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May 21, 2013
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 So Long, Gen. McChrystalPosted on Jun 23, 2010
To complete the thought, we should add: Hello, Gen. Petraeus. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama confirmed rumors that he would replace the embattled Gen. Stanley McChrystal with the more administration-friendly Gen. David Petraeus as the U.S. military’s top commander in Afghanistan. The president, while offering a few laudatory words about McChrystal, said he “won’t tolerate division” in his ranks. (Note: Video of Obama’s speech has been posted under the Los Angeles Times excerpt below.) —KA Update: CNN has posted a brief description of what went down inside McChrystal’s and Obama’s meeting on Wednesday, and from the sound of it, the general didn’t stand a chance—and he’s not even going back to Afghanistan to pack his bags.
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Too Soon to Tell: The Case for Hope, Continued
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By gerard, June 24, 2010 at 11:15 am Link to this comment
THIS JUST IN:
“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said the U.S. won’t know if the strategy is working until the end of the year.” NYT 6/24/20 acc.to AP
…. On or about December 20, when the hearts and minds of the American people are largely occupied with Christmas shopping as usual, Admiral Mike Mullen will take out the Bible which he always carries in his uniform pocket, and it will magically open to page 101 of the new New Testament where he will read:
Report this“This is to announce to you and your people that the Afghan War is over.
“Verily I say unto you that it ended quite some months ago, but I guess you haven’t noticed.
“Don’t ask questions. Just do as I say, for I am your Higher Commander.
“Go at once to Mr. Karzai and tell him that as far as you are concerned he can talk to the Taliban all he wants, make any deal he chooses, because you
and your guys are finished. Just don’t let the Taliban call it a “victory” because you will need to use that word when you get back home.
“Tell him you wish him luck. Bow politely and leave. If he curses you in English, tell him to fuck off. That at the time you thought you were
doing the right thing.
“Then pull your troops out of battle position a.s.a.p. and return to the U.S. where you belong.
“Postscript: Thou shalt not kill!”
By dihey, June 24, 2010 at 6:31 am Link to this comment
The salient issue is not “firing general McChrystal to preserve civilian control” but “what are the armed forces used for in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the reminder of the world”. It is my view that the armed forces have been abused for non-winnable tasks in Afghanistan from day one of the invasion and then from day one of Mr. Obama’s presidency. War policies are crafted by Congress, execution by the president hence they are accountable for the results, not the military. Most reactions to the firing of McChrystal totally miss the fact that it is the CIC’s Bush and Obama who are accountable for the mess in Afghanistan. It is therefore not a surprise to me that the speech given yesterday by president Obama could just as well have been given by his predecessor.
Report thisBy Marc, June 24, 2010 at 5:03 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Ive been thinking about this. And, it is possible this was all staged.
I keep coming back to the fact that McCrystal allowed a rolling stones reporter into his inner circle. I mean the guy does counter insurgency for a living. Guss what, a rolling stones reporter is a kind of insurgent. It just isnt ringing true to me.
So, what are the advantages. Obama gets a boost for being tough on insubordination. Good, but not enough. It has been suggested that another 30k troops are needed and a longer stay in Afghanistan is also needed. So, maybe this changing of the guard gives the new general credibility to ask for more troops and more time?
These guys are both masters of asymmetrical warfare…who is to say it cant be used against congress and us…the American people. I got this feeling that this is all planned, and we are taking it hook, line, and sinker.
Ironically, Im on their side…Im all for more troops and more time to get the job done. So, if this was a long con on the American people and congress…I salute you.
Report thisBy Arabian Sinbad, June 23, 2010 at 7:32 pm Link to this comment
Good riddance for the outgoing general and another, hopefully, good riddance for the incoming one. In my book all military people, from top generals down, are symbols of evil military-industrial complexes and symbols of wars and warmongering. Nations that spend much of its national treasure to produce generals and soldiers along with their weapons of mass destruction will proportionately loose the sense of peace and security that non-military entities enjoy.
Military, in my book, represents the cult of death since they are trained to kill and be ready to be killed.
Report thisBy Ed Harges, June 23, 2010 at 12:35 pm Link to this comment
Some people are speculating that McChrystal was trying
to get himself fired.
But if he wasn’t actually trying to get fired,
Report thisand it was all really just a huge lapse of judgment,
may we not cautiously conclude that his self-imposed, no-food/no-sleep lifestyle
may have something to do with this lapse?
By Ed Harges, June 23, 2010 at 12:23 pm Link to this comment
Well, now he’ll have time to run 14 miles a day, if he wants.
Report this