A general for GOP POTUS candidate in 2012?

[dogmush]

ABC news headline reads "McChrystal  Relieved of Command", althouh the text of the article says that the White House "Accepted his Resignation"

In .mil, those are two distinctly different actions.

I'd be interested to know which direction it went in.

[MillCreek]

The CNN email newsalert that I received used the word 'fired'.  It will be interesting to see how his departure is characterized.

[SteveT]

It's pretty standard to "accept a resignation" when a high level official is being fired.

That said, we really don't know from the media what actual occurred.

If McChrystal would make a statement saying he resigned out of a lack of respect for the president, that would certainly clear things up big time.

[Waitone]

I can't wait for the book.  I've had strong reservations about the direction of our efforts in A'stan.  Maybe now some of the fog will lift.

[roo_ster]

^^^^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?

BHO's deficits are averaging 10X GWB's average.  Size does matter.

[Perd Hapley]

 Obama knows that, long-term, the U.S. military--as it is--is not his ally if push comes to shove.

This is why I agreed with Chris Matthews, when he said that West Point was "enemy territory" for Obama.  Of course, Obama (and the Democrat Party generally) are the aggressors. 

[Hawkmoon]

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.

I don't think Obama ever had the military, so they weren't his to lose. There was (and is) absolutely nothing about Obama for a military person of any rank to respect. Between all this and what I perceive as widespread disaffection over the abuse of stop loss, I predict that regular Army enlistments will go down, fewer people will opt to remain in the reserves, and far fewer will be enlisting in the National Guard because the NG is not being used like a NG, it is being used like regular Army. If Obama wins a second term, I think we will be forced to reinstitute the draft just to maintain a minimal level of military manpower.

[Scout26]

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.

All Officers receive their Commssions and promotions from Congress.  Officers can resign their commssions pretty much* at any time.



*- Uncle Sugar may or may not accept or be happy with you if and when you choose to do this.  YMMV... 

[Leatherneck]

Actually, commissioned officers serve at the pleasure of the President. When they're selected by a promotion board for advancement, the list must be confirmed by the Congress before promotions take place. But the President is their "boss."

TC