McChrystal has to go.

To leave the general in place cements the assessment of our enemies that Obama has no leadership/management/mental skills at all.

To leave him in place rejects a couple century's worth of precedent of civilian control of the military.

Of course, doing just that might be another check mark on the Obama agenda.

It's a coup. Not an administration.

What is your opinion of Jerry Brown?

What McChrystal has done is a severe violation of the unwritten code that excludes US Military commanders from participating in political debates.

Truman fired MacArthur during the Korean War. MacArthur had written a letter critical of President Truman's limited-war strategy to the Republican minority leader of the House who gave copies to the press and read it on the floor of the House.

I am afraid that this precedent requires McChrystal to be replaced. I think that McChrystal is probably correct in his criticisms, but going public with them is beyond the pale.

If McChrystal felt that the Administration's policies were harmful to America's cause, he should have resigned, and then gone public. The public discussion would then be centered on Hussein's policies, not on McChrystal's breach of decorum.

Dear Leader: "General, I'd like to cop a feel"
General McCrystal "Freak!"

Or Not:

http://legalinsurrection.blogspot.com/2010/06/has-anyone-including-mcchrystal.html

Shoot first. Aim later. That is what I always say.

That was me. Sorry.

Set my alarm clock for 2 hours early last night. Got up at dawn as is not my habit. Went to the Doctor's office.

"Why are you here?" they said.

"For my appointment" said I.

"Your appointment is July 22" they said.

"See you in a month." said I and I returned home.

The day has not gotten any better.

So, people think they want Hillary?

OK, but only if they drink some of my special Kool-aid the night before they plan to vote.

Gerard, you left out the glad tidings that Ralph Nader may run again in 2012:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/104501-nader-blasts-obama-wont-rule-out-2012-run

One of the first things you are taught upon receiving a commission in the armed forces is "to praise in public and reprimand in private". The good general "appears" to be guilty of having made disparaging remarks about his seniors in front of his staff. I say "appears" because a impartial reading of the article reveals that all the comments ridiculing and/or critical of the Obama administration attributed to McChrystal were actually uttered by someone else! Does this matter? To an extent because it suggests that the political climate so poisoned the effort that even a seasoned and savvy 4-star general could not conceal his frustration. It also does enormous damage to Obama who made the Afghan war the "good war" and selected McChrystal to lead the fight. Surely they knew of the qualities that made McChrystal so effective in Iraq yet gambled they could keep him out of sight, watch miracles happen on the ground and claim the glory. Guess not!

The only reason Mrs. Clinton is mentioned is that there is no conceivable other option that the Narrative(TM) can be bent to fit...

It's not that there's no Dem bench. It's that there is no Dem team any more.

Not one that you'ld see on the side of the Republic.

Is there any possibility that McCrystal will take the opportunity, during his visit to the White House later today, to stage a coup d'etat? It seems that a majority of the members of the military would be available to sustain a temporary dictatorship pending a new Presidential Election?

Just askin'!

During the interim period, McC could appoint Michael Hastings as his White House press attache. He'd certainly be a serious improvement on the current one: Rob-errrr-t Gibbs. What is it about Generals whose surnames begin with McC that they think they can publicly piss-off the C-in-C?

I suppose his close cadre got cosy with Hastings during the Iceland volcano haitus, when they were all stranded together, and trusted him not to report their 'confidences'/indiscretions.

As Dan Collins would exclaim at such an assumption - "Bwaaahahahahaha!"

Looks like the ash not only grounded the world's air traffic for a protracted period , but now the whole freakin' Afghanistan campaign.

Thus do civilisations implode.

It was so easy when it was Harry Truman vs. Douglas MacArthur. Back then it was easy to believe that both actually thought they were working for the best interests of the USA. And in Korea MacArthur was replaced by Ridgway, who was no slouch in the fighting category.

But today, almost sixty years later? The (D) brand is stained by its adherent's 'run and hide' ideal. The idea that this ridge, this valley, this town are to be fought for to give a good sharp lesson to the foe (what is a foe? says the modern liberal. just a friend who acid splashes our daughter's face that we don't know.) is a foreign idea - and by foreign I mean that bad type of foreign as 'outside of my ken' as opposed to being foreign to this jurisdiction.

And so we have a feckless golfing president, one who is more concerned with his tee time, being insulted by the commanding officer and his staff in the most hot point we got. And we are discussing whether that officer and his staff should have said what they said rather than asking ourselves 'Is what they said true?'

Because if true, then the golfer-in-chief needs to get his dud ass out of that assignment and find one more accepting of his limitations - such as setting him up with a nice villa at Palm Springs.

Oh - and I agree the General has to resign. We have a particular way way that says 'civilian over military'. And after that this civilian C-I-C needs to go. Joe Biden (so help me God) seems to be semi-competent when it comes to recognizing friends from foes.

We need our troops home. Now.

I am not worried that the war will not be won. The current battlefields are scenes of battle.

The war will continue. Let us bring our troops off of far fields that our current masters have no intention of winning. Bring them home.

Let the world know that the next round will be fought for victory. Not for nation building or pottery barn rules.

Lepanto.

Ohhhhh - shit Gerard! I just read the full Rolling Stone full article ...... WTF?? How do you factor this piece of work into the geopolitical mix? The reverb will be endless. There is lunacy to the power of 10 involved in this story on all sides. I can just imagine what Hollywood will make of it. Hastings will either get a Pulitzer or a bulletzer. Scary!

S'pity Steve McQueen is not around to play the lead role. Nah! On second thoughts, perhaps Lee Marvin! Who's the modern equivalent of Lee Marvin? Well, they don't make 'em like that any more ... do they?

But seriously - from this side of the Pond in England, where our own Military Commanders are also under the cosh, it's -er- unsettling! Time to start hoarding tinned victuals again, I guess; and unpacking the tin-hat and gas mask from the garage. :-)

Sorry - the unsigned comment at 5.12pm above was mine too. I hadn't noticed that my details had been cleared from the log-in.

Truman fired MacArthur during the Korean War. MacArthur had written a letter critical of President Truman's limited-war strategy to the Republican minority leader of the House who gave copies to the press and read it on the floor of the House.

Almost 50 years later, I was on the Korean DMZ policing and enforcing the armistice that that limited war led to....

Zombie Truman stole a year of my life from beyond the grave.

Obama may fire McChrystal, but my child may lose (hopefully only) a year of his life on a DMZ between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

(Don't dismiss the scots-irish surnames of both generals. Bellicose my people are and willing to win a fight if you let them....)

First and last thing we need to know about McChrystal's judgment... he voted for Obama. McChrystal has got to go. And he is of little use in the ongoing battle to save our country without some serious repentance for his vote. It gives a double meaning to the cartoon bubble in the picture.