# Gen McChrystal goes ass to mouth with his foot. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135 "2010-06-22T15:55:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/61 "2010-06-23T01:17:07Z")
To me, the worst part of it wasn’t just what he said, but the clear fact that he fostered an environment where criticism of the administration was the rule of the day and openly practiced by his people. At this point, not only does he need to go, but a huge chunk of his administrative team needs to have their tickets punched. Look, if Ford Motors decided to open a new branch in Europe, and shipped off a bunch of people there, and then three years later those people were quoted in the media as acting in the same manner toward their bosses back at Ford, their careers would be over right there. It isn’t quite the same here only in that, as Military Leaders, their behavior is WORSE in doing the same things. I have no doubt that it would NEVER enter their minds to say the same things about their superiors in the MILITARY chain of command. And yet here we had one of our top military leaders openly fostering and tolerating an attitude of contept towards the civilian administration they report to. Not Acceptable. Not Professional. Not Done. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/62 "2010-06-23T02:04:48Z")
> [@Gustav](#): > > That damn Obama, always stirring up trouble. You might almost call Obama “uppity”! ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/63 "2010-06-23T02:34:41Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Actually, your cite now says “the source says McChrystal has offered to resign, but has not officially submitted his resignation.” Ah, HuffPost must’ve jumped the gun (not surprising). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/64 "2010-06-23T03:51:57Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > PBS had a couple retired generals who say McChrystal should be kept. I don’t see it. There are lots of generals itching for a chance to get a big command. I think he is replaceable. He dissed the administration and if he was kept, he would feel like he won and can do whatever he wants. He has to go. Generals decidedly do\* not\* grow on trees. McChrystal may not be as replaceable as you assume. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/65 "2010-06-23T04:01:17Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Generals decidedly do\* not\* grow on trees. McChrystal may not be as replaceable as you assume. [Umm…](http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/defense-secretary-robert-gates-blasts-military-spending/19469040) “Gates said there are simply too many generals and admirals.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/66 "2010-06-23T04:18:28Z")
> [@](#): > > To me, the worst part of it wasn’t just what he said, but the clear fact that he fostered an environment where criticism of the administration was the rule of the day and openly practiced by his people. At this point, not only does he need to go, but a huge chunk of his administrative team needs to have their tickets punched. A good point. This wasn’t just Stanley McCrystal speaking off-the-cuff to some reporter about how he felt about his bosses back in Washington. This is a general mocking his superiors in front of his staff and encouraging them to join in. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/67 "2010-06-23T04:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Generals decidedly do not grow on trees. McChrystal may not be as replaceable as you assume. I’ve already seen two names suggested; Lt Gen David Rodriguez (McChrystal’s second-in-command and the guy in charge of day-to-day operations in Afghanistan) and Lt Gen [William Caldwell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._Caldwell) (the head of the operation that’s training the Afghani military). ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/68 "2010-06-23T04:33:06Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Generals decidedly do\* not\* grow on trees. McChrystal may not be as replaceable as you assume. There are about 40 of them. McChrystal is just another one. He is replaceable. He should be shit canned loudly. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/69 "2010-06-23T04:39:54Z")
[Ovi Magazine : Christian Extremists Within the U.S. Military - Myth or Reality? by Dr. Habib Siddiqui](http://www.ovimagazine.com/art/4400) The army needs to be cleaned up. many are into a Christian fundamentalism fueled crusade. They should not be the face of America in a non Christian country. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/70 "2010-06-23T18:09:08Z")
[Gone, baby, gone](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/politics/24mcchrystal.html?hp). Good move, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/71 "2010-06-23T18:14:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > “Fragging?” Is there some story out there that we still haven’t heard, or has the meaning of the term “fragging” drifted to a place where it no longer requires a component of deliberateness? > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I believe he is using it in the video-gamey sense of “killed” rather than the military sense of “killed by a grumpy subordinate”. Well, maybe not. > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > [http://atheism.about.com/b/2007/07/29/why-did-pat-tillman-really-die-friendly-fire-or-murder.htm](http://atheism.about.com/b/2007/07/29/why-did-pat-tillman-really-die-friendly-fire-or-murder.htm) > > Tillman was likely murdered by his own comrades. Just because you don’t read the stories out there doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Whoa. I wonder where THAT came from. You’re like the master of the mixed message here. You start by giving me a link to address my confusion, then you follow it up with a dose of hostility to evidently discourage me from opening it. > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Please note, I usually have illiterate imbeciles like you (and you specifically) on ignore because you are such a full fledged imbecile. You may now return to your regularly scheduled stupidity. This is about the mean things I’ve been saying about the Designated Hitter rule, isn’t it? PROTIP: if you’ve got someone on ignore, don’t respond directly to them, even if someone you don’t have on ignore quotes one of their posts. Oh, and since you’re not going to see this (nobody would be so churlish as to quote it just so he does, would they? Naaahhh.): :p:smack::dubious:🆒:p:smack::dubious:🆒 _ptthblblttthhhblbl_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/72 "2010-06-23T18:26:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [Gone, baby, gone](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/politics/24mcchrystal.html?hp). Good move, IMO. Huh. At the bottom of the page, there’s a link to an article by Doris Kearns Goodwin comparing this event with Lincoln’s dismissal of Gen. McClellan. I guess the moral of the story is that if you make flag rank, and your name begins with “Mc” or “Mac”, you’d do well to change your handle to “Smith.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/73 "2010-06-23T18:37:25Z")
Obama’s statement about welcoming debate but not tolerating division was right on the mark. What a stupid way to end his Army career. The downside is that we’ll probably see him run for office. I’m wondering if the floggings will continue down the chain of command for all involved. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/74 "2010-06-23T18:46:23Z")
I’m curious what happens to him now. Is he going to be unemployed? On guard duty in Nome? Does he end up with a cushy desk job? Does he get discharged with a fat pension? (Do generals even get discharged, or are they just put on inactive duty? I never see anyone described as a “former general.”) ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/75 "2010-06-23T18:47:41Z")
When the WSJ Editorial Page (Motto: “We make Rush look Centrist!”) says to get rid of him (OK - a piece by Eliot Cohen) - you know that you are done. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/76 "2010-06-23T18:52:59Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I’m curious what happens to him now. Is he going to be unemployed? On guard duty in Nome? Does he end up with a cushy desk job? Does he get discharged with a fat pension? (Do generals even get discharged, or are they just put on inactive duty? I never see anyone described as a “former general.”) In the absence of a court martial that strips him of his commission and his pension benefits, the likelihood is that he will retire. You have heard of a “retired general,” haven’t you? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/77 "2010-06-23T19:00:48Z")
Yeah, I have. Thanks for asking. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/78 "2010-06-23T19:01:24Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You have heard of a “retired general,” haven’t you? I thought they faded away. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/79 "2010-06-23T19:04:44Z")
A true American Hero. A man who stood up for what he believed in. A latter day John Wayne, willing to sacrifice for the greater good and American values. There will be airports named after him, space stations, a movie of his story. We Shall Never Forget. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135/80 "2010-06-23T19:07:17Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I’m curious what happens to him now. Is he going to be unemployed? On guard duty in Nome? Does he end up with a cushy desk job? Does he get discharged with a fat pension? (Do generals even get discharged, or are they just put on inactive duty? I never see anyone described as a “former general.”) He may walk the halls at the Pentagon for awhile, but his power has been taken away and he’s tendered his resignation, so I suspect he’ll go to private life. Nobody is going to court martial a 4-star for this sort of offense and he could probably stick around, but he’s looking at at least two years and maybe six years before a president will look at him for that sort of position again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gen-mcchrystal-goes-ass-to-mouth-with-his-foot/544135.md?page=5)