General McChrystal and Civilian Control
There is one place in this country where freedom of speech is not protected: the United States military. I remember asking my Dad when I was in high school, what he thought about President Clinton and the issues there. His response was that he could not and would not say anything, he serves at the pleasure of the President, and could be court martialed for having an opinion.
General McChrystal and the now infamous article in Rolling Stone are evidence of this, and of Gen. McChrystal's own stupidity.
Even in the civilian world, if a subordinate is openly saying bad things about their employer, they can not expect to be employed for long. Of course, they aren't likely to face jail time, but it doesn't appear that McChrystal is going to be court martialed. Though I believe legally, he could be.
It appears, from what I've read of the really long RS article, that McChrystal felt he was dealt a raw deal, and that he felt like he was set up to lose in Afghanistan. Well now he can sit at home and think about how Gen. Petreaus was dealt a raw deal.
But McChrystal had to go. President Obama couldn't just let it go. The rank and file of the military would have been aghast. And it really does damage the entire plan. Who would want to follow orders from a President that a well respected General thought was stupid?
Its sad, awful, and strange. Some of the attribution in the article is funny. A private first class is called "an aid." HA. Yeah right. An 18 year old straight out of boot camp is not an aid to a four star general. How ridiculous.
See ya later Gen. McChrystal. Gen. Petreaus welcome to the fray. Let's hope that June 2011 deadline gets relaxed a bit. I'm happy to view you as the closer, the pitcher brought in to shut things down and save the win. But ... well let's hope you get the support you need and the plan you need to make that happen.
General McChrystal and the now infamous article in Rolling Stone are evidence of this, and of Gen. McChrystal's own stupidity.
Even in the civilian world, if a subordinate is openly saying bad things about their employer, they can not expect to be employed for long. Of course, they aren't likely to face jail time, but it doesn't appear that McChrystal is going to be court martialed. Though I believe legally, he could be.
It appears, from what I've read of the really long RS article, that McChrystal felt he was dealt a raw deal, and that he felt like he was set up to lose in Afghanistan. Well now he can sit at home and think about how Gen. Petreaus was dealt a raw deal.
But McChrystal had to go. President Obama couldn't just let it go. The rank and file of the military would have been aghast. And it really does damage the entire plan. Who would want to follow orders from a President that a well respected General thought was stupid?
Its sad, awful, and strange. Some of the attribution in the article is funny. A private first class is called "an aid." HA. Yeah right. An 18 year old straight out of boot camp is not an aid to a four star general. How ridiculous.
See ya later Gen. McChrystal. Gen. Petreaus welcome to the fray. Let's hope that June 2011 deadline gets relaxed a bit. I'm happy to view you as the closer, the pitcher brought in to shut things down and save the win. But ... well let's hope you get the support you need and the plan you need to make that happen.
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