(NOTE: Stay current and read the latest article “Obama vs McChrystal, round 2“)
Last week, a media firestorm brew over a perceived push against President Obama’s authority by General McCrystal. McCrystal, the Commander of US forces in Afghanistan, made a few public speeches and interviews expressing his doubt about the current state in Afghanistan while laying out his case for additional troops on the ground, and that time is an issues. The debate capped off when McCrystal stated during a 60 Minutes interview that he only talked with the President once since being placed in charge. This has left an impression that the General is growing impatient with the Administration and that the President has been dragging his feet so he doesn’t have to make a difficult and controversial decision. The White House attempted to do some damage control by noting that correspondence about the war is shared on a daily basis between the two men. I have two questions on this topic.
The first question: “Is General McCrystal right?” I do believe that McCrystal is right that he needs more troops and a change in strategy in the war. As we saw in Iraq, the troop surge combined with a new strategy that involves the local populations worked. It improved security in the nation as well as cooperation and trust with the local Iraqis. Additionally, time is of the essence, as the sooner we improve the conditions on the ground (for both our troops and the locals), the sooner we can turn the tide as well as bring our troops home.
The second question: “Is General McCrystal in the right?” By this I mean, does the General have the authority to discuss the situation and the need of more troops in public settings, as well as pressuring the President to act sooner rather than later? This isn’t as easy to answer. We have a few examples of Commanding Officers during wars expressing their frustration with their civilian leadership, including General MacArthur and General Patton during World War II, as well as General Abizaid during the Iraq War. In these three cases, the Generals were reprimanded or in some cases recalled due to their insubordination. Will McCrystal be recalled and replaced with someone else? I doubt it due to his expertise in this type of war, however, I do think he was counselled in the proper chain of command when he met with Obama aboard Air Force One during the Presidents trip to Denmark to champion the Chicago bid for hosting the Olympics.
I do not think McCrystal was in the right. There are more appropriate ways for him to express his opinions as well as the urgency for action without doing it on public television. But I do believe he is right. The President has had months to consider his plan of action. Time is working against us, and the President needs to act now.
Related articles:
The Washington Post – “Obama’s Busy AfPak Week”
ABC News – “Gibbs Explains Why the President Has Only Talked to General McCrystal Once in 10 Weeks”
CBS News - “Unplugged: Obama Adviser’s Afghanistan Comment ‘Stunning’”
The Clare County Review – “Iraq and a hard place”
Washington Examiner – “Will Obama play politics with Afghanistan?”
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How does President McCrystal sound?
It has really nice ring to it.
Do you think the thought may have occured to him?
Hmmm….
You never know. They say the same thing about Gen. Petreus. Talk about a real mind-trip if the two of them were to run on the same ticket as Independents. How would the Democrats and Republicans respond?
This news is outdated. My comment is not. Gen. M has spent too much time in the Afgan poppy fields if he now thinks he can make peace deals with the Taliban. What is up with this??
The man on the ground surely knows the geography of the land and knows exactly what he is talking about. He knows more than those individuals who love to to smile in front of camera's on media rush hour and grin stupidly for another photo oppurtunity. They got no clue of the geography of the land. They sit in their wall to wall carpeted offices wearing designer clothes and watching replays of news interviews like a buch of wimps at the local cafe store .
Decision makers should be men of backbone that know the geography of the land from being on site and not from a prescripted selctive edit report designed to impress a carefully selected group of so called influential people that don't know where the north pole is because they lost their moral compass.
Surely a man on the ground in the front line is allowed to vent his anger because some individula wearing silk socks and silk underpants is trying to impress some wishy washy folk that have a wishbone for a backbone.
General Mccrystal the world salutes you. We are tired of people that are keep bowing down to man made false messiahs that haven't got a clue about life.
President McCrystal sounds good.
I believe Gen. McCrystal is right, after all, Obama has NEVER been in the millitary, he wouldn't know the difference between a cap gun and a real gun. The only thing Obama knows about shooting is, shooting his mouth off. Put Obama in Afganistan for a couple of weeks and I'm sure he will change his attitued real quick.
Good call, Moron. Elect a general with a track record for disrespecting his boss to the Presidency, where YOU are the boss he will predicably disrespect.
Obama has never respected him. Obama has never done anything right.
Disrespect he Obama has disrespected America. You are a fool to think otherwise.
Hey the general is a warrior, and men follow warriors. he is a solders general. I was a 2lt in vietnam. Its all about the men. Not politics.
General McCrystal, thank you for your service to our country, we just need alot more just like u, sorry to see our counrty in the shape its in, but mybe this man need to run of President.
Amen! politics has no place on the battlefield! What I don't understand is the General told Obama exactly what he needed to complete the mission but Obama dismissed it. If he isn't going to listen to the ones that are there and have been in the “busness” of winning battles and completing missions then who will he listen to? Not the American people that is for sure!!!