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Subscribe to RSSRead into this what you will, but Gen. McChrystal has left the White House.
NBC's Athena Jones reports that at 10:25 am, McChrystal was spotted exiting the White House and loading a car -- only about 45 minutes after he first entered the White House.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the whereabouts of Afghanistan-Pakistan envoy Richard Holbrooke. He is in Islamabad today, where he met with President Zardari and others. He is scheduled to participate in the 11:30 am ET Af-Pak review by secure video conference from the embassy. Holbrooke was one of those ridiculed by McChrystal in the Rolling Stone piece.
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I tell ya the media is all over this. McChrystal went to the bathroom. Everything he and the President does, will make headlines. The next 24 hours will determine the fate of the military. If it were up to the media, the President should know the exact date the Universe formed and why microbes form on the floor of the ocean.
Give it to the media for letting us know he has left the building, now only if they could tell us where Elvis is, all would be 'right' with the world. No pun intended.
If the media wants to know the exact date the Universe formed, it should ask Sarah Palin. I'm sure she knows. As for why there are microbes on the ocean floor, I'd recommend Rush Limbaugh or Glenn Beck. Bottom-feeders ought to know. ;)
Well, if you're going to relieve someone of their duties, it doesn't take too many words. Clearing the air however, takes hours.
If the President is going to keep the General on, shouldn't he be having a press conference with the General by his side, showing the country that he has confidence in him?
That's my initial response anyway. But I will be surprised if he has been let go to be honest.
Good Point Pat: I've fired a few people in my lifetime and it didn't take long. Quickly, no need to prolong the agony. When you hire someone, the lnterview lasts longer, that's a good sign. This interview was short. The fact that they are not talking says a lot.
I'm trying to think of what the general could have said that would save his job. To me the only possible argument would have been "we can't "win" in Afghanistan without me"--problem with that is we aren't winning in Afghanistan with him so not a compelling argument. And how insulting to the military (not that I'm a fan--don't get me started on DADT) to imply that only one person in the entire armed forces is capable of leading this effort.
It is quite apparent that the General has worn out his welcome in D.C. Problem si that Obama needs him more than McChrystal needs Obama. Continuity of Command is needed now more than ever with the efforts to regain kandahar. Grounds forces have received their marching orders and to change the quarterback after the play has started will be a disaster in the making. The general is a great soldier, nobody said he was a politician.
RIght On Capt'n.
You said it perfectly but I suspect it flew over most in here who's mind is already made up.
Key Point: SOLDIER not a POLITICIAN...........
I don't have an opinion on McChrystal whether he should stay or go, that's up to the President who I will support either way. But if McChrystal is not a politician itm then why was he acting like one? In my opinion he wasn't acting like a soldier.
I'll admit he was wrong in that setting. He is not acting like a politician in the fact; he is not out on every news station in the land apologizing and trying to twist his words around as to "that is not what I really said."
The guy is a decorated soldier no matter what happens. That will never be taken away from him. That man was humping the Bush when Obama was in diapers.
ITM:
Not true about the diapers things He is about the same age as the President. And he has a penchant for lying. Just ask the mother of Pat Tillman.
Hopefully McChrystal has been fired. Then hopefully people will put pressure on Obama and hold him accountable to get out of Afghanistan.
The U.S. needs to learn to leave people across the glode "ALONE"!
If an ally were to be invaded by another country then we need to support that ally and to use our military to defend that ally. If terrorists strike the U.S. they need to be hunted down and elimnate using law enforcement techniues of infiltration and small strike units supported by a much better functioning CIA.
But unless one of the two exmaples above are not required, we need to leave people alone. We cannot afford to be the world's policemen and most importantly no young Amercian's life is worth attempting to police those internal struggles of other nations.
Amen CA. We stick our nose into far to many other peoples business. Get the hell out of Afgan and fire McChrystal. General super ego.
How long does it take to say, "You're Fired!"
Not 45 minutes unless the person you're firing doesn't want to go. But 45 minutes is also too short for a policy meeting or for kissing and making up.
He was in the White House for 45 minutes. He may have been cooling his heels for 35 or 40 of them.
Kinda like Elvis has left the building? *sheesh*
It would be refreshing for an Administration to put the peoples of these United States first.
Unfortunately, Bush's wars don't matter to me, the people there or what is happening in their lives. Ditto for the rest of the globe. Bush and his party did this to us. I fail to understand why we cannot just come home. I don't care about the stability of the area, even less about the bullies in Israel. I supported their initial claim of homeland, but what they've become, I cannot and do not support.
I tend to drift over to the other channel, Fox, during commercials and so on, to keep an eye on what they are saying.
The majority of the folks on there are making excuses for the General and somewhat defending him and his subordinates. They feel like the President should show leadership by what I call "ignoring" what happened. My question is why does everybody but the President gets the benefit of the doubt?
Fox Noise will say anything that they think will make Obama look bad. By the way, Fox Noise wouldn't know what leadership looked like if it stared them straight in the face.
CA,
Kinda like your favorite channel MSNBC.
ITM is showing his true colors, he's taking up for Fox. Now we know why he's so misinformed and says stupid things.
The whole thing stinks. General McChrystal has a right to an opinion as does every other American. I understand there is a UCMJ. And when you bad mouth your commander that's one thing. But the president is a double-edged sword. For one he is a the political leader of the nation for two he is the commander in chief. The assault was on his political agenda. From my understanding the assault was more on the aformentioned and Joe Biden mostly. Not the commander in chief directly. This is supposed to be a democracy, although it hasn't practiced for some time. Yet, when you live in a democratic country you have a right to an opinion. He's allowed to vote, therefor he has a right to an opinion. You can't say this is insubordination, he didn't disobey any orders. This is further proof of American imperialism alive in well in capitol. I'm disgusted. I pray that McChrystal finds justice.
For those who read before they opine...Lots of dissension on the Afghanistan "team"...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/politics/24mcchrystal.html?th&emc=th
Sales of new homes dropped to a record low in May, showing just how much the market has been dependent on a federal stimulus program, according to new government figures released Wednesday.
The Commerce Department figures showed that new single-family homes sold last month at a seasonally adjusted rate of 300,000, or 32.7 percent below the revised April rate of 446,000.
Analysts had expected sales to fall to about 400,000 in May after a government tax credit for new buyers expired. Many said the actual figures were exceedingly low.
“That new home sales would decline in May following the expiration of the home buyers credit is not at all surprising,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist for Miller Tabak, in a research note.
“However, we would be lying if we said the size of the drop was not shocking.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/business/economy/24home.html?hp
Thinks disingenuous, if we hadn't already heard it a 100 times on all the so called news channels your post would mean something, but as usual your a day late and a dollar short. Did you just now get that bit of information from Fox? Man their way behind all the other so called news stations.
There will be no "victory" in Afghanistan, all that is left is the unenviable task of trying to save face when we withdraw, Obama should get it over with and move on, we are getting our kids killed for all the wrong reasons in this deal, the Afghan government is a hopeless mess that can not be trusted, the Afghan people see us as just another occupying force who should not be there, we can leave today or 20 years from now and the result will be the same so bring the troops home now. One of the main reasons why withdrawl is such a bitter subject with many who are in power is the fact that Russia predicted our failure in Afghanistan, we were out to prove them wrong, so some not so tasty crow will have to be eaten but that is one piss poor excuse to get Americans killed.
Remember Vietnam. We decided to manage that war through politics. You can go here but not there. You can bomb these enemy, but not those. Hell, war is the failure of diplomacy - not an extension of it. The military is not suited to police action. If you decide you must unleash the hounds of hell, don't get in their way. Sun Tsu knew!
He needs to go and we need to come home. Period.
It isn't going to happen Champ, till the majority of Americans stand up and demand withdrawal. At the moment the minority of neo-cons are louder than the rest of us.
Listen folks, do people, all people, talk about the boss, sure do. And not nice things either. The real question here is just how does Rolling Stone magazine get an intimate interview with our top general and his staff at the front during a war.
The doctrine of civilian authority over the military is no surprise to military officers, so the failure of the President to make a decision should come as no surprise to the electorate. The doctrine of civilian authority over the military is one of our founding principles. The failure of Obama to make a decision is the result of avoiding positions that require making decisions for which you are held accountable.