The Trouble With Stanley
General Stanley McChrystal didn't just put his foot in his mouth, he committed gross insubordination. So what to do with a four star who flips the bird to the White House? One thing you don't do is play three dimensional chess, call him back to Washington for a good reaming out, and quietly move him to pasture later. The reason you don't is because every other ambitious three and four star general is watching and you don't want to give any of them the idea that they should control military policy.
You can't very well court-martial McChrystal. Not only would that be pushing the severity of punishment but it makes the President look a prize ass for having picked him in the first place. But McChrystal must be cashiered. A fair, harsh, but appropriate punishment would be to force his retirement at one grade reduced in rank. The Republicans will probably howl, but they'll howl no matter what the White House does, and their howling is purely temporary. Better that than the longer term, oozing rot that will ensue if McChrystal were left in place.
Besides, who in Afghanistan now believes in McChrystal's authority?!
Posted by George Kenney on June 22, 2010 3:22 PM 
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Comments
He will not be fired, if this Reuters story is any thing to go by:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWEN614820100622?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=hotStocksNews&rpc=401
Obama will continue to play multi-dimensional jujitsu chess.
[Yeah, that's the most likely — albeit worst possible — outcome. g.]
Posted by: Sean Paul Kelley | June 22, 2010 4:08 PM
Joe Klein is saying he's tendered his resignation: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/22/latest-mcchrystal-developments/
I could be wrong.
Posted by: Sean Paul Kelley | June 22, 2010 5:00 PM
Cashiered? This Roberto D'Aubuisson acolyte should be executed for war crimes. Is there anything in the Nuremberg rulebook this ghoul hasn't violated?
Of course, Uncle O. won't do shit. "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." What with 2010/2012 being the only motivator in The Hustler's mind — and with Af/Pak on the verge of collapse — will Obama be willing to throw this much meat to the Afrikaner Party? No chance.
And then we can all listen to Jonathan Alter whine about "single payer liberals" whining about Stanley von McHimmler being forgiven.
Posted by: EJK | June 22, 2010 7:16 PM
The worst fate for this general is to make him stay in place but break up his so called "Team McChrystal" replacing most of them with officers loyal to Obama-Gates. Sort of like a Life Without Parole sentence.
Posted by: Richard Greener | June 23, 2010 10:22 AM