General Stanley McChrystal

[68X426]

Still a hero in my book.

Said what is obvious. But we (and he) all know he can't say it in public about the Commander.

I am still proud of the man, and his service to country.

[PocketThunder]

Ya buddy!   

[ITSA426]

Too bad he forgot about all the things he spent his life working for.  It just takes a minor lapse in judgment, at that level, to trash a career.  I hope he made enough money from the Rolling Stone interview to buy back whatever he gave up.  If his standards are just collapsing he can always go into politics.  In any case I do feel bad about the entire situation.  It reflects poorly all up and down the chain of command and upon the ethical standards the military should show to the nation. 

After eight years of war though, I sure understand his frustration.

It reminds of our former governor's Playboy interview where he wanted to be reincarnated as a bra. 

I think Mark Twain said sometimes it's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt.  I could check the source I suppose but....

[chargerboy69]

Too bad he forgot about all the things he spent his life working for.  It just takes a minor lapse in judgment, at that level, to trash a career. 

The General new exactly what he was doing and what the consequences of his action would be.  You do not become a Four Star General by accident. He is one of the best and brightest wearing the uniform today.

With that being said, should he have said it while in uniform, probably not. I did not like it when others in his similar position did it to past administrations. And to be consistent, my opinion is it should not have been handled this way. I feel he should have resigned first, and then spoke. But maybe he was thinking he would have not been given the same platform to air out his concerns.

Best of luck in retirement sir. I salute you.   

[twodko]

General McCrystal said what everyone was saying during the Nam. He might have used a little more decorum in his comments given his level in the command structure. To me it still sounds like what the "boots on the ground" brass, sans Westmoreland, were saying in 68/69 and the French before that...........IMO. I salute him and wish him well. If the POTUS loses sight of this man's value he'll be shooting himself in the foot. Would I chew some ass if I were Mr.Obama? Hell yes but you retain leaders like Gen. McCyrstal.

That is all, carry on.

Tom

[hemi68charger]

Tough cookie.... Looked to be a Commander to be respected by the average NCO....... Being a man in uniform, I too can't publicly state all my likes and dislikes... Until I retire.........

[John_Kunkel]

He knew what he was doing. He made it to the top of the heap taking orders from incompetents and now says "kiss my arse" on the way out.

[twodko]

Roger that!

Tom

[tricky lugnuts]

Here's the actual Rolling Stone article:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236

I didn't get the impression that McChrystal said anything all that bad, this being a 9-year-old war with escalating violence even after an Iraq-style surge and no end in sight . . .

Granted, media-master Obama obviously likes 100 percent control of the message to make sure things are spun his way, so that's probably the major factor here, a top official giving a non-reassuring message without White House consent.

But I think the author of the article relies on anonymous aides, anonymous "senior advisors" and anonymous sources familiar with matters for most of the nasty comments about Obama and Biden, not McChrystal himself.

To some extent, sounds like he trusted a freelance reporter, welcoming him into his inner circle and not telling aides and advisors to watch what the hell they were saying at all times, and got screwed.

Just my take on the situation.

[chargergirl]

I believe the General wanted out before it becomes our 2nd Vietnam. Not wanting to be in charge during that he took the road he desired. You do not get as far as he has without learning when to be quiet and when and how to speak. I think we would have heard the same commentary from Patton. Also how can it be the first time a General was fired in more than fifty years when..."Taking the advice of both the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he also fired Gen. David McKiernan – then the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan – and replaced him with a man he didn't know and had met only briefly: Gen. Stanley McChrysta".

On a personal note to Gen. McChrystal...Thank you for serving our country. What were you thinking when you voted for Obama?

[RallyeMike]

I don't know much about the man, but from my narrow, uninformed perspective, it doesnt seem like whining to Rolling Stone Magazine would be the most intelligent or dignified way to go out.

Hopefully the team that is trying to get us out of this mess will be shaken up enough to get their act together and McChrystal's move will count for something.

[Mike DC]

                           
                   
A therapist might call the general's behavior "passive-aggressive".  

[AKcharger]

I thought it was his aides that said all the snarky stuff??

[ITSA426]

The General new exactly what he was doing and what the consequences of his action would be.

He knew what he was doing.

That would be insubordination worthy of reduction in rank and/or dishonorable discharge.  He shouldn't be allowed to just resign and walk away if that's the case.

General McCrystal said what everyone was saying during the Nam.

I don't remember anyone in uniform saying that publicly, although many certainly felt it.  We were not allowed to protest the actions of the military if we could be identified as members of the military.

Tough cookie.... Looked to be a Commander to be respected by the average NCO....... Being a man in uniform, I too can't publicly state all my likes and dislikes... Until I retire.........

Roger that.  It might be nice if only veterans could speak out about a war or going to war, but our political system relies on civilian control of the military to prevent itself from becoming a dictatorship.  Still, in all, I admire his service and believe him to be a honorable soldier who made a serious screw up at a bad time.  On a related note, I read in yesterdays paper that this war has taken longer than WW I, WW II, and Korea combined - frustration?

[hemi68charger]

I thought it was his aides that said all the snarky stuff??

Hey Chief...
.......... Sorry way to end one's military career, but maybe he was looking for a way out. He as a General Officer would/should know about remarks against the President and it's UCMJ implications... Like anyone, civilian or military, we all have our views... The aids weren't suppose to be talking in negative tones about the civilian Chain of Command the way they were doing in front of the press......... Geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

At least Petraeus is a seasoned Commander and the Afghan's already feel comfortable with him.............

[Ponch ®]

I'm not a military guy nor will I purport to know more than you guys who are, but this seems like a very clear cut issue to me. The President (whether you like him or not) is the Commander in Chief...you simply DO NOT publicly disparage him or his policies. The military enforces policy, it doesn't make it. So maybe this guy is a great general/leader, etc, but he showed very poor judgment and the President had every reason to fire him - and for the most part everyone seems to agree on that.

Having said that, I'm no fan of Obama, but I think we're all looking at this situation through our politically colored glasses. If we'd had a high ranking member of the military come out and made similar public statements about the last administration's policies, he would have been called anti-american, a quitter, and so on by the same folks who are speaking fairly highly of McChrystal. It seems that some find his actions justifiable and even commendable because of who the President is.  

[DodgeByDave]

The things that the General and the Aides were saying in private aren't Court Marshall/Reduction in Rank/Dishonorable Discharge worthy. Relieved, forced retirement yes.

You have to remember he is a Ranger. You don't go to Ranger school and earn the tab for yourself. You do that for your troops. Special Forces types are the best of the best.

One thing is.......in that atmosphere you step into a surreal world of military discipline and rugged individualism. A conflict in military philosophy, but necessary for that type of job. Another is that SF's develop an attitude toward anyone considered a slacker or an REMF.

A 4 star special forces General (runs 20 miles a day at age 55) with more time on layover waiting on Military Hops than the CiC has in this country. No chance for a conflict there.

But there in lies the root of the problem. A Special Forces General was given an order to issue a standing order to send troops on patrol with equipment in a half ready state. "Go patrol this hot LZ without a round chambered". "Here guys, a new medal for NOT killing the enemy". Nope, no conflict there.

It's hard to say what I would do in his shoes. The man can't quit. Oh sure, he is physically and mentally able but the act if "quitting" goes against the grain of his being. He is a Ranger. They do not quit at anything. They either kill it, capture it or it kills them. They do not surrender.

I had a First Sargent take me by the stacking swivel one hot afternoon that told me, "Troopar, iffen you wanna lead men and do it right, their lives and career's become more important than your own". Patreus wants that 5th Star. McChrystal wanted to lead troops in combat.

The American public and the boots on the ground lost a fine commander and a great patriot at a time when we desperately need those qualities.

[jeryst]

Well, the real problem, is that Obama does not understand anything about the military. It took him a week to decide on healthcare, but months to consider what the military needed for Afghanistan, then he only gave them partially what they requested. He doesnt support the war, that's the position he campaigned on. He's just stuck with a sticky situation that he wants to get rid of as quickly as possible. As a result, he is putting our national security, and the lives of our armed forces members at stake through his ignorance and political posturing. Great military men are taught to fight and WIN, not to just provide some type of half-assed hand-holding services that the touchy-feely liberals are all about.

From what I understand, MyChrystal didnt say any of those things, his aids did. He just didnt stop them, or reprimand them. I'm not saying what he did was right, but I dont think what Obama did was right either. Obama thinks he is right in what he is doing, so he refused to learn anything from this whole mess. He should have stepped back and asked, "Why are things like this being said about the people making the decision?", and then he should have understaood that there is a deeply rooted problem here that needs to be corrected. Instead, he thinks that getting rid of McCrystal is the solution, when its not. Just goes to show more of his ignorance. He should have reprimanded the General, fired the aids, and took a good hard look at the people that were being criticized. But he didnt do that, because he is incapable of seeing the real problem.