General McChrystal reported as ordered today for the ultimate “high-visibility” face-to-face with the Commander-in-Chief. Here’s the article from Rolling Stone that started it all, and here’s the down-and-dirty from Wired.com on why President Obama had to fire General McChrystal:
…Keeping General Stanley McChrystal in place would have shattered the chain of command, obliterated the authority Obama had with the military, and undermined any hope of waging a successful counterinsurgency in Afghanistan.
“As difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe it’s the right one,” the President just said. “The conduct represented in the recently-published article … undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that’s necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan.”
No general could’ve taken Obama seriously, after getting dissed so publicly by McChrystal’s crew. No captain or sergeant could’ve been expected to shut up and salute when his superior officer gave an order. The guy at the top didn’t respect his commander; why should he?
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