A General might lose his job from remark on Rolling Stone

Now, flipping through printout cards of his speech in Paris, McChrystal wonders aloud what Biden question he might get today, and how he should respond. "I never know what's going to pop out until I'm up there, that's the problem," he says. Then, unable to help themselves, he and his staff imagine the general dismissing the vice president with a good one-liner.

"Are you asking about Vice President Biden?" McChrystal says with a laugh. "Who's that?"

"Biden?" suggests a top adviser. "Did you say: Bite Me?"

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Even though he had voted for Obama, McChrystal and his new commander in chief failed from the outset to connect. The general first encountered Obama a week after he took office, when the president met with a dozen senior military officials in a room at the Pentagon known as the Tank. According to sources familiar with the meeting, McChrystal thought Obama looked "uncomfortable and intimidated" by the roomful of military brass. Their first one-on-one meeting took place in the Oval Office four months later, after McChrystal got the Afghanistan job, and it didn't go much better. "It was a 10-minute photo op," says an adviser to McChrystal. "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his fucking war, but he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed."

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Part of the problem is structural: The Defense Department budget exceeds $600 billion a year, while the State Department receives only $50 billion. But part of the problem is personal: In private, Team McChrystal likes to talk shit about many of Obama's top people on the diplomatic side. One aide calls Jim Jones, a retired four-star general and veteran of the Cold War, a "clown" who remains "stuck in 1985." Politicians like McCain and Kerry, says another aide, "turn up, have a meeting with Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows. Frankly, it's not very helpful."

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At one point on his trip to Paris, McChrystal checks his BlackBerry. "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke," he groans. "I don't even want to open it." He clicks on the message and reads the salutation out loud, then stuffs the BlackBerry back in his pocket, not bothering to conceal his annoyance.

"Make sure you don't get any of that on your leg," an aide jokes, referring to the e-mail.

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That's just from the first half of the article. Not to mention that the article's summary is "Stanley McChrystal, Obama's top commander in Afghanistan, has seized control of the war by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House."

Calling them the Wimps in the White House... yeah, undermining the people in charge is a bad move, no matter what your job is.

If Obama wants to maintain control, he would have to remove him. McChrystal has left him no choice.

Sometimes I can't tell if you're naive or obtuse.

Krisken said:

Calling them the Wimps in the White House... yeah, undermining the people in charge is a bad move, no matter what your job is.

If Obama wants to maintain control, he would have to remove him. McChrystal has left him no choice.

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I see the article headline but where did McChrystal call them wimps?

Plus it seems like his "aides" do an awful lot of the remarks in question. Not that he shouldn't run a tighter ship. When a reporter is around tell your aides to not insult the Veep, etc, etc.

Espy said:

Plus it seems like his "aides" do an awful lot of the remarks in question. Not that he shouldn't run a tighter ship. When a reporter is around tell your aides to not insult the Veep, etc, etc.

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No, you are right, he never said that. My mistake.

The general shouldn't have said what he said, but should Obama handicap the war by switching someone else in right now?

Finish the job and punish him later.

Let's take a look at the "bad" stuff that is worth firing this guy over that Troll polled, because I don't want to be "obtuse", god forbid. I'll comment on, what I'm sure is the plethora of stuff McChrystal said that is worthy of getting fired from, but I'll probably avoid the stuff his staff say, because I'm sure it's not the bulk of the article or anything.

"Are you asking about Vice President Biden?" McChrystal says with a laugh. "Who's that?"

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Out of line, sure, but I'm sure it's only the warm up for the bad stuff he's gonna say right?

"Biden?" suggests a top adviser. "Did you say: Bite Me?"

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Advisor talking... not terribly bright.

McChrystal thought Obama looked "uncomfortable and intimidated" by the roomful of military brass.

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An observation, this is worthy firing him for? If someone had said this about Bush you guys would be wanting to give him a medal and ask him why he held back.

"It was a 10-minute photo op," says an adviser to McChrystal. "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his fucking war, but he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed."

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Ah, now that, oh... wait. No... this is an advisor talking.

One aide[/B] calls Jim Jones, a retired four-star general and veteran of the Cold War, a "clown" who remains "stuck in 1985."

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Another damn aide... when is this guy gonna shoot his mouth off?

Politicians like McCain and Kerry, says another aide, "turn up, have a meeting with Karzai, criticize him at the airport press conference, then get back for the Sunday talk shows. Frankly, it's not very helpful."

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Come on McChrystal. Talk some shit son.

At one point on his trip to Paris, McChrystal checks his BlackBerry. "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke," he groans. "I don't even want to open it."

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FINALLY. He doesn't read an email. He even groaned. Fire this mothersmurfer.

"Make sure you don't get any of that on your leg," an aide jokes, referring to the e-mail.

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Stupid aides, always talking again.

That's just from the first half of the article. Not to mention that the article's summary is "Stanley McChrystal, Obama's top commander in Afghanistan, has seized control of the war by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House."

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So one more thing never said by McChrystal or even his team in this case, just the reporter looking to get attention.
As I said before it seems that McChrystal clearly needs to clean house, but I'm struggling to find things that HE said that ought to get him fired. I'm open to the argument that he deserves it for letting his staff act like idiots in front of a reporter, but if it's for this kind of stuff... meh.
If he did call the president a wimp or made some really bad comments? Fire him in a heartbeat. But this stuff seems petty at best.

His aides said some things they really shouldn't have. He said some things he shouldn't have. I don't think the guy should be fired, but he deserves a good tongue lashing. The military cannot tolerate even the appearance of insubordination from a general to the president. That about sums up my position.

EDIT: Removed snark.

B.T. said:

I think they are viewing it through the lens of " what does it say about a general's command ability if his aides are mouthing off?" I think that's how the media is focusing on it

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I dunno, everything I heard on NPR today and most of the news links I have read have referred to the aides but it's been pretty much "GENERAL SAYS WHITEHOUSE WIMPS!" etc, etc.
Either way, I agree with Troll that it reflects VERY poorly on the general and he should be reprimanded and hopefully he's learn his lesson about a)letting any douchebag from RollingStone near him and b)telling his aides to shut the hell up around reporters. And troll... why'd you take out the snark? I was hungry and it goes so well with a nice red wine...

I admit, Espy, I almost made a snarky comment on this-

Espy said:

An observation, this is worthy firing him for? If someone had said this about Bush you guys would be wanting to give him a medal and ask him why he held back.

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but decided there just wasn't a good response to it.

NPR also focused a bit on whether or not McChrystal is making progress in Afghanistan. If he is fired, I don't think it is because of the article but because the article brings forth the opportunity to really evaluate how he is doing and he is seen to come up short.

Krisken said:

I admit, Espy, I almost made a snarky comment on this-

Espy said:

An observation, this is worthy firing him for? If someone had said this about Bush you guys would be wanting to give him a medal and ask him why he held back.

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but decided there just wasn't a good response to it.

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Hey, if I'm not allowed a little jab here and there whats the fun in it?

---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 PM ----------

"B.T. said:

Espy;403652 said:

B.T. said:

I think they are viewing it through the lens of " what does it say about a general's command ability if his aides are mouthing off?" I think that's how the media is focusing on it

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I dunno, everything I heard on NPR today and most of the news links I have read have referred to the aides but it's been pretty much "GENERAL SAYS WHITEHOUSE WIMPS!" etc, etc.
Either way, I agree with Troll that it reflects VERY poorly on the general and he should be reprimanded and hopefully he's learn his lesson about a)letting any douchebag from RollingStone near him and b)telling his aides to shut the hell up around reporters. And troll... why'd you take out the snark? I was hungry and it goes so well with a nice red wine...

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which would be implication in the point I stated above?

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No, you said that they were talking about, and I quote: "what does it say about a general's command ability if his aides are mouthing off"
I said most of what I had heard was focused on the General and implying he had said all this horrible stuff, nothing about whether or not his aides had mouthed off. Sounds different to me. but maybe I'm just misunderstanding your point. Which is always possible.

B.T. said:

How was that?

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I've had better.

Doh, alright, yeah, I get what you were saying.
Either way it will be interesting to see what Obama does here... I really don't see how he can win no matter what he does. He fires him and people will get pissed, he does't and people will... still get pissed. Guess thats part of the fun of being the president.

I dunno why Petraeus wouldn't work... I hear it's McChrystals connections with the government over there that make him "indispensable".

He's apparently offered to resign.

McChrystal Offers to Resign After Disparaging Comments - Bloomberg

We really don't need this shit right now.

Hm. This might be a way to keep him in his job. If Obama can say 'lets let it go and get our shit done', he'll not only seem like someone who isn't full of himself, but will keep a valuable asset in the General.

Shrewd move, McChrystal! I hope it pays off. I take it back, McChrystal has left him another choice.

On whether or not Obama accepts his resignation offer?

Which side do you want? Go 300 Halbucks? You can choose which you want- Obama Accepts/Doesn't Accept.

Lol, ok. Want them all, eh?

Sure. I'll have to build up some to pay for the "Gift" part (it costs some Halbucks to give it to another person). I'm sure by the time we find out what he decides I'll have made that up. Sounds good.

This really seems to me like the fastest President Obama has ever reacted to something General McCrystal has said.

Covar said:

This really seems to me like the fastest President Obama has ever reacted to something General McCrystal has said.

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Yeah, Obama pretty much gives him carte blanche to run the war his way. And then gets repaid with sluggish movement at the front and insubordination.

ANYONE that breaks the military's duty of staying loyal to the Commander In Chief, deserves at least a reprimand.

I don't think the general will get dropped in the middle of a major offensive. Which is not getting much press coverage now because an single American Teenager was killed five years ago.