General Stanley McChrystal, commander of American forces in Afghanistan, was fired today by President Obama for criticizing the president and members of his adminstration in an article in the left-wing magazine Rolling Stone.
When the news first broke that Gen. McChrystal was in hot water with the president I didn't know what to make of it. I know the military has rules governing what its members can and can't do and say. I know those rules can be far more strict than the rules applied to civilians. So, when I heard that Obama was upset with McChrystal I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, I had no way of knowing if what McChrystal said in Rolling Stone equalled insubordination. If the general's remarks did violate the military's code then Obama acted appropriately today. But I have a problem cutting Chicago BO some slack, and here it is.
Barack Obama is the most thin skinned president in recent history. His epidermis is flimsier than a wet Kleenex. The man does NOT like criticism. Consequently, it's almost impossible for me to believe that his sacking of McChrystal was anything but retribution for the general's dissent. Yes, Obama claimed that "personal insult" had nothing to do with McChrystal's firing, but c'mon. Barack Obama is the president who tried to discredit an entire news channel because he felt it wasn't "sufficiently supportive" of him. But now we're supposed to believe that General McChrystal's gone simply because Obama's devoted to order in the military. Again, come on!
Obama's star is fading fast. In less than two years he's gone from being a messiah to a false prophet. He knows he must salvage his image among the people. Perhaps Obama thought that sacking McChrystal would make him look strong and decisive and allay Americans' increasing doubts about his leadership. It won't. Instead, most Americans will probably see firing a great general when he's needed most as a vindictive act by a president childishly intolerant of dissent. The McChrystal affair could've helped Obama regain some of his lost mojo but the president sabotaged himself with his previous mishandling of criticism. And I actually think that's too bad.
6 comments:
You are totally right on Obama being thin skinned. He is thin skinned to a fault I think. Anything and everything that doesn't agree with him will either cause him to lash out or cry like a baby. We have such a man in the white house that makes us so proud........NOT! I can't wait for him to be sacked.....like he sacked McChrystal.
Great comment, Robert. Love your last line!
Seane-Anne, I typed a great response to your last and lost it.....Now I'll try again. "The One", if one I read is correct should have done what he did...No desention in the ranks.....We can't have a breakdonw in moral or disipline and being critical of the CIC in public is not acceptable....I will not post what he should have done, but it should have been in private not publically, Enough damage has been done to this country already without our military adding their two cents worth....great post as usual....God Bless....
The media "pundits" have this all wrong (as usual)....this was NOT a "mistake," or "a clever lefty reporter sandbagging some military dopes," as so many of our media pseudo-elites would like to portray it.
McChrystal found the ratcheted up "rules of engagement" (RoE) that put concern for collateral damaga ahead of the concern for our troop's lives deplorable and unacceptable.
This administration has gone so far as to have issued a new meritorious honor - the "Courageous Restrain Medal" that is given to "soldiers and Marines who demonstrate uncommon restraint in combate by not firing their weapons even when they feel threatened by the enemy."
It can be argued that McChrystal should've resigned privately, but this was designed to bring attention to both the situation and the current CiC's lack of engagement in all this.
Consider that Barack Obama is actually guilty of ALL the things the left accused his predecessor of being, "lacking curiosity," "not being angaged in the day-to-day affairs of governing," and "being in over his head."
McChrystal has 33 years in....he can easily retire. Moreover, it brought attention to the ridiculous RoE thaqt have resulted in last month (June) being the deadliest month in Afghanistan since 2001). The FIRSAT thing Gen. Petraeus did was to criticize those RoE and call for an overhaul.
Obama needed to be taken to task publically like this....THIUS was no "mistake." Hastings didn't "use" McChrystal and his staff....they used the idiotic media pseudo-elites to get a message out to the POTUS and to the American people.
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