McChrystal Just Said What Americans Think about Obama on Other Issues, too

by the Left Coast Rebel

The beltway is all a'twitter over a Rolling Stone (of all places) interview with Obama top general, the guy appointed by Obama to run the war in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. Of course it's a breach of 'protocol' and all of that. Here's an excerpt from the first page (of six) from the Rolling Stone article:

The general first encountered Obama a week after he took office, when the president met with a dozen senior military officials in a room at the Pentagon known as the Tank. According to sources familiar with the meeting, McChrystal thought Obama looked "uncomfortable and intimidated" by the roomful of military brass. Their first one-on-one meeting took place in the Oval Office four months later, after McChrystal got the Afghanistan job, and it didn't go much better. "It was a 10-minute photo op," says an adviser to McChrystal. "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his f*cking war, but he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed."

And for those that could care less about the McChrystal/DC chatter, perhaps take note of these excerpts:

Even those who support McChrystal and his strategy of counterinsurgency know that whatever the general manages to accomplish in Afghanistan, it's going to look more like Vietnam than Desert Storm. "It's not going to look like a win, smell like a win or taste like a win," says Maj. Gen. Bill Mayville, who serves as chief of operations for McChrystal. "This is going to end in an argument."

But however strategic they may be, McChrystal's new marching orders have

caused an intense backlash among his own troops. Being told to hold their fire,

soldiers complain, puts them in greater danger. "Bottom line?" says a former Special

Forces operator who has spent years in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I would love

to kick McChrystal in the nuts. His rules of engagement put soldiers' lives in even

greater danger. Every real soldier will tell you the same thing."

I'll summarize the McChrystal affair for you.

According to General McChrystal, Obama is disengaged and incompetent and intimidated by military brass.

'Success' in Afghanistan will look like Vietnam (which surely is a terrible thing).

McChrystal's breach of protocol hearkens to a general that is burned out, ham-strung, frustrated and most likely wants to be fired but probably won't be (if he does, he went out with a bang).

The rules of engagement in Afghanistan are limiting and constricting and even worse, put troop's lives at risk (perhaps the best case for withdrawal I can think of).

Judging by the White House reaction, McChrystal probably hit close to the mark. On queue, Robert Gibbs this morning hinted at McChrystal may not being 'capable and mature' enough for his position.

Can you hear the ghosts of Vietnam? I can.

Read the entire Rolling Stone article and tell me what you think we should do with troops on the ground.

UPDATED: Oh, yah - CBS has an article up today that shows that broad swaths of the American public have about as much faith and trust in Obama's leadership on domestic issues as McChrystal does in Afghanistan. Oh my.