Military General Bashes Obama Administration

[PatekPhilippe]

Nice to see you'd favor throwing a General under the bus in favor of the Hussein.

I favor following the chain of command and not showing disrespect for seniors. I guess I am not all that surprised that you would not.

McChrystal made it all the way to 4-Star (that's a subtle jab at you), he must know what he's doing and of what he speaks.

How did McChrystal not follow the chain of command? He's at the top. He IS the chain of command. If he gets fired for his comments then that just shows how thin skinned many in the Obama administration are.

If I was the President in this situation I would ask McChrystal: "Why are you giving interviews to that group of dope smoking leftists?" But Obama won't because he IS a dope smoking leftist. They hate the Military you know.

And finally, did you not study Billy Mitchell while you were in the Navy sir? Go back and refresh your memory about his "insubordination" and the positive effects it ultimately had on the Navy and Air Power in general.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh....not quite. He's got several people over him in his chain of command. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of the Army, CENTCOM...etc.

 

[hortysir]

Respect has to be earned....you cannot vote in respect for someone...it just doesn't work that way.
Personally I would like to see Obama fired. He's proven time and again that he just doesn't measure up as a leader. Sorry if that upsets some of you who voted for him but...that's the way the cookie is crumbling.

I disagree.
Respect should be a given, unless and until there is just cause to diminish it.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Respect has to be earned....you cannot vote in respect for someone...it just doesn't work that way.
Personally I would like to see Obama fired. He's proven time and again that he just doesn't measure up as a leader. Sorry if that upsets some of you who voted for him but...that's the way the cookie is crumbling.

it doesn't upset me. he's still got an almost 50% approval rating.

but now you know how i felt for 8 years watching the stupidest president i've seen in my lifetime.

stuff happens.

That's fine...but Bush was a leader of men....and his strategies proved correct....even Obama admitted as much.
A 50% approval rating will NOT earn you ONE IOTA of respect from the boots on the ground in A'stan and Iraq.....that's how shit happens. Giving your troops the tools they need to take the fight to the enemy are what earns respect...leading your men BY EXAMPLE is what earns you respect....not playing political bullshit games to suck up to the left wing Code Pink fucks.

 

[MaggieMae]

We might as well call all the troops home because they will have no respect, no credibility by the Afghan people who have supported our presence there. Nice goin' General Stupid. Only the militant Taliban are laughing their asses off over this one.

 

[MaggieMae]

I'll take a wait and see on this one. Most of what I read were comments made by people other than McChrystal, and I credit the general with being smart enough not to hang himself by making inflammatory statements to the media. However, I would not be surprised if the media distorted some of McChrystal's comments.

Either way, the Obama administration should be careful how it handles this incident. This guy is a real warrior and real live, no-bullshit, hero.

The administration (and Obama) have known about McChrystal's derrogatory comments to Rolling Stone for over a week, which may explain why Petraeus fainted during a hearing the other day (lack of sleep). He knows damned well that Mac was his man and promoted the insurgency strategy hard to Obama as opposed to Biden's strategy of drone attacks. Now McStupid has blown the whole mission leaving egg on a real hero's face, General Patreaus.

Since they've known about this longer than the media, it's also undoubtedly why Obama and Biden "played golf" last Saturday. Where else to get absolute privacy away from possible leaks? I sincerely hope the two of them discussed the fact that this incident might be the opening needed to get the hell out of Afghanistan by THIS July, not next. It's obvious the military operations are now on hold, and the strategies haven't been working in any event.

 

[JakeStarkey]

And now for the REST of the story

Update: McChrystal retreats. Is it fast enough to save him?

He says in a statement: “I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened. Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard. I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome.”
​

The apology is absolutely correct for his misbehavior. The General was absolutely wrong in not controlling his people and his own mouth. This General got three times the amount of troops in Afghanistan ever sent there.

McCrystahl's behavior favors the enemy, therefore he must bring his resignation to the President tomorrow.

Any who defend McCrystahl favor the enemy jihadists over the welfare of the country. Such collaborators, those who defend McCrytahl and attack the President, and their supporters need to be identified and brought to account in a time of war.

 

[MaggieMae]

I'll take a wait and see on this one. Most of what I read were comments made by people other than McChrystal, and I credit the general with being smart enough not to hang himself by making inflammatory statements to the media. However, I would not be surprised if the media distorted some of McChrystal's comments.

Either way, the Obama administration should be careful how it handles this incident. This guy is a real warrior and real live, no-bullshit, hero.

-___

Quite right - and if these and other comments by McChrystal are in fact correct, and right now it is the AP that is breaking the story, it will further legitimize the repeated assertions of a growing rift between the military leadership and the Obama White House.

McChrystal is no fool - if he is in fact going forward with such an attack against this White House, it must be for some tactical purpose - a purpose instigated by his personal responsibility to the soldiers he commands.

As said earlier - very interesting...

There has always been a "rift" (as you call it) between the State Department and the Pentagon strategy. Why do you think it took six weeks to finalize the plan for Afghanistan (that timing being highly criticized by people from the right, as you might recall).

 

[jillian]

Respect has to be earned....you cannot vote in respect for someone...it just doesn't work that way.
Personally I would like to see Obama fired. He's proven time and again that he just doesn't measure up as a leader. Sorry if that upsets some of you who voted for him but...that's the way the cookie is crumbling.

it doesn't upset me. he's still got an almost 50% approval rating.

but now you know how i felt for 8 years watching the stupidest president i've seen in my lifetime.

stuff happens.

That's fine...but Bush was a leader of men....and his strategies proved correct....even Obama admitted as much.
A 50% approval rating will NOT earn you ONE IOTA of respect from the boots on the ground in A'stan and Iraq.....that's how shit happens. Giving your troops the tools they need to take the fight to the enemy are what earns respect...leading your men BY EXAMPLE is what earns you respect....not playing political bullshit games.

i don't see bush as a 'leader of men' at all. i saw him as a buffoon who got what he got because of his daddy's position. even his own mother didn't think he should be president.

and i didn't see any example set by someone who couldn't even take his last drug test to get his flight status re-certified.

so we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. if approval ratings are any indication, then i'd say that the 27% approval rating bush had when he left kind of indicates that more people saw him as i did.

not that that's dispositive, but i didn't think bush was someone worthy of any respect. and if the same people continuing to bash the president now weren't the same ones who based him the day he was elected, i might be more inclined to be swayed.

but your opinion of the president aside, the general's comments were insubordinate. if he felt he couldn't serve, then his option was to retire.

 

[MaggieMae]

For instance, an update to the original story - implicating the administration in, for lack of a better term, paying off the Taliban, who then in turn take those payments to buy the very weapons they then use against the military. This situation alone has be creating significant friction between the troops, the private contractors and the private contractors current support by the Obama administration...
___

Private security contractors protecting the convoys that supply U.S. military bases in Afghanistan are paying millions of dollars a week in “passage bribes” to the Taliban and other insurgent groups to travel along Afghan roads, a congressional investigation released Monday has found.
The payments, which are reimbursed by the U.S. government, help fund the very enemy the U.S. is attempting to defeat and renew questions about the U.S. dependence on private contractors, who outnumber American troops in Afghanistan , 130,000 to 93,000.

The report’s author called the findings of the six-month investigation “sobering and shocking.”

Hot Air Oh boy: “Rolling Stone” to expose McChrystal’s feuding with administration officials; Update: WH, Gates phone McChrystal

That was very similar to Patreaus' strategy in Iraq. They paid off the bad guys in cold card cash to win them over. It was successful only until it stopped, however.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

it doesn't upset me. he's still got an almost 50% approval rating.

but now you know how i felt for 8 years watching the stupidest president i've seen in my lifetime.

stuff happens.

That's fine...but Bush was a leader of men....and his strategies proved correct....even Obama admitted as much.
A 50% approval rating will NOT earn you ONE IOTA of respect from the boots on the ground in A'stan and Iraq.....that's how shit happens. Giving your troops the tools they need to take the fight to the enemy are what earns respect...leading your men BY EXAMPLE is what earns you respect....not playing political bullshit games.

i don't see bush as a 'leader of men' at all. i saw him as a buffoon who got what he got because of his daddy's position. even his own mother didn't think he should be president.

and i didn't see any example set by someone who couldn't even take his last drug test to get his flight status re-certified.

so we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. if approval ratings are any indication, then i'd say that the 27% approval rating bush had when he left kind of indicates that more people saw him as i did.

not that that's dispositive, but i didn't think bush was someone worthy of any respect. and if the same people continuing to bash the president now weren't the same ones who based him the day he was elected, i might be more inclined to be swayed.

but your opinion of the president aside, the general's comments were insubordinate. if he felt he couldn't serve, then his option was to retire.

Precisely...that's common ground we share. There can be NO DOUBT IN or INSUBORDINATE BEHAVIOR IN THE CHAIN OF COMMAND!

 

[MaggieMae]

It isn't unusual at all for theater commanders to disagree with the president, and it isn't illegal. What would be insubordination would be yoiu know if he actually refused a lawful order. UCMJ does not say you can't disagree with a superior officer, it merely says you better obey whether you agree or not.
Some of you , once again, need to learn what it is you speak of.


I won't even bother listing the history of Theater commanders who argued LOUDLY with their CiC over how things are being run from the White House. The only thing that Obama could do is to essentially fire him, but that would be stupid and so Obama will tolerate it as long as the man continues to produce results in Afghanistan.

Criticism is fine, but holding such a high position and geopolitically important post, you don't take your criticisms public, especially to a periodical like Rolling Stone. Was he nuts?

 

[Sarah G]

He will resign.

He's made it clear that he thinks Obama is a moron, and he is too proud to allow himself to be fired by a moron.

He'll walk.

He's already apologized and has been summoned from the battle field to the WH. He isn't saving face by walking at this point. If he walks, he's still an idiot for saying that stuff to Rolling Stone.

 

[MaggieMae]

Top general in Afghan war: US envoy betrayed me

The Associated Press: Top general in Afghan war: US envoy betrayed me

Says that his aids were mocking Biden too.

Wow.

Dissention all around - even among the troops themselves who are getting pissed and tired at being over there unable to fight in the manner they were trained...

Whose fault is that? Is it possible that McChrystal was simply putting up irrelevant defenses by bashing the administration because his own carefully designed missions are failing? Sounds to me that's exactly what he did, because one of the comments he made is that (paraphrasing), "If we fail, then 'they' will be able to say 'we told you so.' "

 

[PatekPhilippe]

I will say this much about McChristal....he's DUTY BOUND TO RESIGN HIS COMMAND IF HE FEELS HE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH THE TASK WITH THE TOOLS GIVEN HIM BY THE PRESIDENT!!!!
THAT'S actually the bottom line right there. Duty to self, the chain of command and country.

 

[MaggieMae]

Hmm, Insubordination to a superior officer or worse if true?

Obama IS the generals supreme commanding officer.

Such unprofessional behaviour.. tsk tsk

You are assuming that McChrystal is giving Rolling Stone an interview, which would be against his character. What is more likely is that a bunch of people who hate him in the administration are talking about him to make him look bad. Unfortunately for them, Rolling Stone has turned out to be the last real media outlet in America, and is actually reporting both sides of the story, without talking to McChrystal.

The reporter had plenty of time to talk to everyone in McChrystal's tight circle, including the general. It's being reported this morning by Rolling Stone's editor, Eric Bates, that they had landed an interview with McChrystal, but the reporter's plane was grounded due to the volcano eruption and he was thereby able to spend not just an hour or so doing the interview, but DAYS.

 

[MaggieMae]

heard this morning that the general has been called to the white house to explain himself. I think he should be fired by Petraeus or Casey or Gates before he gets there.

Nice to see you'd favor throwing a General under the bus in favor of the Hussein.

From what I'm hearing, seeing, and reading from MILITARY PERSONNEL is that they believe the general was way out of line and should be fired. Grow the fuck up.

 

[MaggieMae]

He will resign.

He's made it clear that he thinks Obama is a moron, and he is too proud to allow himself to be fired by a moron.

He'll walk.

Regardless of your personal feelings toward Obama, McChrystal will retire in shame. He'll probably get an excellent book deal, period.

 

[MaggieMae]

Joe Scarborogh said none of the generals respect you know who.







Karma Karma Karma

Scarbrough never said any such thing. Shall I post the video from this morning? Or would you rather do that yourself and slink away in your usual fashion when fact meets fiction?

 

[Foxfyre]

McChrystal has publicly apologized for improper statements made by his staff. It is probable that he was misquoted by Rolling Stone--it wouldn't be the first time he misquoted somebody.

But it is as improper and potentially destructive for ANYBODY in the military, let alone a general, to publicly criticize the Commander in Chief just as it is improper for him to publicly criticize the men and women in uniform. In either case aid and comfort is given to whatever enemy is out there and it is a demoralizing situation.

We don't do the boots on the ground in harms way any favors when we criticize them or their leaders publicly either so far as their military conduct is concerned.

Obama's generals should be able to speak their mind freely behind closed doors, however, and he should be encouraging that.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

He will resign.

He's made it clear that he thinks Obama is a moron, and he is too proud to allow himself to be fired by a moron.

He'll walk.

Regardless of your personal feelings toward Obama, McChrystal will retire in shame. He'll probably get an excellent book deal, period.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that...he will resign if he has any honor....retired General pay ain't nothing to laugh at and he will say he stuck to his guns and give the reasons WHY he resigned right before the Presidential election in 2012....that's how it works....that's IF any of this turns out to be true.