Furious President Obama summons Gen. Stanley McChrystal to D.C.
The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has been summoned to the White House to explain biting and unflattering remarks he made to a freelance writer about President Barack Obama and others in the Obama administration.
The face-to-face comes as pundits are already calling for McChrystal to resign for insubordination.
McChrystal has been instructed to fly from Kabul to Washington today to attend Obama’s regular monthly security team meeting tomorrow at the White House.
An administration official says McChrystal was asked to attend in person rather than by secure video teleconference, “where he will have to explain to the Pentagon and the commander in chief his quotes about his colleagues in the piece.â€
Ooops! Anyone else recall the final resolution of the differences between another general “Mac” and his CinC – Truman in that case.
The similarity hasn’t escaped notice among the Brits, one of whom is predicting an early and similar demise for McChristal:
I confidently predict Obama will sack General Stanley McChrystal for his Rolling Stone outburst
Oh dear, I fear General Stanley McChrystal will be making a one-day trip to Washington after U.S. President Barack Obama summoned him to Washington to explain his less than flattering remarks about the Obama administration that are due to appear in this week’s edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
Gen McChrystal has already apologised for the remarks, but that has not saved him from Mr Obama’s rage. There are many misguided souls in this world who still believe that the American president who is fundamentally a nice guy, who doesn’t get involved in petty political in-fighting.
Well, they are about to have a rude awakening. You don’t get to be elected President of the United States simply for a being a nice guy. You need to be a ruthless, political opportunist, and Mr Obama has these qualities in abundance.
Adding some additional context highlights the current situation…or not?
The Obama administration gave serious consideration to dismissing McChrystal last autumn after his outspoken comments at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, in which he openly called on the Obama White House to back his surge strategy for Afghanistan.
Mr Obama thought better of sacking him then, but the hapless American general has now given Mr Obama all the ammunition he needs to fire him. Which is why I rate the chances of Gen McChrystal surviving his latest showdown with Mr Obama as zero.
Either way, we won;t have long to wait to see if there is blood accompanying the broken glass in the Pentagon.
While I despise Pres. Obama and all he represents, the good general should have resigned with comment vice violate the UCMJ with his insubordination. We know very well he would fry a junior service member for such misconduct. Piss poor on the general’s part.
Here’s agreeing with Stace. What was the general thinking of and especially when agreeing to be interviewed by ‘The Rolling Stone Magazine’ ?? Why not ‘Pravda’?? If his common sense talents are that lacking do we really want him commanding our sons and daughters? Our president gags me but in this case he did the right thing. He had no choice.
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