. Eric Massa’s career.
Unfortunately, they don’t appear to have the article available online, or I’d provide a link. Anyway, there’s some interesting stuff in there about Massa claiming to have been burdened with knowledge of some back-channel dealings between General Petraeus and Dick Cheney that could raise some rather novel issues if true. Not that such hasn’t been the case with lots of things involving Mr. Cheney, mind you…
888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS
It was exactly the right, the only thing to do. I can’t imagine how McChrystal got into the frame of mind where he allowed Rolling Stone’s reporter to hang around him and his aides. The degree of stupidity necessary for him to think that this wouldn’t be published and the President wouldn’t know about it–or the hubris that would cause him to think that it would simply make him look like a tough hero and the President wouldn’t dare fire him–are both astounding. One of the things that endeared Truman to me was his willingness to fire MacArthur at a time that MacA was much more of a hero to the American public than McChrystal was. Obama would have looked like a complete wuss if he hadn’t done this.
The worrisome thing is that Petraeus may not be physically strong enough to take this on.
McChrystal inexplicably fucked up big time. The Petraeus choice was strategically sound and politically brilliant. Didn’t see it coming. Our COIN strategy does not depend on a specific general, but Petraeus also knows it better than anyone.
In other news, today’s Gallup poll finds that 49 percent of respondents are in favor of the new health care law (Affordable Care Act or ACA) and only 46 percent were opposed. So hey, run on repeal, GOP. Oh, sure, it will work better than advocating the whole chicken barter thing. It just won’t work real well.
Obama had no choice at all. What was McChrystal thinking when he got drunk (on Bud Lite Lime, no less) on a bus with a Rolling Stone reporter? Did he think some good could possibly come out of that?
Kick ass. Take names. I love it.
BTW, is this a demotion for the Man Called Petraeus? Wasn’t he head of Central Command? I’ve read he had political ambitions of the Republican kind. does this knock him down a peg? Is this the multidimentional chess we’ve all been waiting for?
Can Obama now send Rushbo and Glenn over there to be his lieutenants? (appologies to lieutenants everywhere)
Here in America, we have a primary election followed by a general election. In banana republics, they only have a general election — which means you have to re-elect the general again.
It’s sure amazing Odumba turned to the one called by the Kooks Be-tray-us. Guess Petraeus isn’t so bad after all.
Oh you fools forgot the General Be-tray-us commentary from the fools AKA progressives you love to read with your morning coffee? Puddy didn’t!
Puddy–
It is funny that the KLOWNS are now pro-Patraeus and view dumping McChrystal as “kicking ass”.
I agree Goldy–ObaMao had no choice but to can the guy…even though he was telling the truth and repeating what most Americans already know..the ObaMao Administration is a KLOWNfest.
So this guy will retire to a pretty nice pension and bennies. My guess is that he’ll be on the GOP ticket in 2012 as the vice-prez, running against the Milk Chocolate Messiah and Dumbo Joe Biden. Chirs Matthews must be gettin’ tingly all over!
{I’d call Biden stupid, but that would be an insult to stupid people everywhere.}
@11 Obama must be doing a pretty good job if the only remark you can dream up is a racist insult.
McChrystal either wanted to go home to his wife, or he’s an idiot who shouldn’t be in charge of shit.
I’ve heard righties remark that military men could not respect the president because he had never been in the military.
This is laughable considering that the shrub was a deserter and Cheney was a 5 time draft dodger.
@13
I’d go with the second guess.
McChyrstal is a self-proclaimed Democrat who has said more than once that he voted not just for Obama but for Kerry and Gore, too. He won’t run for office and certainly not as a Republican.
@16
I’d still go with #13’s second guess.
I can only think that McChrystal felt that he was bigger than the President. He’s got to be one cocky son of a bitch who thinks that he knows better and didn’t think anyone read Rolling Stone
Chris Matthews had a nice salute to Republicans at the end of his show tonight. He hailed their recognition of the necessity of Gen. McChrystal’s resignation and their refusal to make a political issue of it.
As suggested above, a theory I’ve heard is that McChrystal knew the situation in Afghanistan is hopeless, and this was marginally better than being the one holding the ball when it all collapses. shrug.
As for Petraeus.. it was a -tactically shrewd- move on Obama’s part. It doesn’t matter what you think of either man.
It came down to McChrystal watching a feckless foolish bunch of political hacks make a mess of McChrystal’s plans for Afghanistan. If you morons remember it was McChrystal who went on night missions with his men when Petraeus wanted Iraq cleaned up. Hey it was in the NY Times. Read it for yourself.
Wow just read the Rolling Stone article. Powerful and funny. Joe Bite-Me. Shortsighted Joe. Odumba clueless. Maybe Odumba doesn’t like military generals whose last name begin with Mc?
Now those weren’t McChrystal’s words.
You see Petraeus knew what McChrystal was made of… You too can read the story.
WHAT? Where was your anti Be-tray-us voice GEODUCK? Puddy is sure the arschloch leech will produce your anti Be-tray-us posts on HA.
“what McChrystal was made of”
Dimwit, please try to stay relevant. It was his poor decisions, drinking and big mouth that did him in.
@19 “their recognition of the necessity of Gen. McChrystal’s resignation and their refusal to make a political issue of it”
As it should be. And then there’s Puddy.
Puddy @ 21
Wow. That is what you get from that article? Hey, Pud, you need help, man. You ain’t right. I know that you, as an African-American who mixes with the Teabaggers, gets a whole lot of support from GOPers who want to believe they are not racist. Pud, you’re smarter than Cynical. Smarter than the Teabaggers, who think of you as a window prop. You just seem to bask in the glow of what these nuts provide you by way of ego.
I heard Julian Bond one time give a speech about the short line and the long line for African-Americans–he said you can sell yourself out, like Clarence Thomas did, getting all the praise of people who are still racist–and, please, Pud, don’t doubt for a minute that the bulk of your party is racist–or, you can compete on your own merits.
@13, 15 – McChrystal was so clearly insubordinate that the only plausible conclusion is he’s too stupid (in ways that matter) to run an ice cream stand let alone a war.
@21 “It came down to McChrystal watching a feckless foolish bunch of political hacks make a mess of McChrystal’s plans for Afghanistan”
Perhaps some parts of the world, including some provinces in our own part of the world, still remember that in World War I it was the generals who made a hash of the war, and the civilian politicians of the time refused to indulge the generals’ requests for an endless supply of the nations’ manhood to feed into the relentless German machine guns.
I admit I am not a fan of President Obama, but the military, espically a General or an Admiral, cannot do what McChrystal did. I served under President Clinton. I can tell you that most of the enlisted and officers did not like or respect the man. But the office had our respect. If the office is disrespected by those in high rank it makes it ok for those in lower ranks. Then civialian control becomes a joke.
@19, 24 – Even the conservative bloggers have muted their criticism of Obama on this one, because they know a loose cannon when they see one.
Renn Dawg @ 28
I agree with you, for once. McChrystal had to go, didn’t he? Shoot, nobody feels good about this, but Obama did what he had to do.
Could a picked Al Gore
Portland woman says Al Gore groped her in hotel room…oops
http://www.oregonlive.com/port.....cus_o.html
@30. You are right he had to go and I am sure that no one likes it. But, there is an old saying “you do not have to like it, you just have to do it.” President Obama just had to do it.
@31,
There is no reason to bring that up in this blog topic. The one has nothing to do with the other.
Petraus was in charge of Central Command, which basically includes the Middle East. Over the past couple of decades, that has emerged as the most important operational command in the military.
As Central Command commander, he presumably is well informed of the situation in Afganistan, and able to step into McCrystal’s position swiftly. When relieving a commander while his troops are engaged in combat, there are really only two choices: promote the next-in-command, or have the relieved general’s superior commander take over until a suitable replacement can be arranged. Since there is some question that McCrystal’s headquarters command all seem to have been afflicted with the same attitudes which caused him to be relieved, Obama’s choice of Petreaus is pretty much the next step.
I expect that sometime in the next six months or so Petraus will be replaced by another General. The media will speculate that it’s due to a change in strategy in Afganistan, or a problem between Obama and Petraus, but probably not – Petraus will be in line for a promotion soon, so he will need to move on to a higher administrative command, as opposed to an operational command such as Afganistan.
@34: It’s important context to remember that CentCom was established as part of the Carter doctrine: oil = national security.
CentCom’s primary mission is to protect access to oil. It consumes about 150 Billion (of the bloated defense budget of around 650 Billion) per year just to operate — which does NOT include the costs of the Iraq and Afghan wars.
When you figure in what we pay for foreign oil (about a billion per day) we’re spending about 800 Billion per year (with the two wars) to maintain our addiction to fossil fuel.
Our priorites are very fucked up.
Another exampple of denial that we are slipping into a police state and that democracy is a facade. Has it really come down to what person is in charge of ordering murder of civilians for the cause of energy resources for US corporations?
Ahh, but, since it doesn’t look exactly like the police states of the 30’s and 40’s in Europe, or the ones in the southern hemisphere of the 1970s then it simply is just impossible–even if dissent is just simply better managed, and channeled into electing do-nothing Neo-libs on single issues like abortion. We can simply point to exceptions to the rule, and declare it the trend.
Another blogger recently pointed out that Mussolini defined fascism as the merger of corporate and government power. If one accepts that, the United States is already far more fascist than Germany ever was under the Third Reich.
37 – Yep see Joe Barton prostrating himself before the CEO of the world’s 4th largest corporation yet to my knowledge being mum about Obama firing McChrystal.
No argument from the Republicans with keeping the cannon fodder and the hired help in line.
Yet from Barton’s behavior, we all know who the real boss is.
34. rhp6033
And that’s part II of why Obama’s choice of Petraeus was politically brilliant. First, and we can all tell from the impassioned defense of him by our resident wingnuts, they can’t attack the president’s choice in puttin Petraeus in charge. Then when Petraeus blesses his own choice of the next commander, it will be approved by Obama but the brainchild of Saint Petraeus. Again unassailable.
Personally, I’m not Petraeus’ biggest fan, but he did write the book (literally) on COIN, and I can certainly admire the political mastery of this move.
Oh my arschloch leech…
You sit on your ASS all day reading the kook-aid sites and you miss the truth. Now we learn McChrystal was a libtardo who thought like a Rolling Stone! As the arschloch leech, you make dumb bricks look intelligent…
“Even more about McChrystal: now it can be told. The story about him voting for Obama is not contrived. He is a political liberal. He is a social liberal. He banned Fox News from the television sets in his headquarters. Yes, really. This puts to rest another false rumor: that McChrystal deliberately precipitated his firing because he wants to run for President.”
Hmmm… this is from The Atlantic arschloch leech…
You know The Atlantic arschloch leech… founded by some eugenic progressives…
So who does Odumba turn to? GWBush’s general, the one be-trayed by the same Libtardos in 2007 who will confirm him next week. Puddy wonders what the moron@39 said in 2007. Puddy will check!
Hmmm… Here’s one Be-tray-us search
Here’s another search…
Now you libtardos are falling over each other slapping yourselves on the back?
Google is great for regurgitating the commentary, since Puddy doesn’t have the vaulted home database of the arschloch leech! The arschloch leech, as stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupid as ever!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
41 – Heh. Nice search on Petraeus junk shot – 52 and 231 results respectively.
This one gets many, many more.
40 – What incoherent, delusional babbling.
When caught in his stupidity the arschloch leech enters his delusional babbling rant. You sit on your ASS all day reading the kook-aid sites and you miss the truth. Then you go porno using your left eye of porn!
What a psychotic moron! Truth always makes the arschloch leech enter into a deeper psychosis.
About 1,980 results of the insipid dumb brick farting out his arschloch, arschloch leech!
So now we all know McChrystal was a deep died-in-the wool libtardo the arschloch leech is listing to his left drooling out of the side of his mouth.
P R I C E L E S S !
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
SLAP SLAP SLAP SMACK
LMBBAO
LMBBAO
ROTFLMBBAO
What a fool. He was Bush and Cheney’s pet.
How could he not be? His peoples freaking caught al Zarqawi.
He covered up the Pat Tillman disaster.
On whose watch did he do that?
The only thing that soured him on Bush/Cheney and McSame is their love for torture. (Big irony with McSame having been tortured. But he would have done ANYTHING to win power.)
To McChrystal, torture was a career killer.
The truth is you are freaking insane.
Fiend, we know you’re totally into porn.
YOU’VE WRITTEN IT HERE.
Shall I call that forth from the archives?
Go ahead show the world your porn collection arschloch leech.
So you doubting The Atlantic eh arschloch leech? We know dumb bricks can’t fathom facts.
Corrected.. Well I will if you ask nicely.
Original comment idiot.
You skipped over the McChrystal is a liberal per The Atlantic fact. Why?
Corrected. C’mon junk-shot say “please” like your parents taught you.
Again arschloch leech
Original comment idiot.
You skipped over the McChrystal is a liberal per The Atlantic fact. Why why again?
Puddy don’t say please to North Pasadena hating morons! Puddy don’t forget!
BTW did your CA family gamble with their welfare cards? Puddy sees you are following in their footsteps sitting at home all day reading kook-aid sites and visiting porn with your left porn eye!
From the Rolling Stone article.
I don’t care what his fucking politics are. He crossed the line and deserved what he got.
He should have been busted down for what he did over Pat Tillman back then.
But he was the “golden boy” and he was probably following orders anyway.
Corrected. One more chance to politely ask.
And you’re lying about Northwest Pasadena. I knew people there – of many shades of skin color.
Doesn’t sound like you know shit about the place.
Ahhh arschloch leech, you surely did above…
Such a feckless moronic idiotic fool!
Yeah arschloch leech,
Marvin Stamn kicked your arschloch on North Pasadena.
Again arschloch leech
Original comment idiot.
BTW… On policy, Odumba and McChrystal were on the same page and verse. Sucks to be you arschloch leech!
54 – LMAO!!! There goes junk-shot making shit up..
Naughty, naughty junk-shot. I won’t play back the porn you wrote now..
Well I know YOU KNOW how to find it in case you need it down there in Torrance.
Marvin Stamn kicked your arschloch leech arschloch… Once again you are memory deficient! Check your database arschloch!
I don’t know who “Odumba” is but the President believes he has no choice but to properly clean up after the moron you voted for twice.
And McChrystal wanted a crack at running that COINdinista military doctrine fad. A military man doesn’t often know what to do with himself in peacetime. COIN and the endless wars it produces is the perfect solution.
57 – LMAO!! Stamn’s OCD got his ass banned.
Shit that fool’s still in the top 10.
I’m surprised you’d take a moron like that seriously fiend.
uhhh. Scratch that.. I forget you’ll swallow any fantasy.. If it stinks right you swallow it.
That’s becuz you are a moron!
From news reports yesterday McChrystal immediately offered his resignation papers upon meeting with Odumba and Odumba immediately accepted. So much for considering what McChrystal had to say. So much for Odumba claiming to give McChrystal a fair hearing as he told the slobbering libtardo press.
And you fools continue to eat up each word from TOTUS.
Seems Odumba was intimidated by a libtardo general who spoke his mind. Odumba and McChrystal were on the same page and verse. The Afghanistan rules of engagement came down from the whitey house.
Once again Marvin Stamn handed your arschloch to you arschloch leech. Now that McChrystal’s politics are out in the open you run away from your previous comments.
Such a feckless moron!
Small correction..
Better.. But since junk-shot forgot the manners his parents taught him, it’s going to have to wait until the bubble memory comes back from the shop.
Momma said don’t respect fools, so Puddy just slaps fools like the arschloch leech silly with facts!
You didn’t answer the question arschloch leech… BTW did your CA family gamble with their welfare cards? Puddy sees you are following in their footsteps sitting at home all day reading kook-aid sites and visiting porn with your left porn eye!
60 – Yawwwnnnn. When in doubt he repeats his stupid self..
C’ya!
It’s a known fact McChrystal loved killing bad guys, while Odumba wants them to go free. So Odumba gets rid of a natural born killa!
Yep arschloch leech, let’s repeat… Momma said don’t respect fools, so Puddy just slaps fools like the arschloch leech silly with facts!
It’s so funny Petraeus will run COIN directly now! Puddy bets the whitey house rules of military engagement will change!
so junk-shot despises his own stupid self..
Yep thought so.
Wrong again like always dumb brick arschloch leech!
You need to refine your “game”.
Wow Puddy, even I am amazed you would write anything this dumb:
Umm, Obama rightly got rid of McChrystal for being an insubordinant idiot. First, if you actually read the article, the general comes across like a petulant 15 year old with not a lot of common sense or ability to hold his tongue.
Generals serve at the pleasure of the President and McChrystal was a liability after that interview. Calling people names and acting stupid and getting drunk in front of a reporter? Sorry, the guy was an idiot and deserved to be fired. anyone who can’t see that is just plain stoopid.
@45 “The truth is you are freaking insane”
All Puddy really needs is stronger meds.
Ahhh yes, the resident moron correctnortight appears. If you read above, Puddy excepted the article. Notice the operative conjunction IF. Seems correctnotright missed it. Roger Rabbit struggled mightily over that word when he threw up some vomit on Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
The NY Times said McChrystal was a natural born killer correctnotright. If you read anything other than kook-aid you’d know this.
Sure generals serve at the WHIM of the president, even useless ones, ones who play golf more than any other president especially when crises are all around. Guess you can’t say anything anymore on GWBush regarding vacations as this preznit takes one just about every weekend. So McChrystal figgered out this preznit was woefully unprepared. McChrystal figered out those whitey house rules of engagement were getting more soldiers killed than it was worth.
And……….. this preznit turns to one he chose not to even vote present on the congressional bill created for the MoveOn reprimand by Congress over General BetrayUs article. Funny how that works eh correctnotright? Odumba took a pass. This is a prescient moment. God works in mysterious ways! Remember Puddy doesn’t forget feckless fools like you!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Steve Steve Steve,
It’s you who self medicates with your Stupid Solution. Puddy sees you fell off the wagon BIG TIME ever since March 1, 2010.
Seek medical help Steve Steve Steve. Your addiction to your home brew is telling.
Good night!
@12,
Everyone is racist in one form or anohter, rodent, including you!