Sometimes just one incident can negate everything else

[SoCalDem]

Probably most of us have seen it in our own lives. I am glad Obama did fire the guy, but I kind of regret him speaking of McC in such glowing terms, and asking for people to respect him for his service.

This is one thing he did that was so over the top, there was no ignoring it, but in fact he has apparently been getting "2nd chances" for most of his life..sound like anyone we know? with the initials of GW?

many people have only had that one screw-up & they're done. He had many 2nd chances, and if any one of the prior 2nd chances had not been offered, he might have been the guy in the garden department at Target

[hlthe2b]

1. I'm a bit of a softy on granting second chances IF I am convinced

the entirety of someones life or patterns recommends it. Not knowing this General at all, I can only assume Obama made that type of assessment. (or maybe it was just a political calculation designed to defang the RW critics--who knows).

[zipplewrath]

2. He'll do fine

He'll end up in some defense contractor or think tank, and probably on a half dozen boards before the end of 2011. Which is probably alot more than we can say for people he screwed in his years of command just because he didn't like them.

[hfojvt]

10. does he need that?

I am guessing that the pension for a general is more that $50K a year. I certainly live on far less than that.

[zipplewrath]

11. Do any of them?

Too thin
too rich
too happy

3 things you can never be.

[hfojvt]

14. Norman Rockwell and I can testify, like many teenage boys

that it's quite easy to be "too thin". As far as "too rich" goes, I like money, but the main thing I want to buy with it is free time so I don't have to goto some crap job. My point is that even if he doesn't get some high paying consulting gig, he's still making more money than about 50% of all Americans.

[zipplewrath]

17. yup

I go back and forth. I can feel sorry for him. I've made mistakes over the years that have gotten me close to being fired. And to some extent, he's getting fired for having a big mouth. He's a general, he's suppose to be an asshole. What's wrong is he's not fired for getting innocent people killed, and advocating a policy of war and destruction that will lead us into a quamire of more war and destruction.

Ultimately he'll settle into a quiet life of a retired general, with all of its perks. Those he leaves behind may not be as lucky.

[Gaedel]

19. 4 star retirement

Base pay for a four star is just shy of $15,000 a month.

He has over 30 years of service.

Figure 75% of his monthly pay every month in retirement.

I am not complaining, my military retirement is pretty good (but NOT that good).

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Someone said he would be a 3 star, because he

had not had the 4 star long enough, and this "removal" would reduce his rank.

but still...even 10K a month is pretty damn good, more than I get a year on retirement.

[arcadian]

3. In big government and big corporations incompetence is usually rewarded with promotion.

[tabatha]

4. I think Obama did the right thing.

Anything else would be an invitation for McCrystal (?) to go on Fox and bad mouth Obama.
Now, if he does, he will look like sour grapes and enforce the notion that he is a loose canon.

[cwydro]

5. Hey!

What's wrong with being the guy in the garden department at Target?

We don't have one down here, but I love the garden guys and gals at Home Depot!

[SoCalDem]

7. I think the pay & the perks are a bit below General

:)

[FrenchieCat]

6. President thanked McChristal for his past service.......

and there was nothing wrong with that.

When one has been serving for 30 years or whatever,
the fact that one have might trash talked the President
doesn't make his entire years of service dismissable.

I think that the President did what so few ever bother to do;
exhibit a classiness that speaks well of his lack of pettyness and
need no retribution besides getting McCrystal out of the loop.

That's what Presidents should do......
not take this shit too personally.

[1955doubledie]

13. I agree...let the President look dignified.

Which may be more than can be said about the general, in his last few days in office.

[Goldstein1984]

8. Who cares?

It's all political bullshit.

The whole war is a mistake.

Obama's decision to escalate is a mistake.

Obama/Afghanistan = Johnson/Vietnam.

Britain/Afghanistan = Russia/Afghanistan = US/Afghanistan

US tax dollars = a lot of innocent people dying

All for empire.

All for oil.

[earth mom]

9. The issue should be: Why is this country STILL at war in the first place?!

Instead of the issue being about some general who stuck his foot in his mouth. I could care less what he did or said at this point.

Where's the media furor over occupying two, no make that three countries, for no reason other than hunting down non existent boogeymen?! :argh:

[AnArmyVeteran]

18. It's like swatting mosquitos in a jungle, success in Afghanistan is impossible...

And I don't understand how any intelligent person could support this war. We are supposedly fighting Al Qaeda, but according to every intelligence and military source there are only a handful of them in Afghanistan. I'm willing to bet there are more members of Al Qaeda in the United States than Afghanistan and Iraq. Should we therefore declare war on ourselves and have our military sending drones throughout our skies?

When I heard President Obama say we are fighting Al Qaeda in his speech today it truly bothered me. The President is a smart man and he should KNOW we are NOT fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. No matter how long we stay in Afghanistan there will always be insurgents, just as if any military force occupied the United States would face a similar insurgency.

This war is insane and I can't believe anyone bought into it and how it's being perpetuated. No matter what any leader says we will be in Afghanistan forever.

Bush broke it, but Obama can fix it, but how can we convince him to?

[gateley]

12. The military people on the shows say he is truly an exceptional warrior.

Now what the fuck that means I don't know, but apparently he was good at what one is supposed to be good at, and accomplished a lot.

It was interesting that many of them were sad this was happening, thought so highly of him, but agreed he had to go.

So, give credit where credit is due, it doesn't erase the negative stuff and people know about all that anyway.

[phleshdef]

15. The President did what a professional, classy person should do in his situation.

[madokie]

16. considering it all I think President O did the right thing

especially by speaking nice of mcfuckstick kinda' takes the wind out of his sails for his bad mouthing the President in the future over this. O is a smart man making smart decisions is what I see concerning this.