Why did Obama fire McChrystal?
According to reporting from the
BBC at the time, McChrystal was apparently fired after he was quoted in a
Rolling Stone article making disparaging comments about the president and those around him. McChrystal described the period where Obama was slowly moving toward adding more troops in Afghanistan as "painful." An aide to McChrystal also described meetings between Obama and the general saying that Obama "didn't seem very engaged. The boss [Gen McChrystal] was pretty disappointed".
The article also suggested that McChrystal "pretended not to know" Vice President Joe Biden, and that he "felt betrayed" by U.S. ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry. Additionally, one of his aides described National Security Advisor James Jones as a "clown."
McChrystal was dismissed following a meeting at the White House to discuss the article, which was perceived as damaging at the time, although it seems mild by today's standards.
At the time, Obama said that he made the decision to replace McChrystal "with considerable regret" but also said that he had failed to "meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general." He also said that the article had "eroded trust" and "undermines the civilian control of the military that's at the core of our democratic system."
Obama was quick to clarify, though, that David Petraeus, who was installed as McChrystal's replacement, would be carrying out the same policies.