US general apologizes for slamming US leaders

[demoleft]

Source: afp

AFP - The US commander in Afghanistan apologized over a magazine profile that quotes him denouncing a top diplomat while his aides dismiss President Barack Obama and mock his deputies.

Tensions between General Stanley McChrystal and the White House are on full display in the unflattering article in Rolling Stone, but the general said it was all a mistake.

"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile," McChrystal said in a statement issued hours after the article was released.

"It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never happened."

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100622-us-general-apologizes-slamming-us-leaders

[bluestateguy]

1. But it's what he believes, isn't it?

You can make somebody apologize for saying something, but not the sentiments that they really believe.

[Judi Lynn]

6. None of this is all about him. He has a clearly defined job to perform

or he's most surely in the wrong profession.

It has NEVER been important what the idiot feels about his superiors. It's his duty to pay attention to his job or make arrangements to step aside. Stabbing people in the back has nothing to do with his job requirements and expectations.

There has always been the "belief" that duty takes precedence over petty, personal, egotistical, inappropriate reactions to others.

If he wants to run the country himself, he needs to resign, and run for election.

[No Elephants]

7. +1

[DrDan]

13. how he feels is important when he decides to make it public

In the military, it is CRITICAL that his subordinants feel he has trust in the CINC. They are being asked to lay their lives on the line, and they will not do so it they feel their superiors distrust those in Washington. You DO NOT "stab" your superiors in the back . . . PARTICULARLY in the military.

[Judi Lynn]

15. If his personal feelings are more important than his job requirements he needs to leave.

How he conducts himself is not dependent upon his level of pleasure with the country's elected President. If he has moral objections it's his DUTY to deal with it in a respectful way. PERIOD. Second rate pot shots are simply unacceptable.

[DrDan]

17. exactly - and he cannot do his job in the manner that is required if he distrusts

Washington. He needs to accept their direction and follow orders.

If he cannot do so - he should be replaced.

[Judi Lynn]

19. Absolutely. The sooner, the better. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

26. +1

[Divine Discontent]

2. what an absolute 'surprise'! This is why it is imperative for President Obama to get the

B*sh era assholes out of every corner of the gov't, because who appointed Stanley to lead the "Big Muddy" over in Afghanistan? Gates! And who appointed Gates to begin with? Shrub!

The M.I.C. is such a hefty weight around this country's neck.

I'm no military expert, but why can't a man that doesn't love blowing up things be in Gates' position?

We certainly have some quality people on our side who are capable.

[Judi Lynn]

3. If you see yourself as a celebrity hero,it's really not expected you are loyal to elected Presidents

who haven't stroked you enough, apparently.

Why bother, when you're a man who can order the deaths of innocents any time you want, just for the hell of it?

http://cache.boston.com.nyud.net:8090/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2009/10/02/1254538148_6855/539w.jpg

Too sexy for my Prez.

[Sherman A1]

4. Me thinks it's time for the Good General

to retire and start his political career.

[saigon68]

18. He needs to get in Bed with his Hero

[Syrinx]

5. it sounds like he's apologizing on behalf of Tim Dickinson

Instead of for himself. :shrug:

[No Elephants]

8. struck me that way, too.

[Hissyspit]

9. Let's see, what happened to Gen. MacArthur?

The Eighth Army pressed north again in February, inflicting heavy casualties and recapturing Seoul in March 1951. Allied leaders had to once more consider whether they wanted MacArthur to invade North Korea or seek a peace. On March 24, MacArthur called on China to admit that it had been defeated, simultaneously challenging both the Chinese and his own superiors. Then on April 5, Representative Joseph William Martin, Jr. revealed a letter from MacArthur critical of President Truman's limited-war strategy, providing copies of it to the press and reading it aloud on the floor of the house.<245> The letter concluded with:

It seems strangely difficult for some to realize that here in Asia is where the Communist conspirators have elected to make their play for global conquest, and that we have joined the issue thus raised on the battlefield; that here we fight Europe’s war with arms while the diplomats there still fight it with words; that if we lose the war to communism in Asia the fall of Europe is inevitable, win it and Europe most probably would avoid war and yet preserve freedom. As you pointed out, we must win. There is no substitute for victory.<246>

That day too, the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted orders for MacArthur authorizing him to attack airbases in Manchuria and Shantung with nuclear weapons if Chinese air strikes originated from there.<247> The next day, April 6, Truman summoned Secretary of Defense George Marshall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Omar Bradley, Secretary of State Dean Acheson and Averill Harriman to discuss what to do about MacArthur. The two generals were opposed to the idea of MacArthur's relief but Acheson was strongly in favor. The Joint Chiefs met on April 8 and agreed that MacArthur was not guilty of insubordination and had stretched but not violated any orders.<248> The Joint Chiefs concurred with but did not recommend MacArthur's relief, although they felt that it was correct "from a purely military point of view."<249> The next day Truman ordered MacArthur's relief by Ridgway.

[No Elephants]

11. He just faded away.

No one knows what the hell that means, but it drew applause from Congress.

[KansDem]

32. Dry eye...dry seat...

This story always makes me laugh:

The General gave a great speech, and he concluded, in
words that will never be forgotten by those who heard them:

I am closing my 52 years of military service.
When I joined the army, even before the turn of
the century, it was the fulfillment of all my boyish
hopes and dreams. The world has turned over
many times since I took the oath on the plain at
West Point and the hopes and dreams have long
since vanished. But I still remember the refrain
from a barracks ballad of that day that
proclaimed, most proudly, that old soldiers never
die, they just fade away. And now, like the old
soldier of the ballad, I close my military career
and just fade away; an old soldier who tried to do
his duty in the light God gave him to see that
duty. Goodbye.

When MacArthur stepped off the dais, Congressmen
virtually prostrated themselves before him. Congressman
Dewey Short, from Missouri; a graduate of Heidelberg
University, was on his feet shouting:
We’ve heard the words of God.
We’ve seen God in the flesh.

Herbert Hoover, a former president, said:
We’ve seen the reincarnation of St. Paul into a
great general who came from the East.

Think of that. God and St. Paul, and this coming from
politicians. Chests were heaving, voices were hoarse, and
reporters covering the event later wrote that there wasn’t a dry
eye on the Democratic side of the House and there wasn’t a dry
seat on the Republican side.

http://casemaker.nebar.com/pdfs/nelawyer/2006/July%2006/0706d.pdf

:rofl:

[Blue_Tires]

34. At least MacArthur was kind of good at his job....

The Afghan troubles only seem to be getting more blurred...

[No Elephants]

10. Wonder what would have happened to the aides if they had disrepected a general

Same thing or worse should happen to them for mocking the CIC, who ranks higher than generals.

So, these guys respected Commander AWOL. "you go to war with the unarmored humvees you have" Rumsfeld and the rest of Bushco more than President Obama? If so, they need a Section 8.

On the bright side, maybe we can start going back to the WWII era affection, respect and gratitude for members of the military without the over-compensating worship we developed post-Vietnam. Damned unhealthy and dangeroous, that is.

the Framers had a reaso for putting the military under the control of a civilian elected by the people and miltiary spending under the control of Congress, also elected by the people. We have to hold ALL of them accountable.

[Crowman1979]

31. Yeah, we've got to stop treating generals as if they were sacred cows.

[Hubert Flottz]

12. McChrystal is in a meth

Gag Him!

[era veteran]

14. Relieve him now

[dgibby]

16. I would expect no less from Cheney's General.

He's is toast or should be. This is unforgivable, and he should be Courts Martialed. No POTUS can let this stand, and Obama is right to recall him to DC to stand tall in the Oval Office.

McChrystal is an embarassment to all of us who have or are serving in the Uniformed Services.

[Old Vet]

38. My thoughts exactly................

You dont talk shit like that with men in harms way, Big, Bigggg No-No.

[LaurenG]

20. What a freak - is he a teabagger?

Anyone who has ever been in the in the military will tell you that you NEVER open your mouth against your commander, especially on record, in print no less. Has he lost his mind?

[pattmarty]

21. I read on another post that Obama has "summoned" him for the...........

............meeting on Afghanistan this Wednesday? and he should "Truman" his ass for this, although seeing the way Obama has operated through his first 18 months I doubt he will.

[saigon68]

28. The Occupant will offer him a beer and send him back to the Holy Crusade

against the (insert racial epithet here) heads

[pattmarty]

36. Not what we voted for, is it?

[demoleft]

22. more on it: "Top US commander in Afghanistan summoned to White House after article gaffe"

"REUTERS - The White House has summoned the top U.S. general in Afghanistan to Washington to explain controversial remarks critical of the Obama administration, U.S. media reported on Tuesday."

"Top US commander in Afghanistan summoned to White House after article gaffe
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, has been summoned to Washington following a controversial article in a magazine that quotes him denouncing senior US officials, according to US news reports."

http://www.france24.com/en/20100622-afghanistan-mcchrystal-summoned-washington-after-article-gaffe

[No Elephants]

23. Just dawned on me. Who's behind this? Is Obama/are the Democrats being set up for a PR

disaster, or worse?

I think something may be even more rotten in Kabul than it seems on the surface.

They knew this stuff would end up in print and not a one of them was the least bit reticent, even though active military never diss the CIC publicly? And the underlings were even more openly mocking of the CIC and the VP than the general was? How very unusual for members of the military!

Even if I am overly suspicious, I hope Obama purges ALL of them, not only McChrystal.

this was snarking and undermining the CIC and other members of the U.S. government during military operations, not whistle blowing.

[Braulio]

24. Petreus

General Petreus wants to be President. McChrystam is his guy. They want to give Fox news and the associated radio stations the fodder they need. Eventually they retire or get fired, and the guy runs. Their people are all over Washington already. It's the military industrial complex in cahoots with the Israel Lobby and Rupert Murdoch's machine.

[BeFree]

29. Ya think?

We know they have threatened Obama. It just now is making the news.

Surely Obama has been giving them some rope and now they've noosed (newsed?) themselves.

Methinks Obama could use the small people's help to clean out that stinking bunch of pentagon freaks. Will we? Do we have the energy to do so?

[Odin2005]

25. He should be a Good Soldier and commit Seppuku.

[hatrack]

27. "You accept certain inhibitions when you put on the uniform." - Dwight Eisenhower

nt

[dadzilla]

30. Is this guy running for office?

This guy has balls of steel, Biden's mouth and a squirrels brain...

[ronnie624]

33. What a mess for the Obama administration.

I guess that's what happens when one is forced to 'work with' Bush era corporatists, neocons, Republicans and other assorted wing-nuts left behind by the previous administration.

But I'm opposed to the invasion of Afghanistan to begin with.

[demoleft]

35. BREAKING NEWS: US Afghan commander made 'significant mistake' in remarks, says US Defence Secretary

it's in the BBC front page news.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/

while "Hamid Karzai Backs McChrystal amid Uproar"

(CBS/AP) The spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the leader believes Gen. Stanley McChrystal is the "best commander" of the war.

Karzai spokesman Waheed Omar says the president strongly backs the top commander in Afghanistan and hopes that President Barack Obama doesn't decide to replace him.

source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/22/world/main6606545.shtml

[demoleft]

37. BREAKING NEWS: Gen McChrystal article angered Obama and was an 'enormous mistake' - White House

bbc, http://news.bbc.co.uk/