I agree w/ Olberman RE: McChrystal

[geauxtohell]

I know people are going to go nuts since Olberman said it, but he stated Obama should not accept General McChrystal's resignation.

GEN McChrystal has set a poor example and this will be a stain on his record and will keep him from being Chief Of The Staff of the Army or CJCOS.

However, he's been given virtually carte blanche to craft his Afghanistan strategy. Time is too limited and A-stan is too complicated to put a new guy in there.

More importantly, it will turn into a giant political football and will (once again) put the White House at odds with the senior rank and file (before people go nuts on this, keep in mind how many people Rumsfeld fired and Bush brought in a retired General to run the Army) and hand ammunition to the people that want to create the perception that Obama is soft.

In the meantime, Admiral Mullen needs to screw down the officer corps. It's pretty sad when the Generals have to be told to behave.

 

[rightwinger]

Agree....

Nothing is gained by his removal

 

[Avatar4321]

Oblermann said something? Who knew?

 

[Mini 14]

Brilliant suggestion by Olberman.

Don't accept the resignation of your Command General on the battlefront, tendered because he let it publicly slip that he thinks you're a moron.

Only Overbite could come up with something as stupid as that, but then again, Obama is probably dumb enough to think its a good idea.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Brilliant suggestion by Olberman.

Don't accept the resignation of your Command General on the battlefront, tendered because he let it publicly slip that he thinks you're a moron.

Only Overbite could come up with something as stupid as that, but then again, Obama is probably dumb enough to think its a good idea.

I like the cut of your jib mini14. 4 Star thread, would read again.

 

[The Rabbi]

Let's see if Obama does it. If he does then we'll know why things are so screwed up. Olbermann has been running this country for the past 18 months.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

You guys are just plain fucking stupid, there's no other explanation.

McCrystal just destroyed Obama for his "First do no harm" rules of engagement.

 

[Dr.House]

Oblermann said something? Who knew?

Not me...

 

[Rat in the Hat]

Please don't chew me up, because I'm not as knowledgeable about the military as I probably should be, but can the President refuse to accept his resignation?

Wouldn't a general have enough time served that he could resign whenever he chose to? How could they force him to stay in if he didn't want to?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Please don't chew me up, because I'm not as knowledgeable about the military as I probably should be, but can the President refuse to accept his resignation?

Wouldn't a general have enough time served that he could resign whenever he chose to? How could they force him to stay in if he didn't want to?

It's irrelevant. Obama can do whatever he wants, he's been completely exposed as a guy who has no interest in winning.

 

[Rat in the Hat]

OK, let's take the current politics out of it.

If Gen. Haig had tendered his resignation in 1976, could President Ford have refused it? How would they have forced Haig to continue serving if he had?

 

[uscitizen]

The general should stand at a full court for his actions.
Is he really indespensable in Afganistan?
Says a lot lot those under him and his leadership skills doesn't it if he cannot leave without it falling apart.

 

[Dr.House]

The general should stand at a food court for his actions.

 

[Ravi]

OK, let's take the current politics out of it.

If Gen. Haig had tendered his resignation in 1976, could President Ford have refused it? How would they have forced Haig to continue serving if he had?

No...but it would affect what type of discharge was awarded I would think.

 

[Luissa]

I agree with Olberman, there is too much that needs to be done. The General and Obama need to sit down, work it out, and then come up with a new game plan.

 

[Ravi]

If I were Obama, when McChrystal arrived for the meeting, I'd have a pot of coffee and a six pack of Bud Light Lime on ice. "Care for coffee, General, or would you prefer one of these?"

Posted by: suekzoo1 | June 22, 2010 6:31 PM

This is from a comment on a WAPO article and I thought it was funny. But it might actually be a good test for Obama to perform.

 

[Sarah G]

I just don't see how McChrystal can be trusted anymore. His objectives don't even match Obama's now that he brought everything out in the open.

I think he has mental problems the way he was shooting his mouth off. He's a loose cannon.

 

[Mini 14]

I agree with Olberman, there is too much that needs to be done. The General and Obama need to sit down, work it out, and then come up with a new game plan.

In the real world, that wouldn't be even a remote possibility. However, it will not surprise me if Obama tries to do just that. Look, Olberman's "idea" may work on the Lifetime Network, or in some Tom Cruise movie, but it shows an obvious lack of experience, business sense, and military leadership on Olberman's part and anyone else who thinks that this is a prudent and viable option. To allow someone to continue to work for you when they have publicly expressed their disdain and lack of respect for you is simply acquiescing to the fact that "they're going to screw me at some point, and I'm ok with it." Epic fail, and military/business/common sense 101.

The General isn't an idiot. You don't get to be a General by luck or opportunity. His sentiments in the Rolling Stone article weren't expressed because he was drunk, or doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. They were calculated and deliberate. He's a freaking General, for Christ's sake! He weighs the possible outcomes of what he eats for breakfast every morning, and where he leaves his keys, so there is absolutely no way he gives an interview with such scathing opinion without knowing ALL the possible outcomes, and without having reached the conclusion that even the worst possible is justified and necessary.

The "meaning" of his statements are exactly what he said:

He thinks Obama is an idiot, and he doesn't really want to work for him any more.

My gut feeling is that he knew the moment was desperate, and he knew that throwing it out there SHOULD elicit a response. Depending on the response, he was ready to resign, or maybe he was going to resign anyway and was just looking for more validation and opportunity? In any case, I believe the General is convinced our President is an idiot, not worthy of leadership and certainly not worthy of command of the US Armed Forces. I have to admit I agree with those sentiments.

Another giveaway is the fact that he is going to the meeting today with his resignation letter in hand. Generals don't play games like that. He didn't leak that he had his resignation letter ready to call the President's bluff, or to muster public support. He is going to tender his resignation, period. Generals are leaders. This isn't the PTA where you take a gamble or two and hope to become Chair of the Fundraising Committee. He is responsible for soldiers' lives, and if his Commander is an idiot who isn't going to support him the way he needs (and he hasn't to date, or McChrystal wouldn't have said the things he did), then the General probably isn't going to be inclined to throw those soldiers in harms way knowing they are at greater risk because some talking head wants to save a few bucks or win political favor, even at the expense of American soldiers lives.

And if the President even entertains the idea of refusing to accept the General's resignation and keep him in place, pardon my French, but that will be a massive sign to all of us that our President is a completely naive dumbass, and we are screwed.

McChrystal SHOULD resign. If he doesn't he should immediately be relieved of command. Whether his discharge is honorable or dishonorable will be up to the Army, but his tour has to end now. If any other scenario emerges from today's meeting, our "president" will have told the world that the US has no leadership, and that we would be better off with a bag of hammers or a baked ham sitting in the Oval Office.

 

[The Rabbi]

You make points I hadn't considered.
But McChrystal could have simply resigned "for personal reasons" without the public fanfare. Why didnt he do that if he wanted out?

 

[Mini 14]

You make points I hadn't considered.
But McChrystal could have simply resigned "for personal reasons" without the public fanfare. Why didnt he do that if he wanted out?

I'm sure he thought there was a chance he could garner favor with Obama or his advisors by suddenly "going public" with what had previously been private discussions (I'm sure it was common knowledge in the Whitehouse that McChrystal strongly disagreed with the President's decisions). My gut feeling is that he probably knew it was a longshot, and there was only one REMOTE possibile outcome that was favorable, but he had to give it a shot before he walked away from his men.

I also admit (having not read the actual article but having seen all the quotes from it), that he obviously "let his guard down" for portions of the profile. Whether that was intentional or calculated (and I'm talking about the portion where he was drinking during the interview) is anyone's guess, but I suspect the uproar would be the same without that portion (he called Obama "unprepared," mocked the VP, and called the Ambassador "a clown" in formal interview environments where they weren't relaxing and sucking on a Bud Light).

It is also interesting to me that Bud Light seems to be the popular choice among leaders these days. That is what Obama served when Gates and the policeman visited for the Beer Summit.

Give me Old Forester, or give me death.