Gen. Stanley McChrystal has been relieved of his command in Afghanistan just about one year after taking the post. President Obama has announced that Gen. David Petraeus, the current Centcom commander, will be his replacement.
Gen. McChrystal’s ouster is a direct result of an article in Rolling Stone magazine in which the general and several members of his top staff openly derided Obama Administration officials on the record for the reporter. Obama said Gen. McChrystal’s behavior did not “meet the standard for a commanding general.”
The replacement for Bush Administration appointee Gen. David McKiernan, McChrystal was tapped to lead the Obama Administration’s repeated escalations of the war in Afghanistan, the war which has become the centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy.
McChrystal was an outspoken advocate for massive escalations of the war in Afghanistan, and oversaw additions of large numbers of American and international troops as part of what has been called the McChrystal Plan. With only around 30,000 at the time President Obama took office, the US now has upwards of 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
The apparent selection of Gen. David Petraeus as a replacement comes as something of a surprise, as it is actually a demotion for the general, who was previously overseeing the entire region and will now only be responsible for a single conflict. There are no indications so far as to who would take over the Central Command post.
Yet analysts say the comparatively well-known Gen. Petraeus and years of spin aimed at convincing the American public that Petraeus “won” the still-ongoing war in Iraq may serve extremely useful in combating rising opposition to the war, the longest in American history.
get ready for the super terrific hero to go on Hannity in 3…2…1
One tool of empire replaces another. Presumably his insults will be kept private, and that will be the real, substantive change. Maybe he'll give the troops more rein to shoot on site, a la "free fire zones." I'm sure that will improve the Western burden of bringing civilization to the dusty Stans.
I wonder how the Left will greet this news. They derided 'General BetrayUs' when he was in charge of the Iraqi surge. Now he's working for Obama. Probably get somewhat different press.
Yer right, Lloyd. After all as long as it's a Demorat at the helm illegal wars are just fine with the liberals.
Gen Mckernin…..Gen S. Mcrstal….Gen D.Pet………………………………………..Who'ssssssssssssss NEXT???You Go Afghanistan..The Emperial Graveyard and Gen's Gravey-yard
Obammie can trade in his McChrysler for a Patreus but it makes no difference.
Obammie's plans are doomed. He has learned nothing from the follies of the Soviet and British empires in Afghanistan.
Obammie is a bankrupt leader of a bankrupt county.
Well, the appointment of Gen. Petraeus will certainly severely test the General with the political ambitions. The "winning" of Iraq war narrative will then have to be repeated here. If he does succeed in creating a semblance of central government that can provide a cover for "withdrawal", so much the better for Obama. If he does not, the General's image will be tarnished politically, while Obama cannot be blamed for removing a "tough" general and tying the hands of the military victory. The question is, what inducement has been given to Petraeus to accept this.
Swan Lake has just begun.
Kickin' out McChrystal, demotin' Petraeus. Maybe…naw. It's just "Meet the new boss…"
YEAH YOU ARE RIGHT Dove
It's also a little like pinball. The Americans are not in the League of the Japanese, but there were once some masters of the traditional game in Chicago.
This does not refer to Obama, who is no Chicagoan.
Two bumpers to watch closely: Gates and Madame Clinton.
who'sssssssssssss NEXT PLEASE…………
Wonder if we're gonna start paying of the Taliban to stop attacking American troops for a while (like the Mahdi Army) so the neocons can tout Petraus as the savior once more…
We already are. Read the latest news.
"The congressional investigation asserts that members of local government, and police are being bribed along with the Taliban to ensure convoys safe passage. As the BBC article contends, too, "One of the security companies in question is alleged to be owned by two cousins of the Afghan President Hamid Karzai."
"So, when the media focus moves from nonstop coverage of the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico to calls for General McChrystal to step down, news of nearly $200 million more of taxpayer money being funneled into Afghanistan, over the coming months, for "protective security services," as well as the millions of US government money being paid to the Taliban to protect private security firms in Afghanistan will be essentially lost in the shuffle."
From http://www.counterpunch.org/stahl06232010.html
You know what they say. If you're irreplaceable you can't be promoted.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic will solve nothing. The problem is not the commanding general, but the military occupation itself.. Sure McChrystal deserved to get fired, but Petraeus deserves to get fired also. The fact that Petraeus took the job, other than to coordinate an immediate withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan, proves that he should be stripped of any command responsibility.
Killing Iraqi & Afghani civilians in an effort to prove a theory right so you don't look like a fool is okay. Talking shit about the president and his buddies is reckless. I'm sure the families of innocent victims in those two countries feel good knowing that the price of a Muslim life is worth less than the bruised egos of a few Washington politicians.
By the way, are you sure to want McChrystal "relived" or commanded rather than "relieved."
Actually it should be a relief for him–now he can get some sleep and find out what decent food is.
Maybe even take up painting or sculpture or ballet. Can he sing?
NO new general and NO new strategy is going to win any war in Afghanistan – NO invader has ever won a war in the land that is 'the graveyard of soldiers and of empires".
McChrystal should have been fired – Petraeus should be fired – and Obama should also be fired!
Extrajudicial Assassin Leader and Whitewasher. two high marks on McChsrytal's resume, he'll go on to spend the rest of his life eating steak dinners. The neocon think tanks are probably lining up already, that Rolling Stone article must have been like porno to a neocon.
Use your imagination::
"KABUL, Afghanistan — The commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan said Sunday there was "clear evidence" that some Taliban fighters had trained in Iran.
"Gen. Stanley McChrystal told reporters in the Afghan capital that Iran had generally assisted the Afghan government in fighting the insurgent group. 'There is, however, clear evidence of Iranian activity — in some cases providing weaponry and training to the Taliban — that is inappropriate,' he said, adding that NATO forces were working to stop both the training and the weapons trafficking."
AP May 30, 2010
I am sure the rest of the NATO group will cry at his passing. He was just another murderer. Land of the free and brave indeed!!!