Internet polls from MSNBC/CNN show overwhelming support for Mcchrystal-Firing him=bad politics

[Politics_Guy25]

I just checked CNN/MSNBC internet polls and they are both running 70-30 in favor of McChrystal not being forced to resign. If these polls are right, there will be enormous blowback for firing him/accepting his resignation.

The best thing to politically do would be for the President to force the General to come out with him tommorrow and deliver a full grovelling epic apology and to sing the praises of the administration and its policy to high heaven. If I were the President, that's the deal that I'd make, after dressing him down firmly in the oval office in a session that dear Stanley will never forget. Then, the President can look forgiving and statesmanlike when he addresses the press after the general's remarks.

As much as I hate to admit it, the president is politically weak right now with an approval rating of 45% or less. Firing McChrystal would be take another 5 points off his approval ratings. He doesn't have the capital to engage in a war with the military right now.

I'd go with public opinion on this, dress Mcchrystal down, and then move on. The public is firmly against resignation.

What McChrystal said is of course outrageous, offensive and insubordinate, but I'm looking at the politics here and the effect on 2010 and 2012. That's more important.

BTW, Truman was CRUCIFIED for firing Mcarthur. Do you want that to happen to our president in this climate? I think not.

EDIT: Let me add that if I were in the W.H., I would be conducting a flash poll right now to see how the public would react to what we decided.

[Uzybone]

1. Internet Polls?????

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[ClassWarrior]

10. My sentiments exactly.

:eyes:

NGU.

[muntrv]

2. I wonder if those polls have been freeped.

[Mz Pip]

6. Ya think??

I sure do. This guy would be called a traitor if it had happened during Bush's presidency. Guarranteed. And Cheney would be leading the charge.

[DrDan]

3. firing means removing him from his present position - not taking away his pension or otherwise

punishing him.

yes - replace/fire him. But do not force his retire him or punish him. That looks vindictive and petty.

[JuniperLea]

8. Or by the rule of law...

Uniform Code of Military Justice

888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
889. ART. 89 DISRESPECT TOWARD SUPERIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICER

Any person subject to this chapter who behaves with disrespect toward his superior commissioned officer shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

[DrDan]

14. That should come from the Sec of Army or the Army Chief of Staff - not Obama

he should stay above that decision

[JuniperLea]

19. There is no decision to be made...

McChrystal broke the rule of military law... he needs to go... Obama needs to speak to whomever it takes and let it be known he wants the military law followed to the letter.

That's all I'm saying.

[DrDan]

32. that's vindictive - and Obama needs to stay above it

[JuniperLea]

35. Vindictive my lily white ass!

WTF? Bush did it... there's a long list of presidents that have done the same, for the same reasons. It's insubordination and it is against the rule of law for the military! Military laws, rules, and regulations must be strictly adhered to... vindictive? I find that completely ridiculous.

[DrDan]

37. and I would find it vindictive . . . and petty . . .

and I really don't care what junior did. Obama needs to stay above it and remain the adult.

And no military lectures - I pulled my time - and carry a retired ID to show it.

[JuniperLea]

38. You really should read up on Patton and MacArthur...

And other military history items. Junior is the least of it; you mentioned him, not me.

Thank you for your service.

All is moot now anyway... Obama did the right thing, the only thing he could do. He cannot be seen as someone who bends the rules. That would be political suicide, not to mention unethical and just plain wrong.

[DrDan]

40. firing him is the correct path

Patton???? Patton was fired - not court martialed. That was appropriate. Same with Macarthur.

Same here - fire him - forget the court martial - PETTY and VINDICTIVE!

"Bush did it" . . . or did you mean GHWB (the bush reference was from your post)

[Mz Pip]

4. Internet polls are worthless

and Obama should not make decisions based on internet polling. The people who are most likely to respond to these polls are people who hate Obama. I would expect about the same numbers just in the opposite if a general had spoken out against Bush in time of war.

F!ck the poll and can the guy's ass.

[Politics_Guy25]

9. Well...that's what I thought but...

The opinion polls on CNN/MSNBC after the 3 debates indicated that Obama had defeated Mccain. Flash telephone phone polls came out later and pretty much matched the CNN/MSNBC polls indicating that Obama had won. They also nailed the reaction to the oval office address pretty much exactly last week. A CBS/NYT poll that came out yesterday pretty much was what the CNN poll showed after the speech on Tuesday night.

Now, if it were FNC or Drudge polls, now that's different. lol.

[ClassWarrior]

12. They're self-selecting. Not at all random. Therefore any time they're correct...

...it's a matter of coincidence, not science.

NGU.

[JuniperLea]

5. I can only assume this means the talking points memo has been completed...

And disseminated to the appropriate "librul media" talking heads.

[MidwestTransplant]

7. McCrystal is not NEARLY as high profile or beloved as McArthur.

[jillan]

11. People who laugh at internet polls shouldn't. Why? Because the msm talks about them as they are fact

It is the insanity of these times.

[Politics_Guy25]

16. Also, if it were me and based on just principle..I'd fire his ass

But I'm tired at being at 45% in the polls and I think it's time to think politically.

[Politics_Guy25]

27. Keith O agrees with me for kind of the same reasons

Yeah!!!!!

[vaberella]

13. Internet poll = Freeper extravaganza----especially when it's- love war/hate Obama. n/t

[Atticus]

15. Internet polls? Have we come to this?

Make mine a double.

[NRaleighLiberal]

17. The majority of the American public has lost its mind (if it ever had one that is).

The Bush years did great damage.

[AndyA]

18. You mean internet polls that have likely been Freeped to death?

Them Freepers loves themselves a war. Two wars are even better. And there's a black guy in the White House, too.

Obama will be said to be weak if he doesn't take action.

If you're born to be shot, you'll never be hung, as they say.

[Thrill]

20. Sorry but if Obama doesn't axe him. He comes off as weak

If a soldier said the same things to McChrystal. There would be charges filed against him

[eShirl]

21. Internet polls are worth the paper they're printed on.

[nsd]

22. Ha! +1

[senseandsensibility]

23. Internet polls are notoriously freeped

and useless as a basis for any decision.

[angee_is_mad]

24. well the freepers control the polls

so that doesn't surprise.
The rethugs are gathering around and supporting thier boy. Case in point, this is what assbackwards cantor had to say, ""Obviously a General and his top brass don't make statements like these without being frustrated, so I hope that the President's meeting with General McChrystal will include a frank discussion about what is happening on the ground, and whether the resources and the plan are there to defeat terrorists and accomplish our mission in Afghanistan."
link:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/conservative-republicans-walk-fine-line-on-mcchrystal-controversy.php?ref=fpb

[high density]

25. Who cares about polls or the politics of it

POTUS needs to trust this guy to run a war. Right now it doesn't seem like a very healthy relationship.

[Aramchek]

26. nice try. the dude's ran off at the mouth one too many times. he's done.

[WeDidIt]

28. So you base your political stances on INTERNET POLLS?

Don't you know that a self selecgted dample in a poll makes that poll 100% meaningless?

WTF are you thinking?

[backscatter712]

29. Let me know when you've got a real poll.

These Internet polls are being freeped.

[Jennicut]

30. Freepers can dominate those polls. Twitter (which is just as non scientific) had plenty of fire hims

[TwilightGardener]

31. There won't be any "enormous blowback". Americans by and large don't give a shit

which stupid-ass general is in charge over there. They might say they disagree, but they probably never even heard of Stanley until today. Obama must do what he must do, sometimes the right course of action is difficult, but that's why he gets the big bucks.

[shayes51]

34. Totally agree with

everything you wrote!

[JuniperLea]

39. Spot on...

If Obama bends the rules now, he's toast forevermore, amen.

[spiritual_gunfighter]

33. Keith Olbermann argued this point in his SC last nite

I tend to agree with him.

[Arkana]

36. Internet polls are just south of worthless

and if Obama did everything he did by using poll-tested bromides, he'd be a really boring guy.

[oviedodem]

41. Until he just gave them.... Petraeus. So know they can go away

[Hippo_Tron]

42. You should head to a library, check out a statistics book, and read it ASAP

[Ikonoklast]

43. You have a slim grasp of the politics of this decision.

But, forge ahead, regardless.