I'm sure everyone has been following the drama which has unfolded in the last few days concerning General McChrystal and his comments in Rolling Stone, which ended up forcing his resignation and effectively ending his distinguished career. Let me first say that those of you who know me know that I am a former member of the United States Army, so I know a little more about a soldier's responsibilities than, say, Robert Gibbs. That being said, the general was wrong, and he shouldn't have said what he said. Like it or not, Barack Obama is the commander-in-chief of the Unites States' armed forces, and we have a long and proud tradition of civilian control of our military. He had no other choice but to resign, and if he hadn't, Obama would have had no choice except to fire him.
All that being said, I have a few problems with the way it all went down. First of all, the character assassination on the part of this White House was an obvious attempt to make sure that the people would understand what a "rogue" McChrystal was, so his firing would be justified. However, for Robert Gibbs to stand up there in front of the nation and claim that General McChrystal was too "immature" for command not only goes way over the line, but is perhaps one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard come out of the mouth of a press secretary. Here is a man who has devoted his entire adult life to the service of his country. He is a decorated combat veteran who has expertise in "special ops", or in other words, he's done the dirty stuff. He's seen blood, and he has risen through the ranks until achieving the rank of a general officer. Immature? All I can say to Mr. Gibbs is, "How dare you!" He should be ashamed of himself and he should have apologized to this man who, due to his long and distinguished service should be referred to as a hero. The American people will decide this eventually. Will they support Obama and his cronies, or will they come to realize that it is really this administration which is peppered with immature men who never truly left their adolescence behind them? The first test comes in November, but in the meantime, study the pictures and come to your own conclusion. They depict President Obama in a candid moment, Robert Gibbs, Obama's press secretary, Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff, and General McChrystal.
