Did General McChrystal make this move on purpose? Pre-planned?

[bucs90]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

 

[LuckyDan]

No, not on purpose. There would have been no disgrace in resigning if he truly can't support his CIC. And he didn't exactly trash BO, despite all the criticism from BO fans.

He just isn't a media player. He and his boys got a little too comfortable with Hastings and they let their guards down. My guess is he's genuinely embarrassed by it.

 

[bucs90]

No, not on purpose. There would have been no disgrace in resigning if he truly can't support his CIC. And he didn't exactly trash BO, despite all the criticism from BO fans.

He just isn't a media player. He and his boys got a little too comfortable with Hastings and they let their guards down. My guess is he's genuinely embarrassed by it.

Actually, I disagree. You're right, he could resign with no disgrace. But this man is a true warrior and patriot, living the oath he took to this country. He sees the danger that many of the rest of us see with this administration's foreign policy and amateurism. He will not resign without first doing something, anything, to help expose that.

And you're right, he didn't trash Obama. That would be a huge mistake. He would come across as a dumb grunt, unprofessional, etc.

While respectfully disagreeing with you, I believe he and his boys being brilliant special operations veterans knew exactly what they were doing. Remember, they toil around with foreign politics all the time to create rifts, coups, alliances, etc. And this may have been just that. A little "nudge" at Obama to see if he would take the bait and embarrass himself. And my goodness did he ever. Tonight was the 1st night in 2 months that Fox, MSNBC led with a story other than the BP spill. Obama tried to turn BP into his new "war" last week. McChrystal, brilliantly, turned the tide back to the real war and Obama stepped right into the trap.

 

[LuckyDan]

No, not on purpose. There would have been no disgrace in resigning if he truly can't support his CIC. And he didn't exactly trash BO, despite all the criticism from BO fans.

He just isn't a media player. He and his boys got a little too comfortable with Hastings and they let their guards down. My guess is he's genuinely embarrassed by it.

Actually, I disagree. You're right, he could resign with no disgrace. But this man is a true warrior and patriot, living the oath he took to this country. He sees the danger that many of the rest of us see with this administration's foreign policy and amateurism. He will not resign without first doing something, anything, to help expose that.

And you're right, he didn't trash Obama. That would be a huge mistake. He would come across as a dumb grunt, unprofessional, etc.

While respectfully disagreeing with you, I believe he and his boys being brilliant special operations veterans knew exactly what they were doing. Remember, they toil around with foreign politics all the time to create rifts, coups, alliances, etc. And this may have been just that. A little "nudge" at Obama to see if he would take the bait and embarrass himself. And my goodness did he ever. Tonight was the 1st night in 2 months that Fox, MSNBC led with a story other than the BP spill. Obama tried to turn BP into his new "war" last week. McChrystal, brilliantly, turned the tide back to the real war and Obama stepped right into the trap.

Well who knows? You could be absolutely right. I just have a hard time believing he chose to special op himself right out of a gig. I hope he hasn't. We'll see.

 

[bucs90]

I thought about this a bit today on my nice day off work. I have a very good friend who is in the Army Reserve, just back from Afghanistan about 3 months ago. He's a Lt, but I've never been military, so not sure how powerful that is, he says not much at all but enough to know some stuff. But, he began talking a bit about this and I told him my theory. He was interested and a bit curious about it.

He said if McChrystal goes, his entire leadership staff does as well. All the high ranking commanding officers. He said that would cause the war effort in Afghanistan to basically come to a halt and possibly implode. He said at a point so critical, it would be insane to force McChrystal out, or allow him to resign. He also said it would be near impossible to have McChrystal gone, but keep all the other major leaders in place. He said the trust between the US troops, their leaders, and those of the locals would be gone, and the Taliban would be seen as righteous in their propoganda attempts in saying "The Americans will betray you".

So, it's basically a massive lose-lose for Obama. He said he wouldn't agree that it was on purpose, but also said he's well aware guys from that level of specops don't make mistakes, especially when something is planned in advance, like a global interview with Rolling Stones.

I don't know. I can't help but think this was a pyschops tactic that Obama just fell head first into, making himself look like an absolutely ignorant, amateur and incompetent leader in a time of war. Very sad our president has stooped to this level. The office, not the man.

 

[L.K.Eder]

great strategery, almost like attacking iraq when afghanistan was not lost.

 

[bucs90]

It was great strategery. Obama was desperately trying to turn the BP mess into a "war". McChrystal swiftly brought attention back to the actual war going on, and Obama's incompetence in fighting it.

He made Obama look foolish, like an amateur. Honestly, made him look like what he is: A preachy college professor who miraculously somehow slipped into the presidency and now has absolutely no clue what to do.

The fact that Obama bit on this bait from the military is astonishing. The military does not like Obama. That is clear. This was just one of many upcoming conflicts he'll have, and has had, with the military. Obama is out of his league playing politics with these types of people. Iran has already made him look like a juvenile running for class president, now the military is just going to embarrass him.

 

[L.K.Eder]

It was great strategery. Obama was desperately trying to turn the BP mess into a "war". McChrystal swiftly brought attention back to the actual war going on, and Obama's incompetence in fighting it.

He made Obama look foolish, like an amateur. Honestly, made him look like what he is: A preachy college professor who miraculously somehow slipped into the presidency and now has absolutely no clue what to do.

The fact that Obama bit on this bait from the military is astonishing. The military does not like Obama. That is clear. This was just one of many upcoming conflicts he'll have, and has had, with the military. Obama is out of his league playing politics with these types of people. Iran has already made him look like a juvenile running for class president, now the military is just going to embarrass him.

the military is baiting the CinC? the military should probably look for a new job. mercs are needed in many free countries.

 

[LuckyDan]

But Bucs, the BP thing was not yet at crisis point in mid April, when Hastings was with McChrystal.

Mc is a pro. I can't believe he would sabotage his own efforts in Afghanistan, and leave his soldiers and fellow commanders in the lurch, as your friend describes, all to get a lick or two in at Biden and other admin hacks.

 

[Sarah G]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Six months for a three day mission?

He seems kind of anal and unable to think on his feet. There are a lot of of smart generals, his problem may have been alcohol. He's kind of old for that frat boy mentality, don't you think?

 

[bucs90]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Six months for a three day mission?

He seems kind of anal and unable to think on his feet. There are a lot of of smart generals, his problem may have been alcohol. He's kind of old for that frat boy mentality, don't you think?

Um....yeah, a 3 day mission could take up to 6 months planning and training. Delta Force, SEALS, etc, all do things that way. Unlike moronic liberals, they are dedicated to their jobs and understand danger.

Hell, most domestic SWAT teams will take 1-2 days to plan a quick 2 hour high risk search warrant. Anyone with any knowledge of tactical operations, domestic or military, knows that. You train and plan 100X longer than the actual mission.

And yeah, he is kind of anal. Most special forces types are. Think on his feet? Again, you don't plan and lead black-ops in the Middle East if you can't think on your feet.

The left wing is simply outraged that a military man would dare embarrass their great savior in such a way. How dare that dumb Army guy, right libbies? The Great One shall not be spoken of in ill manner, or else, right?

 

[L.K.Eder]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Six months for a three day mission?

He seems kind of anal and unable to think on his feet. There are a lot of of smart generals, his problem may have been alcohol. He's kind of old for that frat boy mentality, don't you think?

Um....yeah, a 3 day mission could take up to 6 months planning and training. Delta Force, SEALS, etc, all do things that way. Unlike moronic liberals, they are dedicated to their jobs and understand danger.

Hell, most domestic SWAT teams will take 1-2 days to plan a quick 2 hour high risk search warrant. Anyone with any knowledge of tactical operations, domestic or military, knows that. You train and plan 100X longer than the actual mission.

And yeah, he is kind of anal. Most special forces types are. Think on his feet? Again, you don't plan and lead black-ops in the Middle East if you can't think on your feet.

The left wing is simply outraged that a military man would dare embarrass their great savior in such a way. How dare that dumb Army guy, right libbies? The Great One shall not be spoken of in ill manner, or else, right?

i agree, every military guy should be able to speak his mind anytime anywhere. esp. about the idiots in command. frag them.

 

[bucs90]

But Bucs, the BP thing was not yet at crisis point in mid April, when Hastings was with McChrystal.

Mc is a pro. I can't believe he would sabotage his own efforts in Afghanistan, and leave his soldiers and fellow commanders in the lurch, as your friend describes, all to get a lick or two in at Biden and other admin hacks.

I think this is a lot more than a "lick or two". This is, as Biden would put it, "A big fu**ing deal". To have the General of your war effort basically speak out against you is a huge story. And replacing him, and all his commanders, is a huge deal. But something HAD to be done. Otherwise, Obama was just going to let the military stay out there, poorly managed by Obama, low morale, while his foreign policy makes risk even worse. For what? Obama won't committ to full victory, and he won't pull out. He would have let Afghanistan be forgotten amidst healthcare, BP, immigration, etc, and turn into another Vietnam. McChrystal's move made sure that didn't happen. Now, that war is lead story material again, forcing Obama to take some kind of action.

Hey, I'll never understand why Gen. McChrystal would sacrifice his job for that. BUT, why do riflemen fall on top of grenades guaranteeing death to save others? Thats just how the military is, they care more for their fellow troops than themselves. And looking at McChrystal's special ops career and background, I doubt he's concerned with having a legacy that the military men respect. He's already got that sealed in stone.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

McChrystal won his last go round with Obama in the press and thought he'd win this one. End of Story.

Should have been canned after the leaked memos. At least Obama didn't repeat the same idiotic mistake twice.

 

[JakeStarkey]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Only you, premise poster, are in over your head here.

 

[Ravi]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Six months for a three day mission?

He seems kind of anal and unable to think on his feet. There are a lot of of smart generals, his problem may have been alcohol. He's kind of old for that frat boy mentality, don't you think?

That's my guess.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Pride.

He beat Obama back a ways by releasing memos to the Press. A great many of this generation of 3 and 4 stars seem to think they know better than anyone else in the room how to run the country. He thought he'd win again in a heads up versus Obama and now he's out on the street.

He should have been fired before for his antics.

 

[American Horse]

McChrystal is a West Point grad who went on to Special Forces and black ops. Guys who get that far in specops are brilliant men. They are experts in counter-insurgency, counter-terror, counter-intell, and of course, psych-ops. In my humble opinion, McChrystal set the smallest of traps for Mr. Obama. And my oh my did the President step squarely on this brilliant trap. McChrystal may in fact have cost himself his job, but look at the man's past- do you think it bothers him? A man who did black ops in the Mid-East for this country?

He couldn't come out press-conference style and rip Obama. That would be amateur hour, sort of Obama-like. He couldn't stay silent, because as I said, Obama is trying to make a "war" out of the BP spill, and that is overshadowing his disasterous foreign policy.

No, the brilliant, genius special operations veteran went another route. He used the liberal rag Rolling Stones as his messenger. He made a brief, subtle, but definite critique against the Obama administration. And just as planned, Obama bit. And let himself get pulled into yet another embarrassing mess.

Men who spend 6 months planning a 3 day mission for special operations units DO NOT make mistakes. Anytime, anywhere. This piece from McChrystal to Rolling Stones was NOT a mistake, and it was a brilliant move. Obama is in so far over his head.

Six months for a three day mission?

He seems kind of anal and unable to think on his feet. There are a lot of of smart generals, his problem may have been alcohol. He's kind of old for that frat boy mentality, don't you think?

There may have been something of self-destruction in his allowing his aides be so honest about what they thought about some in the administration. I'm not aware of any criticism by Mc about Obama, but yes, of course about Biden.

I think that Mc is too aware that the president undercut the mission with the deadline for a pull out, and if there was a kind of a subconscious element of self destruction in his part, it was that somehow there needed to be a new awareness of the situation before time ran out.

Bringing Petraeus back is like a signal of a "restart" for our part to the enemy; it says we really do mean business. It also makes the President more aware that we are potentially in a fix. The surge thing doesn't have a chance if the people whose lives are threatened by the Taliban don't trust the government, and realize that too soon WE will be gone, and the punishment will begin for those who came over, or were seen to have come over to the side of the Americans.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I think McC was well aware that the Afghan government had been put on notice, a one year notice, to turn its act around. That was the right move by BHO. Anyone who understands Vietnam sees the parallel very clearly.

 

[LuckyDan]

I think McC was well aware that the Afghan government had been put on notice, a one year notice, to turn its act around. That was the right move by BHO. Anyone who understands Vietnam sees the parallel very clearly.

What do the people who understand terrorism think?

The VC was coming here to kill us on our own soil.