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Obama Has Relieved Gen. McChrystal Of His Command
At least according to NBC News, quoting US Sources. According to AP, he will be replaced by Petraeus. The teleprompter's appearance in 5 minutes should confirm or deny.
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Leave a man with no choice, and he's got no choice.
Well, last time I called a boss an unprepared, ignorant, and unprofessional prick, I got fired too. Just throwin' that out there.
If you stopped at "unprepared, ignorant" you'd be fine. Those can be real hard facts while personal opinion as attack weapon are unprofessional and ground for dismissal.
Exactly, Badmouthing your boss in a magazine interview. Mr. McChrystal is a fine man but I believe him to be way out of line and needed to be brought down to earth. The Armed forces are full of some very capable replacements. I don't like the Obama's choice of replacement but thats not my call. This is just like France's soccer players thinking that their place is to coach a team. After watching France self destruct I support the presidents decision 100%. Insubordination has no place in American armed forces PERIOD. signed VETERAN.
"Insubordination" you may call it, but I see it as blunt honesty from a man who refuses to let blind servility stand in the way of integrity. By your rationale, the US armed forces should adhere to the Nazi standard of rigid and unquestioning obedience no matter how corrupt or evil the leadership. And here I thought we had learned the lessons of history and the Nuremberg trials.
Blind obedience to bad leadership is NOT patriotism!
I guess I part with your opinion that the U.S. are Nazilike and that American leadership is completely evil. Man you need to take a deep breath and maybe a break from the internet before you become the next Unabomer
And you really need to learn to read.
I did NOT make those direct comparisons --- those are words that you in your inability to comprehend the English language put into my mouth. What a liar and/or idiot.
Bravo! About time Obama stood up to someone. Time to show the military it's place...
What an obnoxious troll you are...
Missy, Sorry, I disagreed with your world view. I will henceforth follow your guidance and join the group think.
jesus fucking christ, what a sad cluster of limp little trolls ZH has attracted recently. seems as though all the ZH old guard are leaving in disgust. mscreant right on as usual. one needs to wade through pages and pages of troll shit before one gets to a mscreant, chumba, cogdis, gordon gecko, or cheeky bastard post these days!!
chet, whizbang, ibelieveinmagic; did any of you lame, ignorant little motherfuckers even read the RS piece?? Is it conceivable that this represents the deliberate act of an apolitical and dignified general to signal to his country that the "war" is a complete fucking charade based on a pack of lies? can you pathetic souls not see past the spin? do you troll "muricans" no longer recognize the actions of an honorable man when you see them?
dont you trolls remember the esquire article that lead to admiral william fallons resignation after his "war with iran will not happen on my watch" statement? can you not see that this was also a carefully calibrated act of defiance and self sacrifice by a principled naval officer?
it should be patently clear to even the most myopic ZH fucktard troll from the RS article that the "war" in afghanistan is completely lost. it was lost from the beginning. have any of you trolls any remote idea of the military campaigns that have been vanquished by afghanistan? it seems not. mcchrystal's open contempt for the corrupt, vainglorious and vacillating civilian leadership is real and by deliberately airing it, he communicates the parlous situation to the country at large. sadly a country too fucking stupid and self-absorbed to heed his words and actions.
do you trolls know anything about COIN? the malayan emergency was about the first and last time it "worked." we will exit afghanistan as did the russians, by declaring victory and leaving. hueys lifting off the US embassy roof pad in saigon. any trolls remember that? no, I thought not.
Trolls, look at your glorious leadership and despair; barry, biden, dickie holbrooke, betrayus etc etc......... how can you trolls not be ashamed of yourselves and what your country has become???????????????
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/06/10/a-plague-upon-the-world-t...
so now a shuffling of the deck. a soldier with demonstrable courage, integrity and honesty is replaced by a court sycophant. petreaus never saw combat. he was shot in the chest (AD) by a soldier in the 101st airborne during an exercise in KY. petraeus is a paper general and mcchrystal a soldier's soldier. just look at the wimp-in-chief's expression of chiseled and studied resolve... shoulder to shoulder with petraeus, biden and gates. it makes me want to puke.
ZH trolls; who does the US armed forces officer corps and rank and file support? barry betrayus or stanley mcchrystal? I know for a fact that it is the latter by a country fucking mile. how could it be otherwise? why does their opinion matter trolls? because they are the ones fucking bleeding and dying over there. thats why!
JFC, need to wear my troll boots on ZH. the slime is everywhere. shame, bound to happen I suppose. over and out.
+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000
buster bucani
You come out with guns blazing, but unfortunately you fire mostly nerf darts.
A soldier's soldier? A carefully calibrated act of defiance and self sacrifice by a principled naval officer?
Sorry. I don't buy it. A soldier's soldier (your words) would never undermine the efforts of those soldiers that have died, suffered or continue to fight, by offering a rather mindless, spiteful and catty interview to a sophomoric reporter at Rolling Stone. I would expect more maturity and more discretion from a man of his caliber. If not for the stars on his shoulders, then for the men/women fighting for their lives under his command.
Your attempt to characterize McChrystal as some sort of patriotic American hero who stands up to the charlatans in Washington is hollow. We certainly need such a figure, but this episode with him is not it. It reminds me of politics as usual - gutless, catty, low-brow,school-yard, sissy-fighting that continues to distract from the issues, and drives this once-unshakable country further into the ditch. Politics in the United States has morphed into a day-time, soap-box drama where everyone has a deviant, little agenda which they pursue through a series of under-handed, gossipy cat-fights. And there's McCrystal shamefully playing his role in As Washington Turns, giving a spiteful, politicizing, back-biting interview to the National Inquirer.
We desperately need the sort of character that you are trying to construct out of McCrystal, but sadly he is not it.
With that out of the way, I will say that I agree with some parts of your post.
Enlighten us...
Do you really want to live in an environment where the military is not subject to civilian authority?
ibelieve,
do you *really* think *any* military is afraid of a suit?
this was a PR move, and obama is *reacting*, not *pro-acting*.
who stood up to who?
...
At least I am happy that we can pretend to be a civilian run society a little longer.
naive...
any military has and will always choose to wield their weapons at the level of their collective integrity.
200+ years, the US military could at anytime destroy the political class. they haven't. it is not pretend.
they are us. they understand.
currently, 3/4s of the country is nervous about our current leadership and direction.
they are us.
regardless of their oath, you don't think 3/4s of the military are nervous about the leadership and direction of this country?
you don't think being sent out to fight with half-assed budgets/equipment wouldn't make you wonder about your leader's resolve and support?
Gen. McChrystal just took one for the team. to make that point. it is how a civilian-run military officer says "f-k no, i'm not buying this crap with my soldier's lives anymore."
i am certain, by your comments, that you have never done as much. not even in dodge-ball.
And what is their "collective integrity"?
Sorry, but I no longer believe the military is on "our" side, meaning the side of the fellow citizen. Not after Katrina:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4
What? Not worth a court martial for these national guards to defy an order that was blatantly unconstitutional? They swore an oath to uphold what? The constitution of what country? What about the cops in the vids? Whose side are they on? They aren't even required by law to protect anyone - they have an exit clause by the scotus whenever they show up an hour later to a 911 call.
So, what "team" are you talking about? Whose signature is on their paychecks? Betcha it doesn't say "Taxpayers". Should we make the same mistake ZH'ers keep ragging on when it comes to the economy, "this time it's different"? I don't think it will be any different at any time in the future, except it will be worse.
+10 Edmon
witnessing 200 years of successful civil leadership is proof that it's not just 'pretend' and that my concept of 'collective integrity' has merit.
but, the above conversation is about the General - facts vs populism, so i'm not talking out of both my orifices when i assert that *your* point is the most pressing problem we face as a society.
many current laws are not being written in the best interest of the communities, OR in accordance with the US constitution. but, until challenged in court (a court that follows the constitution...), they are still the laws.
this puts the average law-enforcement officer (army, police, fire, nat-guard, etc.) in the most unenviable position of having to uphold laws that are instinctively and patently bad/wrong. and these folks are *not* lawyers, so the ability to rapidly discern between law and 'the right thing' is becoming impossible - not just difficult...
i don't believe this is an accident.
i look at the recent law-enforcement actions and 'management' of the various citizen protesters at both dem/rep conventions (herding of sheep) and realize that our closest protectors are effectively protecting the government, NOT the citizens.
not so long ago i believe we hired police to protect us. now i believe the police are hired to protect the government. which is increasingly *not* us.
look at "http://oathkeepers.org/oath/" for an indication that there are many like-minded folks who see our neighborhood police as likely being more dangerous to us than any threat from Iran or the like.
again, your comment addresses a more important, but different issue. "Ibelieve" indicates that McChrystal was schooled as if he didn't know the game. i say "Ibelieve's" perspective is ignorant and populist, and that the General's 'move' was very intentional in that ongoing game.
please don't read between the lines here. just because i *know* the game of soccer does NOT imply that i've picked a team on the field...
the history of 'good' folks and 'good' laws resulting in generally 'good' armies w/ 200 years of civil rule is relevant. it only works when "they are us".
anymore, i'm not so sure the laws are legal, but pretty sure the folks are good, and your point highlights the trending to a breakdown of some kind. i do not want to pay for confused police who protect the government. i want them to protect my children - possibly from the government. i am also very concerned.
Sometimes the thin blue line is truly the problem:
http://reason.com/archives/2010/03/16/pre-crime-policing
http://reason.com/archives/2010/03/01/45-swat-raids-per-day
http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/17/flashbangs-under-fire
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/14/chicagos-thick-blue-wall
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/01/jericho-bile
http://reason.com/archives/2009/10/05/scenes-from-a-crackdown
http://reason.com/archives/2009/09/28/the-infallible-prosecutor
site bookmarked and appreciated.
scary shit - kinda speaks for itself.
thanks +100000000
So...you're happy to have Gen "Betray Us" in charge?
You're seeing no contradictions here?
mis-read. deleted
Prodded doubtless by forces above and behind the Oval Office, Obama has ousted General McChrystal in favor of General Petraeus, who now combines the post of CENTCOM theater commander with that of NATO commander in Afghanistan. This is a move deriving from the inherent fecklessness and incompetence of the Obama administration, especially from the imperialist point of view. Recent events have highlighted Obama’s total lack of executive ability, leaving him weakened as he faced the bizarre flap about some barrack-room gripes by McChrystal’s staff collected by a correspondent from Rolling Stone magazine. Because of Obama’s weakness, he felt obliged to react to the scuttlebutt peddled by Rolling Stone, when a stronger president could have dismissed it or ignored it. As Fletcher Pratt once wrote, Abraham Lincoln was capable of laughing an attempted coup d’état out of existence with an off-color joke. Obama is far too weak for that.
As for General McChrystal, he was critically weakened and made vulnerable to ouster by the total failure of his counterinsurgency strategy, with the Marja offensive faltering and the Kandahar offensive indefinitely delayed, even as NATO losses rise exponentially, President Karzai turns towards Tehran and Beijing, and many of the NATO coalition partners prepare to defect.
One effect of the sacking of McChrystal is likely to be the accelerated breakup of the US-led Afghan invasion coalition, which was already in bad shape before this incident. The Netherlands and Canada are leaving, the British and the Poles want to join them, and the Turks can hardly be enthusiastic. Who else will join them in the race for the exit door? NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, anticipating such a result, spoke out yesterday in favor of keeping McChrystal, who works for him as well as for Obama. More countries may now announce their departure even before the November NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal.
Another of McChrystal’s bosses, Afghan President Karzai, also made clear that he wanted McChrystal to stay. He will now use Obama’s flaunting of his wishes to accelerate his own playing of the China card in economic policy and the Iranian card in cultural and religious affairs. Afghanistan is likely to slip into the Chinese orbit.
Obama’s Feckless Blunder: Making the Neocon Petraeus GreatIn addition to all this, important of the McChrystal ouster will probably be seen in US domestic politics. Obama has now committed the absolutely idiotic blunder of making General Petraeus far greater and far more important than he already was, despite the fact that General Petraeus is his most likely and credible Republican presidential challenger in 2012, and the one most capable of defeating Obama, as postings on this site have already made clear. As outlined here, Petraeus has clearly emerged as the preferred candidate of the entire neocon camp, including William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, Max Boot, Frank Gaffney, the American Enterprise Institute, the Weekly Standard, and many others. Obama can usefully be compared to the earlier Democratic party Wall Street stooge and puppet, President Harry Truman, who destroyed what was left of his own popularity by firing General MacArthur in a dispute about the limited war policy in Korea in April of 1951. The beneficiary of the public revulsion against Truman was General Eisenhower, who became president in 1952 after Truman had dropped out of contention in despair over his abysmal poll numbers.
Petraeus Doomed To Fail Militarily, Will Turn to PoliticsObama has now chosen the tactic guaranteed to concentrate public attention on the ambitious and unprincipled Petraeus, who has all the character weaknesses of a Hindenburg. At the same time, Obama has given Petraeus the totally impossible assignment of winning victory in the Afghanistan quagmire, the graveyard of empires. Petraeus is doomed to fail on the purely military level, and the more he fails the more he will he impelled to pick a political quarrel with Obama about strategy and the conduct of the war as a way of shifting the opprobrium of defeat off his own four-star epaulets and onto the back of the feckless Obama. The most obvious issue to use for this purpose is Obama’s timetable, established in the West Point speech last December, of beginning the departure of US forces from Afghanistan in July of 2011, timed of course to coincide with the Iowa straw poll and the beginning of the 2012 presidential primary campaigns.
Petraeus’ obvious option will be to break with Obama during the late spring or early summer of 2011 over Obama’s intent to protect his own vulnerable left flank in the Democratic Party base by initiating an Afghan pullout, which Petraeus and his neocon backers have already branded as Obama’s cut and run policy. Petraeus will be able to wave the bloody shirt of the US Afghanistan dead, condemning Obama for making their sacrifices vain for his own self-serving political purposes. Petraeus will be able to claim that he is reluctantly leaving his military post because the appeaser and weakling Obama has tied his hands to the point that he has no other alternative but to take the issue to the voters in the primaries and in the presidential election itself. Ironically, the worse the military situation in Afghanistan becomes, the better this strategy would work.
Unless something changes very soon, we may soon witness here in the United States the classic process of the disintegration of a form of government which often occurs when a weak civilian regime decides to place a major bet on the ability of a charismatic military commander to save them politically by winning a foreign war in the way that the civilians and their previous military appointees had been unable to do. Historically speaking, the tendency is for the charismatic military commander to return home and seized power, ousting the civilians who had tried to benefit from his victories.
Napoleon Returns from Egypt for the Eighteenth Brumaire, November 9, 1799One obvious example is the career of Napoleon Bonaparte, who came back from Egypt to seize power in France just as Petraeus may figuratively come back from Afghanistan to seize power in Washington. Napoleon, who had already covered himself in glory with his Italian campaign (just as Petraeus is widely viewed as the victor of Iraq), lost most of his army in Egypt. But this did not prevent him from returning to France and staging his coup d’état of the Eighteenth Brumaire of the Year VIII of the revolution, corresponding to November 9, 1799. In taking power, Napoleon swept aside such civilian politicians of the weak and financially bankrupt Directory as Sieyès, Barras, and even the devious Talleyrand. Napoleon soon set up a new form of government, the Consulate, with himself as first Consul, and then first Consul for life. Later he proclaimed himself Emperor. When might Petraeus stage his own Eighteenth Brumaire, either by resigning and declaring himself a presidential candidate, or in some other way? Within the next 12 months or so, we would expect.
When Will Petraeus Cross the Rubicon?Another example comes from the death agony of the Roman Republic. With Rome being ruled by a three-man triumvirate, Julius Caesar was able to outclass his two rivals, Pompey and Crassus, by conquering Gaul. He soon felt strong enough to bring his victorious army back across the Alps to Rome. The point of no return in this bid for power occurred when his forces crossed the Rubicon River in Romagna on January 10 of 49 B.C. Soon Julius Caesar was exercising virtually total power in Rome. Petraeus is likely to cross the Rubicon in about a year or less, this time around.
Hindenburg-Ludendorff Tell the Kaiser to Abdicate, November 1918A final instance of the dynamic we may now be facing comes from the history of the German Empire in World War I. As that conflict dragged on into its fifth year with ghastly losses, the civilian governments in Berlin and even the Emperor counted for less and less, and the supreme command of the German army counted for more and more. Military power was in the hands of a two-man tandem, with Field Marshal Hindenburg, the victor in the great battle of Tannenberg in 1914, as the popular public face, but with more and more real power been gathered into the hands of the protofascist General Ludendorff, the virtual dictator of the German war economy. Soon Hindenburg and Ludendorff, operating out of their headquarters in Spa, Belgium, were incomparably more powerful than such weak figures in Berlin as Count Hertling, the Chancellor from November 1917 to September 1918, or Prince of Baden, who was Chancellor in October 1918, just before the final collapse. Hertling, like Obama, was a professor. In November 1918, with German armies reeling and the home front in revolution, Hindenburg-Ludendorff told the German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II that it was time for him to abdicate and go into exile so that an armistice with the allies could be signed and thus preserve the German army and above all its officer corps. Within a couple of years, Field Marshal von Hindenburg had become the President of Germany under the Weimar Republic. He did not turn out to be a good president. This time around, CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida may eclipse Washington just as Spa gave orders to Berlin in 1918. The CENTCOM website department “From the Commander” already looks like a campaign website for Petraeus. When, one wonders, will Petraeus inform Obama that it is time for him to abdicate?
As for McChrystal, he should be answering for war crimes disguised as special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and not a pillorying in the media because his remarks supposedly amounted to lèse majesté against the bungling imposter in the White House and his gaggle of cronies.
As someone said the other day, Man you write fast. (Pretty good too.)
Re the Napoleon reference: "Emperor Petraeus I" has a certain ring to it.
Double standard imposed by Obama.
Obama bowed and apologized all over the world about the USA and now he trashed and fired a pedigree patriot for trashing him.
Obama is a childish, thin-skinned little prick.
What a jackass.
Rightous bro!
Winning Af/Pak = Bombing Pak with Predator drones+Guarding Poppy fields+making the war last as long as possible so defense contractors line their pockets as we move into the New World Order.
Barry is "winning".
Move along.
yo, Red Neckerson:
don't forget beer, hollow points and (Mc)Crystal Palin...............
Hey! That's what McChrystal said. Look where that got him!
All politicians are lying wankers. Barack and Sarah are no exception.
Not all, geez.
Absolutely correct!
Only 99.7% of politicians are liars and thieves (I'm not sure what a "wanker" is, so I have to reserve judgement on that).
"I'm not sure what a "wanker" is"
it's just another form of self interest
Hmmm. So if he let his generals be insubordinate, you would respect him more. Interesting take....
To give McChrystal a dressing-down but keep him on for the sake of the mission would be the act of a strong leader.
When you're sitting in the big chair, you can show us how it's done.
The POTUS is also the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces.
CC,
Yep, GOD help them....they need all they can get.
They essentialy are Leaderless.(Except for the real commanders in the field).
And with these last few POTUSes, god help us.
Why would any combat general respect Bama?
Please already, STOP with this "POTUS" and "SCOTUS" nonsense! God, I hate those "words"! Why can't people just say "president" and "Supreme Court"? Is that too much work? Or is the the US Treasurer going to become the "TOTUS", and the Secretary of Defense going to become the "SDOTUS", and the retired Surgeon General going to become the "SGROTUS"?
if i read it right, TOTUS is already taken with 'Teleprompter of the United States'
:^)
Oh, I thought he was actually the MOTUS ---- you know, Messiah of the United States.
Or he could equally be the CHOOTUS ---- The Chosen One of the United States.
GBTTAPOTUS also works --- George Bush's Third Term as President of the United States.
Any or all of these work.
heh
something has got to work for SCROTUS, say, scumbag communist revolutionary of the united states...
or if i were willing to devolve a bit, i might suggest something like supreme c-nt rag of the united states, etc.
but that's pretty base. so i won't suggest that.
I thought the acronym for the Supremes was SCROTUS?
Is it possible in this day and age to have a recall vote? That is, for the number one office.
and more, Obama is an illegal alien illegitimate "p"resident Marxist America hating asshole.
Will he be retiring to Elba?
or perhaps a little gold mining in Afghanistan
No, he will be sent to Saint Helena
That comes after the second civil war concludes, Tony. This is only a temporary retirement.
To POTUS......YOU Can't Handle The Trut............
The teleprompter's appearance in 5 minutes should confirm or deny.
TD, don't dis the TOTUS.
Was he impeding the geological survey's too long?
Wake me up when they finally tell the truth that Iraq and Afghanistan were just a mad dash for oil and mineral securment.
"The teleprompter's appearance in 5 minutes should confirm or deny."
Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark.
What is it with politicians and teleprompters? I thought they'd perfected brain implants years ago? Or was that breast implants? I always get them mixed up. They often look the same from a distance.
Yeah, but Barney Frank got the breast implants. Ugh.
CD I think you'll enjoy this rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDkhzHQO7jY
Cranial-rectal transplants.
Just for those short a few fries from thier Happy Meal.
hmm..breast implants...hmmm
. . .squeezing yers right now, are ya?
A job position for a new Afghanistan military commander has opened. Only YES men need apply.
He wasn't RELIVED, HE RESIGNED..............BIG diff.
No Atta Boy for Barry.
What next for McChrystal...
Afghan geologist?
or
US Presidential candidate?
The field is now wide open for him.
Secretary of Defence for Goldman.
at Walt Whitman - GREAT FUCKING RECORD - one of my favorites. Now that is an avatar I can get behind.
McCrystal / Palin..................
That is what you get for telling the truth in public. It is the same reason most generals are morons. They fail to grasp the truth.
Vamp,
No, you have TWO kinds.............
Political Generals and Military Generals.
BIG diff.
Let's Imagine General Shinseki tells Rumsfield that their Iraq strategy is wrong gets fired. Media goes ballistic, Bush can't take the truth, dissent is needed.
Fast forward McCrystal does the same, he is a traitor, insubordinate, ' a petulant skateboarder' screams the Media.
The only solace that we can take is that the same media will lead the democrats to their doom and most of the upper west side liberals will be burning their worthless dollars to heat their worthless coops. Maybe Soros will toss them some of his gold coins in the street for them to scrounge for.
IMHO, you can't criticize your boss in public and expect to survive. Can you imagine some senior Goldman guy going on CNBS and saying that he thinks that Blankfine is an idiot and keeping his job? This is particularly so when you have people's lives in your hands. Even if McChrystal is the second coming of George Patton, he f**ked up major league and he basically left Obammy no choice. Of course he tendered his resignation. This way he could say I wasn't fired, I quit-but he would have been-and should have been-fired either way.
Mitchman,
Are you ASSUMING McChrystal did not want exactly what happened?.
He knew PRECISELY what he was doing, regardless of the SPIN.
Military Generals(not Political one's), call it like it is.............
He did what a commander should do, that is to protect his soldiers. He sacrificed his position to call attention to the problem: the morons at the WH. He can't do a job without the resources, either provide the resources or withdraw. What is it Obama?
bingo.
he knew what was coming.
bummer that he apologized beforehand. probably to avoid the court-marshal.
according to KD, what he did was against military law, and on a broader scale that's a good law.
i think he did sacrifice his position for the attention to the issue. and it wasn't an accident.
he's out, but current admin will suffer the fallout. it'd be great if Patreyous (sp?) said 'no'.
read last-night's Afghanistan article over at naked capitalism and some of this makes more sense. (to me at least).
while i go hot/cold on Yves, her timmay bash and the fascist-police-state articles were also pretty good reads.
DosZap
Could be he wanted out before and invasion of Iran and what a clusterfuck that will be.
GF,
Yep, tired of SOS............
Petraeus, got a drop in rank...were now short a 4 Star.
Funny the PLAN used in Trashcanistan, was the same one, Obama failed to vote on(what a surprise), as used in Iraq, and Hillary voted NO on, and it worked there,much to their Chagrin when Bush was POTUS.
Now the Gen Betrayus(ad they ran), is a hero, as is the plan since it's ballgame Obammys court.
Polifks are odd like that are they not?.
Talk about FOOLS, an land invasion of Iran, would be suicide for our military folks.............they (many are on their 3-4th tours, worn out, and beat to hell)............they just follow orders, I am SO proud of them, they are REAL Americans
i do agree with you. I think he wanted to get fired because I think he believes that Af/Pak is a lost cause. My post was a bit more directed at the folks who were calling Obammy an idiot for firing him. I thought the whole Rolling Stone thing was the perfect set up for the General to perform his exit-stage left routine.
I guess even "non rats" are jumping the ship.
Mitchman, would you talk to a "Rolling Stone" reporter the way "they" did? Who is the Rolling Stone's audience? The medium is part of the message.
McChrystal pulled the pin once he got all together in the room. He knew where he was going. The real story is how many will he take with him?
Time will tell...
yup
and now, will they pursue civilian office... no law against it.
to many, McChrystal just told Obama to f-off and not only is intact, but is a hero. the loss-of-job aspect is in the noise on this one.
curious what he says now that he's no longer formally in the service. the legal recourse just went out the window.
Great points! Good example of a severaly biased media.
+24kt.
Ignore the Diversion Men!
Already supposed to have exited these wars.
"a petulant skateboarder' screams the Media."
Skateboarding is not a crime - at least that's what the bumper stickers around the beach say.
General Ripper is out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KvgtEnABY
So McChrystal is out and Petraeus has been demoted?
Petraeus is allegedly going to multi-task. Because, you know, it's not like he really has anything to do as CENTCOM Commander - let's let him run an active war zone at the same time.
I don't expect Gen Petraeus to stick around very long either. Who the fzuk would want to work with/for a thin-skined, poll driven, Chi-town hustler that couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag??
Concur. Petraeus is clearly taking-one for the team, here.
Barry had best get McChrystal's actual replacement up to the Senate for confirmation, pronto - before he has 2 high-profile billets to fill.
Big F-g mistake. What a whimp. And don't mean the soldier.
I'd like to hear McChrystal unload now, tell us how those in the military really feel about the Oblame in chief.
What happened to the post from yesterday here on ZeroHedge, "General Stanley McChrystal Resigns"? When I try to access it, I keep getting the message "Access Denied". Was it deleted (and if so, why?), or am I personally being blocked from seeing it for some reason? I'm just curious if anyone else can still see that post, either on the main page or under their "My account" tracking. This is the first time I have ever encountered this situation on ZH, and either an entire post and its thread has been deleted, which I find troubling, or else I have personally been blocked from accessing a post and thread, which I find VERY troubling!
EDIT: Anyone? Please? Do you still see that post, or not?
Did any one really read the freakin article? Every one keeps saying the general disrepected the commander in chief. Where was that? Not in the rolling stones artcle I read.
interesting point
so....
we have a general who openly disrespects the commander in chief
we have a commander in chief who openly disrespects his boss, the citizens of the USA, by pandering to the criminal banksters and criminal health insurers etcetera
we have a financial system that is sooooo corrupted and sick
and we're definitely heading into a depression
the USA, covered in ticks
I read that this would happen somewhere. Hmmm...where did I read that last night?
And nothing on the main stage of Washington happens without plan. This all from a Rolling Stone article where McCrystal barely mentioned the White House?
Please...this is a beta test.
If the general were to, right away, this afternoon, hold a press conference where he absolutely tore into Obama, ripped him a new asshole, decried the rules of engagement and, generally, said everything his aides said in the article, he would be crowned the new front-runner for the Republican (Tea) Party nomination in 2012.
you got your $1225....
Yep, probably not done. I would imagine it will retest that level tomorrow before heading back up. We'll see.
Before going vert in a parabolic fashion to $1350 within a few short weeks.
+1
They were McChrystal's rules of engagement. Obama adopted his plan for Afghanistan.
Nobody here seems to know what they f*ck they're talking about.
The bottom line is that no matter who is in the White House, nothing, and I mean NOTHING, is more dangerous for democracy than a military that doesn't respect civilian authority, regardless of what they may think in private.
I agree with you completely, Chet.
My point is that the masses distrust Obama and all of Washington so greatly right now that they'll support anyone who "speaks out" against it.
Gotcha. Sorry for my pique.
The main point is that the masses are correct. Everyone is watching the situation unravel to the point where everyone senses big trouble and is looking for the new George Washington.
'Who'll put the bell on the cat..?'
And nothing has been more destructive of our constitutional republic than radical democracy...
Agreed. But the key is civilian "authority" as per the US Constitution, not necessarily the empty suit warming the seat. Still, the general screwed the pooch and loose lips sink careers.
This is Nam generation brass. They saw it.
Better to SPEAK OUT than "just follow orders."
I love it how a general embarrasses the Messiah and everyone wants to use the Nuremburg Defense against him
I am torn on this. The Constitution is clear, but yet civilians, especially those without any active duty experience, too easily forget the lives involved - military and civilian alike. That the truth should be spoken I agree. But Jeebus - Rolling Stone? It just makes it all seem so tawdry.
There are still some left here that don't get swayed so easily with manipulation... Last thing this world needs is military dictatorship in the US.
Turd,
Can't do that now, Obama took the high ground, and praised him out the ASS...........so, McChrystal will have to keep silent.
Plus, he would likely not do anything to hurt morale of his men & women left in the shithole.
(Mc)Crystal / Palin
I read the Stone article...WTF are we doing over there anyway?
Doing wet-work for our owners in the CCP.
So just had an earthquake here in Cleveland.
For real? How big??
I have multiple reports on Twitter also claiming a 5.5 earthquake in southern Ontario. Felt all the way in NY.
Apostate
Yep, WNY felt a tremor.
The building only shook here for a second. I didn't notice it, but a coworker of mine was freaking out so I started looking online and found out it did happen.
In other news, look at that false market build up.
Must be the BP Hq.
I like they way they issue the news that Obama relieved him of command, the dude resigned LOL
McCrystal Meth didn't tell it like it was. Only idiots that think the afghan war is WINNABLE, thinks he told it like it is.
Like the Vietnam war was winnable....
Now we got another queen-hugger in David Betray-us.
...and the opium still goes round the world and in the banksters coffers, and over the walls at our military bases to our soldiers.
Obama is an idiot, he followed the neo-cons path, and it isn't working (big surprise if you know history).
McCrystal Meth was saying he was going to ask for MORE troops, ANOTHER surge, because the first surge did so much to quell the population that the major uptick in violence is just a conincidence, and never thought of in advance by anyone, anywhere.
Then because things aren't going so well, and his idiot strategy of doubling down, where have we seen that before????, wasn't going to be approved most likely, and he said what he wanted to say.
It was blantant disregard for civilian authority of the military, and Methhead knew exactly what he was doing.
Blame Obama for the failure of the war. Which would be bs. Don't worry, plenty of other stuff to blame obama for, and every other president the past ~40-47 years. They ALL sucked big balls, and ALL contributed to setting up the system the way it is, which is now (and has been) crashing.
Expect more imperialist measures to be taking in Afghanistan now that the Queen's top choice is directly in command.
So in essence, Methhead said crap, Obama acted like Nero, but in a sense he had to. Crappy situation all around, and although I didn't believe the Afhgan war was winnable before, it has to be even less believable now.
Just like the economic situation is Global Glass/Steagall and American Credit system, but we won't do it. We should pull of Afghan and Iraq ASAP, but won't do it. Sorry for the wasted treasury and lives, but they were wasted the moment the decision was made to go in. Deal with it.
If you want to be strong on terror, go after Londonistan, and the imperial roots that lie at the feet of most insurgents worldwide. That and bomb the hell out of the Opium before leaving. They can move to Kyrgz where it's becoming all the rage.
Ding Dong
jm,
"Like the Vietnam war was winnable...."
Dude, it WAS, NVN were likely less than a year away from throwing the towel in...........before the ROE shit started.
Had the men been allowed to fight to win, we would have won......PERIOD.
It is in Giap's book. And Kerry's assurances, among others, kept them mentally in the game. Then the "guerilla force" of "popular uprising" attacked with more armor than Rommel and Guderian had in the Blitz and got smacked a couple of times before Eagle Pull. Linebacker and Linebacker II almost did the trick. but, sadly, no.
- Ned
Here is the real problem with todays circus. Barky should have held a press conference IMMEDIATELY after the morning meeting. What was the wait, three or four hours? It makes it look like he and his staff were totally unprepared, that they created copy well after the fact.
WH had at least a day to prepare. Now they seem weaker than before.
I'm thinking that they were totally unprepared, that they thought they'd refuse the resignation and come out looking peachy with an appropriately admonished General standing sheepishly in the background.
I'm thinking that it took all of this time to decide how to spin the General's refusal to accept anything other than resignation and to convince Petraeus to pick up the slack.
Takes time to load the Teleprompter, you know.
I think TOTUS was too serioulsly hung over, couldn't get him up to speed -Ned
The "Surge" Failed
Adding to the sense of McChrystal’s career possibly crashing and burning is the report from Matthew Green of the Financial Times in Marjah [scroll down] that US special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Ambassador in Kabul Karl Eikenberry visited Marjah on Monday and met with local elders to the sound of small arms fire in the background. (H/t to Michael Pollack for the link and his comments). Then as Holbrooke and Eikenberry were leaving the meeting site, a bomb went off, which apparently had been intended for them on the part of three suicide bombers but detonated prematurely at a local shop. The purpose of the visit was for Holbrooke to assess how well McChrystal’s counter-insurgency doctrine was going in Marjah. The local elders said that the Marines had improved security in some areas but not others. One said he had had to travel to the meeting secretly for fear of Taliban reprisals.
When the US special envoy and ambassador can’t visit a place in a country without hearing small arms fire or risking being a bombing target, I’d say security is not good there.
http://www.juancole.com
US special envoy Richard Holbrooke was the architect of the failed first-half of the Iraq war. The war didn't turn to our favor until he was relieved and the surge introduced. Ex Gen Eikenberry is a political hack disliked by most of his former Gen Staff contemporaries for being more interested in covering his ass than accomplishing anything.
Holbrooke=CFR stooge
Great observation, which shows that the General's highly-touted Marjah offensive has been about as effective as everything Ben, Timmy and Larry have been doing back here in the States.
General Mac is a soldiers solder, he was the right man to lead the ground war in Afghanistan. But in his position as theater commander, he has to be a politician, and politicians are not paid to tell the truth or speak what's on their mind. A life lesson.
No use crying over spilt milk. Let's try joey biden's idea: pull the troops out and send in the B-52's to carpet bomb the daylights out of the country.
Is your post a joke?
Please do a little homework and take in the costs of a full scale bombing campaign -- ordinance and all. Oh, and don't forget to factor in the real and perceived consequences of when the images and stories of limb and faceless children.
Hey, it worked just peachy in Vietnam, right?
There is more to this than meets the eye. You can't have those kinds of conversations made public and not expect consequences. The best answer is to get the flock out of Afghanistan, period. Ultimately, that may one of the consequences.
Everything the government touches turns into a Charlie Foxtrot.
Wait ... I thought it was "General Betray Us".
NATO thinks, that McChrystal as the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan assured stability in the ranks at a critical time.
"I have extraordinary respect for General McChrystal, we work exceedingly well together," he said. "He is a guarantor of the new strategy in Afghanistan." - German foreign minister
According to the German minister, it was to be a "very tough summer" for the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and that the alliance needed steady leadership during a potentially exceedingly bloody period.
So What does the Harvard Law graduate, Nobel Laureate, a person who believe in change and greater good of the nation, Mr.Obama do? he sacrifices an able General, when he is needed the most, in the greater interest of his pride and ego.
Now compare this to another President from Illinois, not a Harvard educated but a backwoodsman who taught himself to become a lawyer, yes Lincoln, Lincoln tolerated the incompetent yet loud mouthed McClellan, despite the fact that he bad mouthed and undermined Lincoln many times, while serving under him. Lincoln believed in the greater good of the nation rather than his ego, which let cloud his judgement. The book Team of Rivals is a good read in this regard.
SO.....what's your point?? (sarc) :>)
Uh, Lincoln fired McClellan.
He sure did, but only when McClellan refused to fight when and where Lincoln wanted him to, not because of something McClellan said.. McClellan was incompetent and even so Lincoln gave him a chance as he looked at the big picture..as opposed to ...Mr.Obama, who is willing to sacrifice a General, when he is needed the most..that is all
Lincoln fired McClellan when McClellan left the team. Same here.
pnis
I see a pretorian coup comin'
i mean, the lobby can control politicians, but the military?
even the deutsch put a bomb under the table '44
or maybe janks are brainwashed beyond any expectation
hollywood rulez
"In the article in this week's issue of Rolling Stone, McChrystal and his staff described the president as unprepared for their first one-on-one encounter."
"McChrystal also said he felt betrayed and blind-sided by his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry."
Said our president was "uncomfortable and intimidated" when he met with top military brass.
Sounds like the WRONG person was fired and McChrystal should be promoted.
I for one at this point welcome a military coup, followed by a restoration of the country to its proper status as a constitutional republic.
seductive as that idea sounds, unless we have another Geo Washington out there, that could be a 'very bad thing'...
best we try a few other options first - however long they might take.
channel that frustration to peaceful but persistent involvement.
once the new leader has the gun out and is using it, we probably won't have peaceful involvement as an option anymore. when your protectors become your jailors, all is probably lost.
my fear is that the current administration/courts, having just made any involvement with 'terrorists' a crime, and also having made it illegal to to sue the US for damages related to being mis-identified as a 'terrorist' (all this happened last week...)
who defines 'terrorist'? is Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh or Fox or... hypothetically change admins, and are Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, or MSNBS 'aiding and abetting' the 'enemy'.
slippery slope.
less government. military for defense. more real liberty/accountability
You did that really nicely! Strong and gentle. Thanks.