A general for GOP POTUS candidate in 2012?

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/22/AR2010062200813_pf.html

KABUL -- The top U.S. general in Afghanistan was summoned to Washington for a White House meeting after apologizing Tuesday for flippant and dismissive remarks about top Obama administration officials involved in Afghanistan policy.

The remarks in an article in this week's in Rolling Stone magazine are certain to increase tension between the White House and Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal.

The profile of McChrystal, , titled the "Runaway General," also raises fresh questions about the judgment and leadership style of the commander Obama appointed last year in an effort to turn around a worsening conflict.

McChrystal and some of his senior advisors are quoted criticizing top administration officials, at times in starkly derisive terms. An anonymous McChrystal aide is quoted calling national security adviser James Jones a "clown," who remains "stuck in 1985."

Referring to Richard Holbrooke, Obama's senior envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, one McChrystal aide is quoted saying: "The Boss says he's like a wounded animal. Holbrooke keeps hearing rumors that he's going to get fired, so that makes him dangerous."

On one occasion, McChrystal appears to react with exasperation when he receives an e-mail from Holbrooke, saying, "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke. I don't even want to read it."

U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, a retired three-star general, isn't spared. Referring to a leaked cable from Eikenberry that expressed concerns about the trustworthiness of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, McChrystal is quoted as having said: "Here's one that covers his flank for the history books. Now if we fail, they can say, 'I told you so.' "

The magazine hits newsstands Friday and could be posted online earlier in the week. The Washington Post received an advance copy of the article from its author, Michael Hastings, a freelance journalist who has written for the Post.

"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile," McChrystal said in a statement issued Tuesday morning. "It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and it should have never happened."

McChrystal's civilian press aide, Duncan Boothby, submitted his resignation Tuesday as a result of the article, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A U.S. embassy spokeswoman said she had no immediate comment on the piece.

The story features an exchange in which McChrystal and some of his aides appear to mock Vice President Biden, who opposed McChrystal's troop surge recommendation last year and instead urged instead for a more focused emphasis on counter-terrorism operations.

"Are you asking me about Vice President Biden?" McChrystal asks the profile's reporter a at one point, laughing. "Who's that?"

"Biden?" an unnamed aide is quoted as saying. "Did you say Bite me?"

Lt. Col. Joseph Breasseale, a U.S. military spokesman, said McChrystal called Biden and other senior administration officials Tuesday morning (Monday evening in Washington) in reference to the article. "After these discussions, he decided to travel to the U.S. for a meeting," the spokesman said in an e-mail.

Officials in Washington who were familiar with the situation said the general apologized during the phone call. Biden has been highly skeptical of McChrystal's insistence that more troops be sent to Afghanistan.

McChrystal's remarks were made public on the eve of the president's monthly meeting with his top advisers on Afghanistan, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday. McChrystal typically joins that meeting by a secure videoconference from Afghanistan, but was summoned to Washington to participate directly and explain his remarks, a senior administration official said Tuesday morning.

The meeting, which includes Biden and many of the other advisers who McChrystal or his staff mocked in the article, is sure to be tense as the general attempts to make amends in person.

It is not the first time that McChrystal has had to be dressed down by Obama. Shortly after the general's assessment of the situation in Afghanistan was made public last year, McChrystal gave a speech in London in which he publicly criticized those who advocated a scaled-back effort in Afghanistan.

Those comments were widely seen as being directed against Biden, who had advocated for an approach in the country which focused on targeting terrorists more narrowly. After that speech, an angry Obama summoned McChrystal to a face-to-face meeting on Air Force One in Copenhagen, where Obama had arrived to pitch Chicago's Olympic bid.

White House officials declined to comment publicly Tuesday morning, but the latest public relations blunder by McChrystal is sure to further strain his relationship with a president who puts a premium on message discipline and loyalty.

The timing of the piece could hardly be worse. Amid a flurry of bad news in Afghanistan and a jump in NATO casualties, U.S. lawmakers and senior officials from NATO allied countries are asking increasingly sharp questions about the U.S.-led war strategy.

Dutch and Canadian troops are scheduled to pull out within the next year. And the White House has said it will start drawing down U.S. forces next July.

The magazine story shows that McChrystal is also facing criticism from some of his own troops who have grown frustrated with new rules that force commanders be extraordinarily judicious in using lethal force.

A few weeks ago, according to the magazine, the general traveled to a small outpost in Kandahar province, in southern Afghanistan, to meet with a unit of soldiers reeling from the loss of a comrade, 23-year-old Cpl. Michael Ingram.

The corporal was killed in a booby-trapped house that some of the unit's commanders had unsuccessfully sought permission to blow up.

One soldier at the outpost showed Hastings, who was traveling with the general, a written directive instructing troops to "patrol only in areas that you are reasonably certain that you will not have to defend yourself with lethal force."

During a tense meeting with Ingram's platoon, one sergeant tells McChrystal: "Sir, some of the guys here, sir, think we're losing, sir."

McChrystal has championed a counterinsurgency strategy that prioritizes protecting the population as a means to marginalize and ultimately defeat the insurgency. Because new rules sharply restrict the circumstances under which air strikes and other lethal operations that have resulted in civilian casualties can be conducted, some soldiers say the strategy has left them more exposed.

June is on track to be the deadliest month for NATO troops in Afghanistan since the war began nearly nine years ago. At least 63 NATO troops have been killed so far this month, including 10 who died Monday in a helicopter crash and a series of attacks.

In his statement, McChrystal says he has "enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team."

"Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity," the general said. "What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard."

More Washington Post coverage of Afghanistan:

The divide between Eikenberry and McChrystal has a long history.

Britain's special representative to Afghanistan has resigned and the British government is reviewing whether to fill the job.

The Kandahar offensive will take months longer than originally planned.

Well... I'm not worried about McChrystal sending troops to be quartered in my home or seize the town's emergency gunpowder supplies.

There's a LOT of tension between the Obama administration, and military brass (McChrystal, Petraeus, "Letherneck", etc).

Could this be the groundwork for a military POTUS candidate?

[longeyes]

Possible, and excuse the pun, a two-edged sword.  The hunger for "security" and "stability" is the yearning of a society where the foundation, built on strong individuals, is already rotting away.

That said, I personally expect the rise of an ultra-rightwing political party--strongly nationalist--in the coming years that may or may not have someone with military experience at its head.  The American people are going to be looking for someone to cut not one but several Gordian Knots.

(Yes, this is dark apocalyptic prediction #17, but you can take it--like the coming of a secession movement--to the bank.  If there are banks.)

[longeyes]

Look for Gen. Petraeus to resign within six months...

It will be interesting to see if Obama begins losing the military.

[AmbulanceDriver]

Look for Gen. Petraeus to resign within six months...

It will be interesting to see if Obama begins losing the military.

For the most part, I think he's already lost the military.  The men and women in the armed forces are serving the country, not the president, even though he is Commander-in-Chief.  I believe most will fulfill the duty they have imposed on themselves in serving the country.  What will worry me is if we start seeing people taking dishonorable discharges or the like in order to get OUT.

[Balog]

It's pretty difficult to get a dishonorable. It takes the equivalent of multiple felonies (or one very serious felony) generally speaking. Even guys I saw getting ad-sepped for persistent UA got maybe an OTH or big chicken dinner at worst.

[Ben]

For the most part, I think he's already lost the military.  The men and women in the armed forces are serving the country, not the president, even t

Though interestingly, a Fox News article on this mentioned that McChrystal stated that he voted for Obama. Which, though I don't know a lot about the guy, would make me tend to think he wouldn't be someone I would vote for for Prez. McChrystal has been around the block in government -- he must have had some idea when he voted for Obama, that the kinds of appointees that would be brought in to run things under an Obama administration would not be good for the military.

[longeyes]

There's military and there's military.  For every Eisenhower there's a Powell.

When I said "lose the military" I meant more than popularity.

[Leatherneck]

I was talking to a buddy who's a Special Ops SgtMajor at a smoke break today. (Tony is Cuban-American and to the right of, say, Attila the Hun).  He thinks McChrystal did this with malice aforethought. But he, too, was amazed that the General said he'd voted for Obama*.

I foresee Obama* trying to look tough at McChrystal's expense. You know--"Gonna kick some *expletive deleted*ss." It will make all the White House staff so proud, dontcha know--make the Military Kowtow to our authority!

 

TC

*Did you know that the spell checker wants to substitute "Obadiah" or "Alabama" for Obama?

[Waitone]

Now its getting weird.  Politico reports Rolling Stones' editor ran the article by McChrystal and he had no objections to the story including his quotations.

McChrystal had to know the history of uppity commanders and presidential displeasure.  Kinda makes me wonder if McChrystal was calling fire in on is own position.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/38842.html

Rolling Stone’s executive editor on Tuesday said that Gen. Stanley McChrystal did not raise any objections to a new article that repeatedly quotes him criticizing the administration.

Eric Bates, the magazine’s editor, said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that McChrystal was informed of the quotes prior to its publication as part of Rolling Stone's standard fact-checking process — and that the general did not object to or dispute any of the reporting.

Asked if McChrystal pushed back on the story, Bates responded: “No, absolutely not.”

“We ran everything by them in the fact-checking process as we always do,” the Rolling Stone editor said. “They had a sense of what was coming and it was all on the record and they spent a lot of time with our reporter, so I think they knew that they had said it.”

McChrystal describes his first meeting with the president as disappointing in the article, telling Rolling Stone that Obama came in unprepared.

The general also takes shots at Vice President Joe Biden and National Security Adviser Jim Jones.

The general issued an apology late Monday, soon after the story first appeared online, but Bates suspects McChrystal was surprised by the backlash.

“I don't think we got the sense that it was intentional,” the editor said, pointing out that McChrystal is “known for being very, very frank."

[MillCreek]

^^^^ See: Truman v. McArthur.

I personally think the General should resign.  There is clearly a lack of confidence between the General and his Commander in Chief, and last time I checked, the CinC ran the show.

[Ron]

It's a no win situation for Obama, sucks to be him.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

It's a no win situation for Obama, sucks to be him.

yea  my heart bleeds for him

[grampster]

I hope he walks into the White House and flips his paper's on O's desk and turns and leaves.

[Monkeyleg]

It's a no win situation for Obama, sucks to be him.

He'll make millions after he leaves office and will live comfortably, while the rest of us will struggle with the damage he caused. He gets no sympathy from me for anything.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

My theory: Obama will not accept McChrystal's resignation. Obama gets cred as a magnanimous dude and keeps his national security cred more or less intact. McChrystal is threatened with assignment in Greenland if he ever does this again.

[Gowen]

I hope he walks into the White House and flips his paper's on O's desk and turns and leaves.

Heard on the talk radio show that McChrystal will hand in a letter of resignation at this meeting.  If that is true, in effect he did just as you prescribed.

[S. Williamson]

My theory: Obama will not accept McChrystal's resignation. Obama gets cred as a magnanimous dude and keeps his national security cred more or less intact. McChrystal is threatened with assignment in Greenland if he ever does this again.

Waitasec... you mean he can't just retire at will? 

[AZRedhawk44]

Waitasec... you mean he can't just retire at will? 

My understanding is that officers other than Generals may not quit.

Because Generals are actually commissioned by Congress, and not the President, they may resign at any time.

But, I think I've been wrong before, once or twice.     Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Waitasec... you mean he can't just retire at will?  

From the articles I've run across, Obama has to accept the resignation. Not sure if those articles are correct, but that's what they say.

[Ron]

He'll make millions after he leaves office and will live comfortably, while the rest of us will struggle with the damage he caused. He gets no sympathy from me for anything.

I'm trying not to gloat about the complete train wreck the Obama administration has become. Unfortunately there will need to be more of the same before the country decides to throw the left out of office. The wildcard is what kind of Republican is going to take their place? Statist big government R's or libertarian minded R's? 

[MillCreek]

^^^^Of course, past and any future Republican administrations will be so much better, I am sure.

[longeyes]

McC. should have resigned before--when he realized he'd been put in a hopeless situation.  That was the time to resign with honor--and then speak out.

Now he gets to have a dressing-down from the boy-king with the prospect of turning a General into Obama's *****.  This is as much about humbling the U.S. military as anything.  Obama knows that, long-term, the U.S. military--as it is--is not his ally if push comes to shove.

And I see more pushing and shoving every day...

[Balog]

^^^^Of course, past and any future Republican administrations will be so much better, I am sure.

I look at Obama's record as PotUS and I see lots of record high levels of debt etc. So I'd say past R (and D for that matter) administrations were indeed better.

[MillCreek]

^^^^And are these high levels of debt incurred solely from the new policies and spending by the current President, or are they at least in part due to the policies and spending of previous Administrations or Congress?

[MillCreek]

This just in: General McChrystal is being fired by the President.