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May 18, 2013
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 Gen. McChrystal’s Celebrity WeekendPosted on Oct 6, 2009Gen. Stanley McChrystal, Barack Obama’s commander in what the president has renamed the Af-Pak theater, has been trying, with the help of Democratic as well as Republican hawks, to bounce Obama into a really long war. Unless McChrystal gets a lot more troops—to reach at least the 100,000 total he wants by the end of the year—there is likely to be a “mission failure,” to use the general’s words. That is the message McChrystal was in Washington to deliver at the end of September, doing the Sunday talk shows, crowned by “60 Minutes,” and receiving lots of slaps on the back by politicians who want to go his way. He didn’t go much into the heavy casualties on both sides that his way would entail, including lots of civilian killings, but he implied a promise of ultimate victory. The general’s more optimistic promoters foresee 10 years to reach victory, which this writer would think generously understated in view of the fact that Afghanistan and Pakistan add up to twice the population of united Germany. The general’s celebrity weekend came to an end in Copenhagen, when President Obama had a little talk with him in the comfortable setting of the lounge aboard Air Force One, parked at the Copenhagen airport. The occasion was the president’s unwise and misplaced campaign speech delivered to the wrong audience, the International Olympic Committee, a speech that won Chicago first ticket out of the competition for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. (Outdoors competition in Chicago’s summer heat is not to be wished upon anyone). Advertisement The most famous American general to try to bounce a president into more war was Douglas MacArthur (“There is no substitute for victory!”), in 1951 in the Korean War. President Harry Truman proved too tough to bounce and fired him. President Obama might make a useful point by doing the same to Gen. McChrystal. The president could hardly be blamed for dismissing the man who was his own choice, since he didn’t know the general when he nominated him, and now that he’s met him, could have changed his mind. Generals do many useful things, including offering their professional advice when asked for it. But backdoor second-guessing of a president, while friends whisper to the press that Obama after all doesn’t know anything about war? How could a community organizer who went to school in Indonesia and at Harvard, of all places, know about that? The president is not paid to know about war. He’s paid to decide whether it would be wise to tie up the American nation for the next decade in a very large, and almost certainly expanding, war against a large part of the people who now live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If this was the old brown-shoe, spurs and boots army, Gen. McChrystal could accurately be said to have grown too big for his britches. Another general, the national security adviser, James L. Jones, has told him so, in suggesting that advice best comes up through channels, not via the Fox network. Gen. David H. Petraeus had his hour of glory with the surge in Iraq, and may be thought to have had in his time visions of a grateful nation carrying him on their shoulders to the White House. Now he has explained to The New York Times that he is allowing Gen. McChrystal his hour of fame while he himself lies low. Fame and presidential possibility are fleeting, rapidly and conclusively so for soldiers. MacArthur sentimentally told a cheering joint session of Congress about how old soldiers don’t die, but “just fade away. ...” The nation’s representatives wiped a tear from their eyes, and faded away from Capitol Hill to get a drink before lunch. Visit William Pfaff’s Web site at www.williampfaff.com. © 2009 Tribune Media Services, Inc.  TAGS:
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By Tomasgolfer, October 10, 2009 at 5:03 pm Link to this comment
As a veteran myself, I would ask, why would anyone hire this guy mcchrystal for anything? This guy was in charge at camp nama in Iraq, the rule being “no blood no foul”, that tortured hundreds if not thousands of Iraqi’s because…... they could. Taking pride in the fact that no Red Cross or military investigators would ever see what was going on. Saying nothing of the Pat Tillman affair that he was up to his neck in. What a scum bag.
Report thisBy yours truly, October 8, 2009 at 4:39 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Behind General Stanley McChrystal’s brazen attempt to expand the Afghanistan War by going public with his demand for 40,000 more troops, there’s an element of desperation and fear. Desperation, despite his bravado, that no matter how large his army of occupation, the war can’t be won, and fear that once the public realizes this, the military will suffer the same public scorn that the Argentina’s armed forces suffered after its humiliating defeat twenty seven years ago in the Falkland Islands War. Far-fetched? Perhaps, but it should be recalled that the military junta that had overthrown Argentina’s legitimate government had seen the Falklands Islands War as a chance both to enhance their own popularity and to divert the public’s attention from a failing economy. Not a unreasonable assumption this (knowing how, whenever our own government gets us into a war, rally-round-the flag invariably sweeps the land), except said military junta hadn’t thought ahead as to what might happen to them if Argentina lost. Which they did, whereupon, the Argentinan people wasted little time in letting the members of the military junta know that their days in office not only were numbered, but that what they could look forward to was being tried for their crimes against humanity. Which, of course, they were with several being convicted & still serving time. Which tells us that the extraordinary popularity of military figures may only be as good as their last victory, such that, one loss and, presto, there goes that protective cover, and without the public’s support, how will the generals withstand the inevitable clamor for troops out now, demilitarization with swords into plowshare conversions to follow? And, just think, one defeat, that’s all it takes. So General McChrystal, with his stay the course and then some message, is speaking not just for himself, but for the entire military-industrial-political complex. Who speaks for the public? Looks like it’s up to us, what with a president who’s turned out to be just another front for the powers that be.
Report thisBy ardee, October 8, 2009 at 5:22 am Link to this comment
montanawildhack, October 8 at 7:40 am
The apparent sarcasm masks the fact that this is an accurate picture of the future this poster seeks…..
sad , not scary.
Report thisBy montanawildhack, October 8, 2009 at 4:40 am Link to this comment
Help me out here comrades… Are we currently at war with Eurasia or Eastasia???? Goddamed if I can keep it straight…. One thing I know for certain… We will be gloriously victorious… It may take a 1000 years but we will crush all our enemies…. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face———-Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Report thisBy denk, October 7, 2009 at 11:47 pm Link to this comment
the ubiquitous dark hands of “terrarism”
Report thistinyurl.com/4mmkch
By LocalHero, October 7, 2009 at 10:23 pm Link to this comment
oops, should have read ...and the 130 other countries whose affairs our troops and spooks meddle in.
You get the idea
Report thisBy LocalHero, October 7, 2009 at 10:20 pm Link to this comment
Bushbama doesn’t have the balls to do what needs to be done which is to get the hell out of Af-Pak (and the 130 other countries whose affairs our troops and spooks are meddle in). The tentacles of the Military-Industrial-Media Complex have his nuts in a vice in a jar somewhere in case he gets out of line. He won’t; our Black-Ops need the drug money.
Report thisBy denk, October 7, 2009 at 9:41 pm Link to this comment
tinyurl.com/mumupz
Report thisBy Mary Ann McNeely, October 7, 2009 at 1:43 pm Link to this comment
McChrystal is as traitor, pure and simple. He should be fired unceremoniously, drummed out of the military and become a hired assassin, which is his true calling in this corrupt and absurd life.
Report thisBy SusanSunflower, October 7, 2009 at 9:42 am Link to this comment
Something, someone has to yell “wake up America” and I think McChrystal is doing this ... regardless of how many fairy tales we want to believe in, you cannot win a “war” or an “occupation” or whatever-the-hell Afghanistan is or might be without manpower ...
We tried and tried and tried that in Iraq ... and even with the “surge,” in reality it appears that ethnic cleansing and buying friends was actually what created the illusion of “progress”—although, Petraeus and company can take credit for bringing the “Fallujah tactics” of checkpoints and the blast walls and the sectoring to Baghdad.
Afghanistan cannot be “won” by people who are actively “fighting” its only genuine economy—opium. In contrast, Iraq had/has oil, and Maliki’s salvation (such as it is/was) was turning on the money tap of government jobs (paid for by oil revenue). It would be like trying to pacify the American Midwest while destroying by-any-means-necessary the corn industry.
America’s arm chair warriors, so fond of this “good war,” need to face the music that like Soylent Green, Af-Pak is “people”
Report thisBy notasleep, October 7, 2009 at 7:58 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Hey McChrystal, what percentage of the opium take will be yours? If you get your wishes on the expansion of the war would that mean you would end up with hundreds of millions in drug profits?
Report thisBy Hulk2008, October 7, 2009 at 7:45 am Link to this comment
The best assignment the Pres can give to Gen. McChrystal would be to actually lead the US troops OUT of Afghanistan.
Question: How many generals does it take to change a light bulb ?
Report thisAnswer: Only one. But the general would like to leak to the press that he prefers replacing the bulb with 40,000 expensive LEDs.
By bogi666, October 7, 2009 at 7:09 am Link to this comment
McChrystal should be fired for insubordination and Gates and Patreus for allowing insubordination. It is against military policy for its members to give speeches like this without seeking prior approval. President Obushama doesn’t have the courage to exercise his Commander in Chief of the Military responsibility by not firing all of them. Besides, the situation in AfPak has deteriorated since McChrystal took over there. Just how is he the expert? The Mantra of the MIC is victory for the sake of victory in AfPak even if it means endless war. As someone mentioned here he’s a shill for the MIC and is being bribed to make these unauthorized speeches.The Pentagon is testing Obushama and this test involves the Honduras coup by its Generals there who needed Pentagon approval and/or instigation for the coup. They have intimate ties through the Pentagon’s School of Assassins at Fort Benning where most Honduran generals go so that the Pentagon has intelligence from them from their home country, for a slight fee of course. Look for a Pentagon take over of the government, it is already the government inside the government.
Report thisBy Paul_GA, October 7, 2009 at 4:49 am Link to this comment
Ardee, I suspect that Obama (as LBJ once said of J. Edgar Hoover) would rather have McChrystal inside the tent p_ssing out, that outisde the tent p_ssing in.
Report thisBy MarthaA, October 6, 2009 at 7:15 pm Link to this comment
McChrystal apparently is being paid by someone in the Military Industrial Complex, because he has been deliberately trying to force the President to decide his way through public forums, not by quietly talking to the President, but by using the Right-Wing Conservative EXTREMIST’s Media public forums, which causes me to think that so many troops are not necessary, but are being used as a power control by factors in the military for reasons other than the best interest of the nation. If McChrystal wants to quit, then he should, his quitting will be in the best interest of the nation.
Report thisBy pikawicca, October 6, 2009 at 5:59 pm Link to this comment
I’m a military brat,and I can only imagine my officer dad’s revulsion at McChrystal’s breach of proper military limits. It’s not up to him to decide, only to advise. If I were the Pres, I’d kick his butt out the door ASAP.
Report thisBy Jean Gerard, October 6, 2009 at 5:13 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
When is this country going to recognize its insanity?First it sends its army, navy and airforce, thinking they will catch a guy with a long beard who wears a sheet and lives in a cave, and maybe 1000 or so rag-tag killers who do what Allah tells them—like Bush did what God told him. Then it sends tens of thousands more army, navy, airforce, black ops etc. to Iraq to catch a man with a beard hiding in a hole in the ground. That war doesn’t go so well, but rather than stop, it soldiers on, kicking in doors, sticking up family members, learning a few words of Arabic and listening to chaplains talk about the Crusades of 1050A.D. Next it girds its loins and goes after Afghanistan to support a more or less unpopular ex-pat in a cute outfit who speaks English. It burns poppy fields, the only source of a meager income for local farmers while enablers skim all the cream off the top. It shoots wedding parties by mistake. Turns out, this war doesn’t do too well either, so commanders in Florida decide to bomb, Pakistan’s mountains with predator drones so we don’t have to look at what we kill. As the “theater” expands, it costs more and kills more and more people. We are now just about to the end of ACT V when McBash kills McBluff and all his wives and children hiding in woebegone little villages barely surviving behind a wall of bare mountains. It is getting darker and darker. The curtain is supposed to fall now, but something seems to be wrong. McChrystal appears on stage and warns the audience not to worry, everything will be okay, but they must remain calm and do what he says so the play can continue because nobody knows how to stop it, even though it is really over. Really. Over,
Report thisBy ardee, October 6, 2009 at 3:46 pm Link to this comment
I heard Robert Gates note that McChrystal was way out of line. I would rather see no increases in troops and this loudmouth General turned into a private citizen frankly…..then he can spout all the opinions he wishes.
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