The Interview That Ousted A General
One interview with “Rolling Stone” magazine did what the Taliban could not do, take out the Commanding General of all armed forces in Afghanistan.
Read the “Rolling Stone” interview.
What a way to take the focus off of a pesky oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
While General McChrystal has spent most of his life defending freedom of speech he does not, as a member of the armed forces, have the right to exercise it without paying a heavy price. McChrystal’s callous interview is indefensible.
Like any military man preparing for war, McChrystal has been trained to tolerate stress, pain, heat and cold among other states of duress. The training that was omitted was tolerating incompetent, civilian leadership. It would appear that this should be required training for all Generals and Admirals.
Had the U.S. fought World War II like we fight modern day wars we would still be fighting the Japanese and Germans or possibly speaking a combination of both. The Rules of Engagement (ROE) in Iraq and now Afghanistan are reprehensible. In WWII there was one rule – WIN! Overwhelming force and power was used extensively, there were no apologies or hand wringing in the use of both. A politically correct war that takes into account Rules of Engagement that aids and abets our enemy takes a greater toll on a warrior than a regular all-out war where success is measured by defeating and eliminating your foes resulting in a victory. If Ghengis Khan were alive today he would rule the world over these present day panty waist politicians.
Every military member knows they are expendable, it’s a harsh reality and indicative of the theory that no one is irreplaceable. If one member is taken out for whatever reason there is another to take their place. That theory includes Generals. It is imperative in order to complete the mission. There was only one inevitable and acceptable outcome from the breach of discipline that McChrystal displayed and that was to resign.
The military persevered through the Clinton years under the perception of a President that spent his life having little use for the armed forces and the same Obama mentality of placing greater emphasis on “spreading the wealth.” The military survived Clinton and it will survive Obama. The United States cannot maintain and survive a perpetually protracted involvement in Afghanistan. The Soviet Empire tried and failed. There is little doubt that whenever all foreign forces eventually leave this pathetic country it will maintain its status as a barren, poverty-stricken wasteland vulnerable to the whims of the Taliban and there is nothing that any other country is going to do to change that.
No longer will McChrystal be remembered for having to wage a politically correct war in Afghanistan but will leave a legacy of having the poor judgement of agreeing to an interview with “Rolling Stone” magazine and unceremoniously being relieved of command. Was this infamous interview by General Stanley McChrystal a brilliant, calculated, strategic manuever? The military has been given an impossible assignment. It would appear that General McChrystal fabricated his own exit strategy out of an impossible task.
