Putting Out The Good McChrystal

Irony: Wingnuts like Maklinvania screaming at Obama that he doesn't have a plan for Afghanistan and he should do whatever Afghanistan commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal tells him he should be doing, but Obama's plan on health care is facism as opposed to the invisible, non-existent Republican health care reform bill.

In London, Gen McChrystal, who heads the 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan as well as the 100,000 Nato forces, flatly rejected proposals to switch to a strategy more reliant on drone missile strikes and special forces operations against al-Qaeda.

He told the Institute of International and Strategic Studies that the formula, which is favoured by Vice-President Joe Biden, would lead to "Chaos-istan".

When asked whether he would support it, he said: "The short answer is: No."

He went on to say: "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, and nor will public support."

The remarks have been seen by some in the Obama administration as a barbed reference to the slow pace of debate within the White House.

Gen McChrystal delivered a report on Afghanistan requested by the president on Aug 31, but Mr Obama held only his second "principals meeting" on the issue last week.

He will hold at least one more this week, but a decision on how far to follow Gen McChrystal's recommendation to send 40,000 more US troops will not be made for several weeks.

A military expert said: "They still have working relationship but all in all it's not great for now."

BooMan has said that Obama is trying to dial down the Afghanistan war in an effort to begin effecting our exit. Clearly, the good General does not agree with his Commander-In-Chief.

It's one thing to disagree with the President. McChrystal has already threatened to resign, which was fine. But he has no intention of doing so, and he's publicly attacking the President on this, and that, as Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft says, is unacceptable in the extreme.

I have stated previously that I tend to favor Gen. McChrystal's assessment of and recommendations for the situation. But his behavior has been unacceptable. I believe the White House should adopt his recommendations and then sack him.

And I would have to agree. There are some good recommendations that the General has made, but Obama doesn't want to escalate, he wants to withdraw.

If McChrystal can't handle that, then he needs to turn over his command. It really is that simple.