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Under withering criticism after a set of bad judgments and making it crystal clear that he doesn’t fundamentally agree with winding down the Afghanistan war in any real way, CNN and Joe Klein is reporting the Gen. McChrystal has resigned:
Gen. Stanley McChrystal has submitted his resignation, Time magazine’s Joe Klein told CNN, citing an unnamed source. CNN is working to confirm Klein’s information.
Who will replace him is up for speculation. There are lots of fellow war-hawks waiting in the wings, so it won’t be easy to force a real change in strategy for the never-ending war in Afghanistan. (Spencer Ackerman thinks it might be Mattis.) However, a re-examination is long overdue, especially at a time when Congress will soon consider whether to keep funding the war or not.
We need a leader who’s going to bring this war – the longest in American history – to a prompt close so we can stop throwing money away, stop shedding the blood of our troops and actually bring peace and security to Afghanistan and our country.
UPDATE
Clarification via Time magazine:
Clarification from Joe Klein: Gen. McChrystal as "offered to resign" he has NOT submitted his resignation.
And now the AP is reporting Obama wants to meet with McChrystal before deciding his fate:
BREAKING NEWS: Obama says Gen. McChrystal showed "poor judgement" & wants to talk to him directly before deciding whether to fire him. (AP)
59 Comments
Doesn’t count until O and Gates accept the resignation. Could be more kabuki.
CNN said it’s been accepted as well.
It would be nice if Obama used this as a golden opportunity to start winding down the war (if not stopping it outright stat).
However, like the oil gushing volcano in the Gulf Mexico, which provides a golden opportunity to really ramp up a lot of environmentally friendly infrastructure programs, my expectation is that Obama will kowtow to the powers that be. In the case of the Gulf, that would be BigOil. In the case of the war, that would be the war hawks and the military industrial complex.
Same old, different day…
Thanks for the update, I’ve been looking but hadn’t yet found any news to that effect.
I really didn’t think it would come to that, I was mistaken.
Too bad. I liked the idea of BHO keeping him on the hook for his failed leadership in Afghanistan. If BHO accepts McChrystal’s resignation, it becomes BHO’s problem, and gets compounded with the “McC didn’t get the tools/people/WTF he needed, so its really BHO’s failure” meme.
By which I mean BHO should give McChrystal a “you broke it, you need to find a way to fix it” ultimatum, along with a demand that civilians be put in charge and McChrystal starts taking orders from the in-country civilian leadership…
GOOD! Now we need a general who isn’t afraid to say we can’t win in Afghanistan.
The mission, assuming there is one, may founder but the business of war is too big to fail.
We certainly have never been able to completely win a war with military might alone, so why should this one be any different? Once the military forces are defeated, you still have to create a civiliam solution or face an “Occupied France” situation.
Amen to that, Jason. Recommended. I am not holding my breath, but it would be really lovely if we left Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.
Obama will deservedly get pinned with the blame for this clusterfuck regardless but now he will have to soldier on with one less human shield.
Not sure WE can bring peace to the region, but we can certainly GTFO. At some point, you sorta have to say “it isn’t a military problem” and get the troops out, regardless of it being a win or lose. Rebuilding a country is not a military problem.
Armies don’t win wars.
The objective is to hold the stalemate until the enemy’s economy collapses.
In a war of occupation, that’s just about impossible.
True. BHO “adopted” the current strategy regardless of if he actually bought into the idea that the military can “fix” a country like Afghanistan or not when he agreed to increase our troop strength there instead of calling it a badly f-ed up campaign and finding a REAL solution.
Update above!
Halliburton, here he comes! Heh. Seriously…I wonder what military contractor will snap him up.
This is WONDERFUL news. He’s an asshole of the – to quote Joe Barton – first order. Now let’s get the FUCK out of the wealth-draining shithole of Afghanistan!!!!!
Exactly. Armies win battles, but wars are won by either completely destroying the ability of your enemy to resist (almost impossible short of extermination) or by eliminating their will to resist, which cannot be a military solution.
In that case it appears the Taliban is pretty close to achieving victory over the U.S..
My predictions haven’t bombed out yet.
Whee!
The next POTUS, Stanley McChrystal. Obama is losing control on all fronts. No jobs, environmental catastrophe, endless war, continued unemployment, more homeless families, dissension in the military etc.. Obama has opened the flood gates for the right wing to fill the void. One day closer to the final collapse of the evil empire.
By running on a record of failure Stanley would effectively usurp Obama’s reelection strategy. Brilliant!
It would be a pleasant surprise if his resignation was accepted. O just doesn’t seem to have the testicles to do much of anything, especially if feathers get ruffled.
My money says he’s still out.
Wouldn’t be bipartisan.
I confess I haven’t read the entire RS article. Does McChrystal undermine the mission (such as it is) or just the civilian leadership? I suspect the former would be more detrimental to his chances of retaining command.
Can a void be filled with a void?
And all with full support of the Democrats.
In the U.S. it can.
Has made for an interesting news day in any event.
Obama: “I won’t accept your resignation. You’re too vital in stablizing Afghanistan for exploitation by American corporate interests. How many more drones did you say you needed?”
It is manifestly the duty and obligation of the Legislative Branch of government – the branch that speaks for the people of this nation – to decide whether and when to “bring this war…to a prompt close,” not that of any one man, or one leader, or one strongman.
Although our Members of Congress – our federal representatives – have for years, without personal consequence, abandoned their sworn duty under the Constitution to publicly decide when and where, and for how long, to commit American Armed Forces to violent action abroad – sacrificing to profit and political glory for the upper ranks of the military and dishonorable strutters and preeners in Congress and the Presidency the well-being of the American people and our nation by so doing – it does not signify that we should follow along behind them down that well-worn path to tyranny.
It is not just more off-budget deficit spending for the ongoing conflict abroad that is squarely at issue in pending Congressional decision-making about Afghanistan, but the future of the conflict itself, at this time of necessary and long-overdue 2001 AUMF re-examination, regardless of the fate of General McChrystal.
That has been my guess. Makes a better spin for Obama who could then say, “See, I can set aside my pride in service to the national interest.”
If only that were true.
Obama is already working on his campaign slogan for 2012, “I stood up to the progressives!”
Wow. What a boring story. The AffPack war is a gigantic absurdity. Its details even more so. What will happen to general McFuckbrain? Yawn………
I hope I am wrong, but I think this pathetic failure of a General will be asked to remain by the President. The last thing we have gotten from this Administration is any kind of change. There can be no change in the Wars because the Wars are for the profits of rich people.
You are so very right on point.
Hmmm, let’s see.
“No jobs” — see Bush administration.
“environmental catastrophe” — forces of nature or BP, Halliburton & Bush deregulations
“endless war” — not endless at all
“continued unemployment” — Republicans block reforms and banks won’t lend, Republicans instill fear with talk of a double-dip recession, the Greeks screwed-up, so I blame Dubya!
“more homeless families” — see Phil Gramm et al
“dissension in the military” — Republicans are in many places
I see nothing to blame Obama for.
Actually Obama changed strategies, which is why he fired McKiernan and replaced him with McChrystal. McChrystal was hired because of his background rather than McChrystal’s background driving the strategy.
Obama “adopted” the current counterinsurgency strategy as sold by McChrystal, not the strategy of Bush & McKiernan. It wasn’t Obama’s strategy to begin with, but when he signed off on McChrystal’s strategy, it became his regardless of his previously espoused or claimed beliefs (that is, those beliefs he claimed before he sent more troops into Afghanistan as part of McChrystal’s counterinsurgency strategy went by the wayside).
Agreed re the bringing peace. Just GTFO sounds superb to me. Tell me again why we’re putting our troops in harm’s way and killing Afghanis. Oh, now I remember, the war industry wants to make a killing
LOL
Prepare for another false flag incident to keep us there and in Pakistan, before the 2012 election. The war industry knows exactly how to stir up the blood lust of Americans.
Ratfood; don’t apologize. Distrust of everything about this administration and the war Obama inherited but is so willing to sustain and increase, is God’s work. :o)
Also, McChrystal knows good and damn well (and so does Obama…) that the nanosecond he IS fired or resigns, he will become the martyred patriot, driven from his holy duty by the cowardly librul terrist-lover, Barack Obama. The idjits will annoint McChrystal with that, whether he wants it or not, and I suspect he will be perfectly willing to be drafted.
The high irony of Obama’s sustaining and ratcheting up shitmire #1 while having those accusations tossed at him, won’t matter a twit.
At some point you’d think that Obama would decide:
“Hey! If I’m gonna get my ass flayed off for NOT being enough of a jingo kneejerk who’s willing to keep up this bloody Mack Sennett comedy, I might as well do the deed; Start packing, all you deliverers of freedom: your butts are headed home!”
But I aint holding my breath. :o(
I want to see the coalition of the rented bailing out. When that happens, our days as occupiers will be numbered.
People, if Obama does NOT request/accept McChrystal’s resignation, then ,AFAIC, all is lost.
AS Hugh has pointed out, per the UCMJ, McChrystal has committed a court martial offense.
And Obama will be indicating that the military has control of the government and the ‘war organizations’ have basically carried out a coup of the U.S. republic.
And I am NOT being dramatic or ‘overboard’.
“I see nothing to blame Obama for.”
You’re kidding, Mark, right? Right, Mark?!!!
Bluetoe2: Obama’s campaign slogan for 2012:
“I stood up to the progressives”
I think that’s only half of it. The rest is:
“Vote for me; I’m not as bad as fill-in-the-blank.”
The voters will LOVE it. They’re not the least bit disgusted and angry about sending Obama to the White House so he could take off his clothes and show us one MORE political hack.
Jason: “My money says he’s still out.”
I dunno what the latest is on McChrystal, but Barack Obama is scared shitless of the military, and of the republicans, too. I think that’s a given from what we’ve already seen. Could he grow some stones in simple self-interest? Could be…
I believe that his having to deal with the crap that will come if McChrystal DOES go, is something that is going to have to happen, if Obama really plans to hold to that June 2011 schedule for getting out.
And if he doesn’t, he’s political roadkill, anyway.
Put it like this: this fight is one that should have taken place about 13 or 14 months ago, when the bloom was still on the Obama rose. Now, it’s about 90% wilted, but he has no choice; he has to fight the fight, or go down as THE poster-boy for a failed president.
Stay tuned.
People, send/speak your perspectives to Obama here.
Just keep in mind that the comment and switchboard are 9-5 EDT operations; you can’t even leave a comment on the comment line after 5PM EDT.
Jon Walker is upstairs!
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Ubetcha is all over it.
Either Obama grows some backbone, or the corporate/military banana republic is a done deal.
If you are a librul,do you really care about what the military does to Obama.
He put his lot in with the regressive policy of the Last Administration.
and now he is getting his due,that’s his problem.
Progressives have no dog in this fight.
let the blue dogs & corporate dems do his(Obama) fighting for him.That’s the way I see it.
Just finished watching Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter on “Countdown”. Alter explained to K.O. how President Obama’s elaborate decision process could possibly allow Obama to retain General McChrystal.
Has there ever been, will there ever be…
A bigger Obama suck-butt than Jonathan Alter?
His obsequious fawning over Obama is nauseating.
I’ll bet even Obama can’t stand Alter.
That’s why you can find him on MSNBC.
The WH gives Alter talking points.
Funny how Rachel Maddow couldn’t find time for Tim Dickenson to be on her program….he is the guy who penned the piece on BP & the WH incompetence in Rolling Stone mag..
But sure enough Rachel had more than ample time to bring Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone mag who did the piece on McChrystal…
No….yeah those dinner invitations to the WH sure can make people do things.
Either Maddow or KO had Dickenson on yesterday.
I think it was Olbermann.
some commentator made the excellent observation that McChrystal is a bit like McClellan who never had enough men to fight the civil war.
ding.
this is a real “who’s in charge?” moment if there ever was one…
generals dont get promoted and made great by winding down wars but by winning wars.
and they always want more soldiers. history tells us that.
they join to fight wars and win wars it is in their blood.
they wait their whole life for a good war to fight even a bad war to fight.
the idea is to win.
the american war machine is alive and well even under obama.
it is as american as apple pie.
we love our wars but even more we love being the big dog in the world.
super power status is ingrained in the american culture.
it is our national ego to control the world.
the afghan’s will bleed us dry in money.
there is no front line.
they have been fighting foreign invaders for hundreds of years.
we are just one more invader to wear down.
god bless america we are truly a christian nation with our wars for profits.
a bankrupt nation pretending to be the big dog in the world.
welcome to america the nation that refuses to look into the mirror at its imperialism.
The calling of Gen Jones a clown and reference to bite me for Biden by the crew that McChrystal runs, strike me as unpersuasively lame. Could it be that the original language was edited and censored for consumption? Why is it that it sounds like the network version of what can only normally be broadcast on HBO? The guy who used to run black ops drinks lite lime flavored near beer and suddenly loses control over what he says?
The biggest mystery is the mechanism that caused this story to get such legs when Rolling Stone wasn’t even expecting it. There are better ways of firing generals than a phony pile on for at best fecklessness.