I agree w/ Olberman RE: McChrystal

[blastoff]

Tendering a resignation doesn't necessarily mean someone wants out. There can be a lot or reasons for one to offer it. Among other things, it puts the ball in the other guy's court, Obama's in this case, to either accept it or reject it. Perhaps the most frequent reason though it to avoid being outright fired by the boss and the 'record' will then show the guy resigned. Technically I guess Barry could say he's not accepting his resignation and fire him instead but highly unlikely IMO.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

The Obamaroid still don't get how badly and totally McCrystal just beat them.

He exposed Obama not only as a punk and an amateur and a total idiot but worse of all, and irretrievably, he exposed Obama as a CinC who has no desire to win.

If Michelle publicly announced that Barry like to fuck little farm animals, would it matter if the reconciled after?

Obama: a one term epic fail

Isn't that special. If only he spent his time defeating the Taliban or AQ...instead he has defeated the USA.

How much did you donate to the Taliban this year Frank?

Did you read the interview?

Are you familiar with Obama's "First do no harm" rules of engagement?

 

[Mr.Fitnah]

If it is good for the Nation to keep him , he is toast.

 

[NYcarbineer]

[

poor frank is also insane and out of touch.

It's tragic too, because he didn't used to be. Generally wrong yes. Insane and out of touch, no. That's a relatively recent development.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I'm guessing the the rightwing propaganda machine now has 2 carefully prepared sets of anti-Obama talking points. One if he fires him, one if he doesn't.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

But did any of the Obamaroaids bother to read the article or did they go straight to the Knee Pads?

 

[The Rabbi]

I'm guessing the the rightwing propaganda machine now has 2 carefully prepared sets of anti-Obama talking points. One if he fires him, one if he doesn't.

And the Obama camp has 3 sets, one if he fires him, one if he doesnt, and one blaming it all on George W Bush.

 

[Immanuel]

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.

Why do you hate freedom? You want a General to stand full court for giving his opinion? The iraqi islamic based government might have a position for you in your love of freedom-removed.

Voicing his opinion? Calling the Vice-President "Bite Me" is voicing an opinion? McCrystal and his gang sounded like 7th Graders. This guy thinks far to well of himself. Gates needs to add his voice to Obama and get rid of this guy.

Just to clear this little error up, Gen McChrystal did not make that joke:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236?RS_show_page=0

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?"

 

[Angelhair]

I said it before and I will say it again......Obama is clueless........

 

[CurveLight]

They can have it when they are no longer in the military. That's just the way it goes and that's what they signed up for.

We've already covered this. What else you wanna repeat? Or do you hope by repeating it you can hope to avoid defending such a ridiculous position?

 

[Immanuel]

The president is the leader of the United States...so yes, discrediting him is discrediting the United States and undermining what the United States is trying to accomplish.

Doesn't matter who the president is...Bush or Obama.

This isn't Imperial Japan 1940. The Prez is not above criticism and I thought what the US has always tried to accomplish is Freedom. Wouldn't that include Freedom of Speech? You don't think our Troops, the very people putting their lives on the line should have a Freedom they are dying for?

No...the military is not free to criticize and undermine what the country is trying to do while in uniform. Thems the rules. If they cannot follow the rules they shouldn't be in the military.

I've read (and linked above) the article. I don't believe that Gen. McChrystal did any such thing. A couple of snide remarks about the Vice President (the bad one not even attributed to a member of the military) and one statement about the President having been disappointing in their first one on one meeting was about the only "criticism" edit: of "superiors" in the article.

In fact, the General defended the military's actions in Afghanistan. He is the major proponent of the tactics that are being used there.

Truthfully, the only real criticism of the President was that in the first meeting between the President and Gen McChrystal, the President didn't even seem to know who the General was and guess what, that too was not a statement attributed to the General. That statement came from an advisor who may not even be in the military. It did not even come from the General.

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."

Immie

 

[geauxtohell]

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.

Okay, Obama sucks and McChrystal should be fired?

Anything else constructive to suggest?

 

[CurveLight]

don't like it? move somewhere else. in AMerica, the military is not allowed to disrespect the civilian command structure. that is nothing new. Ask McClelland. Ask MacArthur.

You want me to move because you support a Policy that is so fucking stoopid you can't even begin to legitimately defend it? Yep. The iraqi islamic government loves people like you.

I don't happen to think that civilian control of the military is a stupid policy. I don't happen to believe that demanding that military personnel serve their country and not denigrate their chain of command is stupid policy. I am sorry that you do.

I didn't say civilian control of the military is stoopid.

You don't think it's stoopid to demand people die for Freedoms they cannot have themselves?

 

[The Rabbi]

You want me to move because you support a Policy that is so fucking stoopid you can't even begin to legitimately defend it? Yep. The iraqi islamic government loves people like you.

I don't happen to think that civilian control of the military is a stupid policy. I don't happen to believe that demanding that military personnel serve their country and not denigrate their chain of command is stupid policy. I am sorry that you do.

I didn't say civilian control of the military is stoopid.

You don't think it's stoopid to demand people die for Freedoms they cannot have themselves?

I think you're stoopid for suggesting that in the first place.

 

[Immanuel]

Odd how the same folks who claimed criticizing Bush and his policies was harmful at best, anti-American at worst are standing up for McChystal (or is it MacArthur?)

Boot him out, Mr. President. You are the Commander-in Chief. No American Caesars, no rouge Generals. Not in a time of war.

I hate to say it, but this entire discussion is utterly ridiculous. I've read the article and posted a link to it. See post #68, if you are interested in reading it.

General McChrystal really did not criticize the President at all. The quotes everyone are screaming about were attributed to "advisers". "Biden... Bite me?" came from an adviser. President Obama being unprepared came from an adviser, not the general. The concluding paragraph of the article criticizes the tactics used by our government but that is the opinion of the author of the article.

I have to say that I did not find anything objectionable in the article. Surely nothing worth getting all worked up over. The media is blowing this out of proportion probably because they think that people are tired of reading about the oil slick and they have nothing else to talk about.

Immie

 

[Madeline]

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.

I completely agree. I'm not even sure what our objectives are in Afganistan, nevermind why only McChrystal can achieve them.

 

[CurveLight]

I don't happen to think that civilian control of the military is a stupid policy. I don't happen to believe that demanding that military personnel serve their country and not denigrate their chain of command is stupid policy. I am sorry that you do.

I didn't say civilian control of the military is stoopid.

You don't think it's stoopid to demand people die for Freedoms they cannot have themselves?

I think you're stoopid for suggesting that in the first place.

Coming from you, I'm quite flattered. I'd have to cut my own throat if you ever thought I had good ideas.

 

[geauxtohell]

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.

I disagree. This doesn't reach the level of insubordination that should cause the General to be fired and doing so will put Obama at odds with the General staff (just as they were with Rumsfeld).

The military was dysfunctional under Rumsfeld due to his penchant to fire anyone that disagreed with him. It created a climate of fear and bootlicking that allowed a bunch of "yes men" to climb to the senior ranks and it was one of the reasons we had the devil to pay in Iraq.

As it stands, if I were Obama I'd be like "WTF?". McChrystal has been given full latitude to implement his plan in Afghanistan. What more does he want? Perhaps to not be accountable for the situation.

Tough nuts, General, you are the commander on the ground. Now stop bitching like a little bitch, take command, and do your fucking job.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

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?

No. Retirement/resignation has to be accepted... it's th military, you can't just "quit".

 

[geauxtohell]

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.

No it won't. If he resigns his commission as a General Officer in the United States military, he's essentially saying "I am no longer an officer in the military".

There hasn't been any UCMJ charges against him, it won't change his honorable discharge, nor should it.

This might have been asked, but Obama can refuse to accept his resignation but he can't force the General to stay on if he doesn't want to.

McChrystal doesn't want to resign though, IMO, so if Obama told him he didn't have to, I think he would go back to A-stan.