Sam Stone you just became one of my favorite posters … interesting take on COIN sir.
Oh, I didn’t see that it was already a done deal. I guess he’ll be doing both jobs-- his former job + McChrystal’s job. Not uncommon, but I’m guessing this will only be temporary until a replacement can be found, and they didn’t have one ready made.
I think Petraeus may have been faced with “He was the guy you wanted in the job. Even before he opened his mouth he wasn’t getting it done. It needs to be done by July 2011. Is there anybody who you believe would do a better job than you to get it done?..I thought not. Do it. If you come up with another name later, we’ll talk about it.”
I don’t know McChrystal from Adam and i don’t want to overstate the case but as a general rule, top military brass aren’t in it to “cash in”
Maybe he’s planning to be Sarah Palin’s running mate in '12. Vote Palin-McChrystal. 
Don’t make me laugh. You were all about how the US would discover all kinds of WMD under Saddam’s palaces and a hundred other nonsense stories you read off other message boards and brought here.
If you’re really going to put your record in the ring here, we’ll be here all day laughing at your credibility way back when.
I knew you’d come around, John. See post #3.
He’s obviously planning something. You don’t get that senior without being a disciplined pragmatist.
He’s basically a politician anyway, seems only natural to don a suit, take the pay of the corporations and play the martyr for ‘American values’.
There are so few original thoughts these days…
I was thinking more in terms of punishment. Despite this stupid mistake, the guy is extremely intelligent and well educated. Imagine having to suffer thru playing 2nd fiddle to Miss Vapid?
Seriously, though, I just can’t see him doing this as a calculated move to some future career. It seems he could easily jump-start whatever new career he wanted w/o this foot-in-mouth screw up.
Pretty Vacant, couldn’t it just be that he always having been a bit of a rebel just let his guard down? The RS reporter was with him for a LONG time, that made him and his staff used to having the guy there, they get to ‘trust him’ as ‘one of the guys’ and next thing you know …
McChrystal’s conduct was inexcusable - and President Obama has every reason plus fifty to fire him.
I am curious, though - when this happened in the past few years posters were quick to jump on the administration - accusing them of stifling dissenting views in the ranks and the like. This was true in the case of Admiral Fallon - curiously while comparing McChrystal’s behavior to Fallon’s in recent days the suspicion the Fallon resignation engendered has been conveniently forgotten.
I won’t criticize Obama here - only because I know full well who the military works for. Questions about civil-military relations are legitimate ones, and the President may have made mistakes there - this in no way excuses any act of insubordination.
Period.
You’re seriously comparing difference of views about appropriate strategy and tactics in a war to childish personal sniping? Really?
No - I’m comparing an act of insubordination to an act of insubordination, whatever motives were behind each is entirely beside the point.
Do you have an example of a poster here supporting Obama’s decision but being suspicious of Bush’s regarding Fallon? Or are you guessing?
And if he does then I want him gone from a leadership post in the Armed Forces that protect my country and way of life.
But as mentioned earlier, an O-10 is as much a politician as a fighter, and if you’re career military you start training in how to shovel BS all the way down at the Academy/ROTC level if an officer or at PLDC if enlisted. He knows that those four know how to pull real levers of Power, or else THEY wouldn’t be where they are. He surely does not and need not fear them, because everyone in that room, himself included, was a major leaguer at their respective game. But he has to acknowledge that.
What I DON’T want is for the military of the Republic to develop a “Warrior Caste” mentality that scorns or denies respect to civilian leadership… or to civilians, period. Never got into my head while I was in uniform. It’s one thing to say someone doesn’t understand what I need to do and tends to get in the way, it’s another to see him/her as a “useless airlhole”, “clown”, etc.
Except to the degree that they allow you to use the false equivalence fallacy.
I do remember a lot of retired generals criticizing Bush, with conservatives trying to dismiss them because they were retired and not active, with liberals giving their words plenty of weight, and I vaguely recall one or two officers resigning specifically so they could talk shit about Bush, but I’m not certain about active officers. Fallon I don’t remember at all.
If they want to resign so they can talk shit about the President, fine. It would have been damaging to Obama had McChrystal resigned saying he had little confidence in Obama to properly lead things, but that would have been well within his rights.
What is it that makes me suspect that if Obama hadn’t relieved the guy, you’d be claiming it was yet another sign of his weakness/cluelessness?
McChrystal isn’t a victim of anyone. He is someone who acted inappropriately and in a manner totally out of line for the position he held, he’s someone who received exactly the treatment he deserved. In fact he technically could have been brought up on charges (no idea if anyone would have the desire to prosecute them fully, though.)