Afghanistan Commander General Stanley McChrystal and his aides unleash a torrent of disdain for just about everyone in the Obama administration in an article in an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
I say “just about” because, apparently, McChrystal and his crew like Hillary Clinton because she backed his request for more troops.
I’m all for bashing Obama morning, noon and night, but this feels a little inappropriate. I wouldn’t be surprised if this spells the end of McChrystal’s time in the military.
The Rolling Stone article, which quoted several McChrystal aides anonymously, portrays a split between the U.S. military and Obama’s advisers at an extremely sensitive moment for the Pentagon, which is fending off criticism of its strategy to turn around the nearly nine-year-old Afghan war.
It quotes a member of McChrystal’s team making jokes about Vice President Joe Biden, who was seen as critical of the general’s efforts to escalate the conflict and who had favored a more limited counter-terrorism approach.
“Biden?” the aide was quoted as saying. “Did you say: Bite me?”
Another aide called White House National Security Adviser Jim Jones, a retired four star general, a “clown” who was “stuck in 1985.”
It quoted an adviser to McChrystal dismissing an early meeting with Obama as a “10-minute photo op.”
“Obama clearly didn’t know anything about him, who he was. The boss was pretty disappointed,” the adviser told the magazine.
I don’t think anyone has a problem with a bunch of guys in a war zone pillorying the civilian empty suits calling the shots back home. That’s a tradition as old as the military itself, especially when the civilian group back home is so clearly incompetent. Doing it in front of reporters writing for the rabidly left-wing and traditionally anti-military Rolling Stone was a bone-headed move.
For what it’s worth, McChrystal has apologized. I don’t know that it’s going to be enough.
“I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened,” McChrystal said in a statement.
“Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard,” he said.
“I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome.”
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