Jun 23, 2010 7:05am

McChrystal to Administration Official: ‘I’ve Compromised the Mission’

During his round of phone calls to top officials of the Obama administration whom he and his team disparaged to a Rolling Stone reporter, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said, "I've compromised the mission," a senior administration source tells ABC News.

Whether he did so irrevocably is at the top of the agenda in his Oval Office meeting with President Obama this morning. The president will press him as to what he was thinking and whether he still has the ability to serve as commander of 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan after making remarks about the president and his national security team that the general could use to justifiably fire any of his underlings if they were made about him.

"He'll have to have some pretty good answers to some tough questions," a senior White House official tells ABC News.

McChrystal will have a legitimate opportunity to make his case to keep his job, officials said.

Officials described the reaction within the West Wing as immediate anger and certainly that McChrystal be fired, followed by a willingness to hear the counterargument given the importance of the war, its perilous state, the fact that the story revealed no policy disagreements, how closely tied McChrystal is with the current strategy, and the fact that Gen. David McKiernan was dismissed from the same job last Summer.

But if McChrystal by his own admission has compromised the mission, where does that leave him?

- Jake Tapper

User Comments

You need to read between the lines. To become a 4-Star general requires a high degree of intelligence and competence. This was a calculated interview. He knew what he was saying and what would happen. Incompetence at the White House, being undermined in your effort to win a losing war by the state department, no moral support. These are statements of an individual that can not be promoted any higher than he is and has nothing to lose. His reputation of speaking his mind is well know. He is tired and fed up with the white house and is letting it be known.

Posted by: uselessfederalgovt | June 23, 2010, 7:33 am 7:33 am

McChrystal, early out is looking more appealing every moment & it didn’t kill you. Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You seem to be on the wrong side of your boss, but the Afghan leaders love you. Can you build a beltway around Kabul?

Posted by: MikeM | June 23, 2010, 7:37 am 7:37 am

The military is getting more wimpish every day.

Posted by: Terri | June 23, 2010, 7:40 am 7:40 am

It is called, “General, fall on your sword.”

Posted by: FleetNavalAviator | June 23, 2010, 7:42 am 7:42 am

uselessfederalgovt – Bush had 8 years to win the war in Afghanistan. He had 8 years to get bin Laden but gave him up in the Tora Bora mountains after the bin Laden-sympathetic Afghans turned on his special ops soldiers. So now we’re at almost 10 years and its time to extract ourselves from an unwinnable war. Let the dang Afghans grow poppies and wallow in their ancient ways and ignorance. The US can’t afford this war anymore and you and everyone else knows it.

Posted by: Bob | June 23, 2010, 7:46 am 7:46 am

Gen McChrystal has to leave. The Stars and Stripes headline General’s Contempt. This is a military paper. Undermines CIC and civilian control. Buh Bye!

Posted by: Gail | June 23, 2010, 7:53 am 7:53 am

I agree that he knew exactly what he was saying and to whom he was saying it. I believe he is frustrated at the lack of knowledge and the sense of not caring in the administration. It is as if the President and the administration only cared about getting an unaffordable healthcare bill passed so that they would have a big place in history. After that, well let’s play golf instead of taking an active interest in the wars – yes, plural – or the oil spill. You can blame as many previous administrations for whatever you want – that was then, this is now. Live and act in the present. I think the General got his point out there in a big way, and maybe everyone will start paying attention again.

Posted by: Carol M | June 23, 2010, 7:54 am 7:54 am

Its obvious that no one commenting or even Jake- has read the article!
If you had you would know that most of the quotes come from unnamed aids. assistants etc. very little, if any of the derogatory statements are from McChrystal himself. Chill until you read the story and then, when you have informed yourself, say what you will.

Posted by: Gene | June 23, 2010, 7:54 am 7:54 am

There soon will be no Generals willing to lead the Army. All the way back to Vietnam, we send our troops into battle with no commitment to win. It all starts out on the straight and narrow and quickly expands to the point of non-winnable. Next time the US decides it is our place to pound our chest, we should look in the mirror and back off. WWI and WWII were wars that we entered as support, not initiators, and we went in to win. The problem is that the rest of the world doesn’t have our back like we had theirs. Lessons learned? Probably not, but they should be acknowledged.

Posted by: MikeM | June 23, 2010, 7:54 am 7:54 am

But if McChrystal by his own admission has compromised the mission, where does that leave him?
- Jake Tapper
He hasn’t compromised anything. He said that so Obama will quit rolling in the floor, kicking his feet and whining.
McChrystal spoke the truth as he felt it. So far, I have not heard anything from the WH to counter his comments as being untrue, which leads me to believe that his statement of Obama being “unprepared” and not involved is true. Could it be that this administration doesn’t know how to handle someone telling the TRUTH?
Something else I’d like to throw out there… we heard MUCH bad mouthing of president Bush during his time in office regarding the war, yet never heard anyone talking about the war effort being compromised. The double standard continues.

Posted by: Shoe | June 23, 2010, 7:57 am 7:57 am

The military organization requires, it demands repect of all of it’s members, not just the lowest ranks. It seems that this requirement gets forgotten at the top levels of the rank structure. If a suboordinate officer or enlisted member was accused of this misconduct, their career would end in shame. This is not misconduct, it is Insuboordination and conduct unbecoming an officer and gentlemen at it’s worst. When this is allowed it will ripple through the entire force structure and that is what endangers troops. You may not like the situation, you may not like the person or persons, but in the military there are forums to voice these concerns. Because in order to maintain combat status and good order “RESPECT” is everything.

Posted by: Marvin | June 23, 2010, 8:10 am 8:10 am

There is only one name on the Pentagon’s list that has a hint of ethnicity -Rodriguez.

Posted by: smartlillena | June 23, 2010, 8:11 am 8:11 am

I love how some of you think you know more than the President. How much experience did Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Ford, and even Lincoln have when they took office? You come up with any reason to hate this President no matter how stupid it may be, without realizing that this administration has done more in Afghanistan than the last one. These posts just reinforce my belief that the IQ of this country(mainly the haters, AKA Republicans)is dropping rapidly. You’re spoon fed information and you believe everything you’re told as long as it’s negative, but if it’s negative about your guy you ignore it and call BS.
No matter what McChrystal thinks it should have been kept private between him and the President and not made public. He DID compromise the mission by making public statements.

Posted by: TJ | June 23, 2010, 8:14 am 8:14 am

To all of you who are defending the general, you have to remember 1 thing. The president is the COMMANDER & CHIEF. He is at the top of the chain. You don’t criticize your boss without expecting reprisals.
Secondly. thanks to our fore fathers, we enjoy living in a republic / democracy. While the country’s citizerns live in a democracy, the military is NOT a democracy.

Posted by: Mark US | June 23, 2010, 8:17 am 8:17 am

The General may be an intelligent man, but he is STILL just a ‘man,’ … a human being who has his own feelings and opinions. It appears he’s just not liked Obama and this is his way to disrespect Obama’s administration just like so many of the other ‘politicians’ are doing. Do you honestly think a man of his intelligence didn’t think about what he was doing when gave his Rolling Stone interview? Puhleeese! Why do I say this? — because General McChrystal had ample opportunities to openly criticize the ‘not so perfect’ Bush administration with equal fervor. Yet, he chose not too … hmmm — I wonder why? Could he be biased? Heaven Forbid.

Posted by: R Carter | June 23, 2010, 8:17 am 8:17 am

The general needs to resign… you don’t expose your internal affairs with a cheap magazine writer at a time of war especially in a war zone.. What an idiot…

Posted by: Jake | June 23, 2010, 8:22 am 8:22 am

What happened to the first amendment and the truth? We give that up when we become military. Even if all of it is true. The barbarians are at the gates of Rome and they are starving us into submission. So a politician opened the gates and let the enemy in. I guess history does repeat itself. But at least we have a warrior who speaks the truth. He is still fighting the real enemy from within.

Posted by: Patriot | June 23, 2010, 8:26 am 8:26 am

The comments by most suggest the the Republicans are willing to let the country fail in order to make a point. Politics are so insidious that they turn brother against brother, mother against son. My brother won’t speak to me because I supported Obama. My own mom and dad have disowned me because they value right-wing ideology more than family ties. Where is this going? It can only become worse (not better) if we continue down this horrible path towards further division. And all because of political ideology.

Posted by: Davis Bradley | June 23, 2010, 8:27 am 8:27 am

Truman fired MacArthur for insubordination. Disobeying a direct order. MacArthur died a hero while Truman’s legacy was forever soiled. Truman was replaced the following election with a military general. Dwight Eisenhower. All of this history is not lost on the egotistical Obama. McChrystal has not been insubordinate. McChrystal will resign, Obama will accept it and the war in Afghanistan will be lost. Not that it was winnable anyway.

Posted by: easyrestin | June 23, 2010, 8:32 am 8:32 am

Barry Soetero has lost the respect of too many people in this country and across the pond. He has not fulfilled one promise he made before he entered the white house, and since he has gotten in there he has performed horribly. Soetero is not a president of the people!! Most of them are not. If he were smart this time he would keep the General in. Most Americans do not want these two wars. But the gov’t keeps shoving them down everyone’s throat. We are losing our male and female children for nothing!!! The road to perdition is being paved, war,famine, does anybody see something wrong here??

Posted by: luckyturquoise | June 23, 2010, 8:35 am 8:35 am

How can these people have been so stupid as to let those sleazebags from Rolling Stone mag near them?

Posted by: Kathy | June 23, 2010, 8:39 am 8:39 am

McChrystral has to resign or get replaced or get fired, there is NO doubt about it, what you people who are in defense of mcChrystal for the obvious reason- OVER the PRESIDENT OF THE States..let NOT forget this is about a relationship of “TRUST” between the top commander holding post and the President of the united States, so all of this HATERS of the president for the obvious known also by the EARLY day of tea party movement, your reasons MEANS NOTHING in this regard. What the top commander and his staff did- which the BUCK stop again with McChrystal .. this was a CHOICE taken by McChrystal when he didn’t have to take that choice for a MONTH upon narratives with the most liberal magazine (who does that-especially those who cater to republicians?)..and displayed his contempt for the President and his staff as the commander holding post of BOTH wars.. not once HAVE I read anywhere these narratives mentioned by Mchrystal/staffanywhere. McChrystal met with the president several times over 18 months and that ws the tiem to air his differences, not with a magazine. Irregardless of what he didn’t actually state, he created the climate as such with his narratives and his staff followed as noted in the rolling stone magazine and YES i read the comments.. Its irresponsible, its insubdordinate, one step short of a violation against his OATH as commander to not SPEAK against the commander-In-Chief and the constitution and the government of the united states..and beside this is NOT the first time McChrystal has demonstrated contempt with regard to his position..he’s needs to KEEP his BIG ARROGANT mouth shut or go to the person he is having a problem and speak to them in private, you or your STAFF don’t go to a Rock & Roll Mag, and create narratives of such comptempteous climate…and for that HE needs to be DEALT with, either take him off post, relocate him or he resigns or fire him..for the his DISTRUST!

Posted by: GateKeeper | June 23, 2010, 8:42 am 8:42 am

Of course McChrystal must go. If he thinks of his boss in that matter, then Obama should fire him and get a more loyal subordinate. This war is messy enough to not need a “general” crisis to boot. McChrystal has blundered several times now so 3 strikes and yor out seems appropriate to any and all. As Jaques Barzun said, “to understand America you must understand baseball”.

Posted by: joltinjoe | June 23, 2010, 8:43 am 8:43 am

Obama and his staff can’t read the health care bill or the Arizona law but they read Rolling Stone?

Posted by: MizFW | June 23, 2010, 8:46 am 8:46 am

No matter who he chooses, the outcome will belong to Obama. That outcome had better be, noticably good, Obama can’t take anymore self-inflicted abuse. He’s been having a hard time of late, but these last couple days have been hard on him. Fewer and fewer people are buying into his nonsense. It’s his own damn fault.

Posted by: smartlillena | June 23, 2010, 8:47 am 8:47 am

Davis Bradley…you family won’t speak to you because you support people who wish to undermine 234 years of the greatest democracy the world has ever known. The greatest threats to our country and the way of life we all enjoy are the people you foolishly elected. This country was founded on 3 inalienable rights….”Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”…..not welfare, socialism, and federal tyranny!
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have”….

Posted by: Jim Dutton | June 23, 2010, 8:55 am 8:55 am

Currently, our elected leadership would rather use the body of a slain service member as a photo op than lead us out of two wars. Obama’s leadership, like his predecessor, has been embarrassing to all Americans. The thing that is disheartening is that McCrystal has been defending our country honorably since 1976. This truth has been forgotten by the Obama Administration, and it is tragically sad. Speaking as a veteran myself, I do not like how Gen. McCrystal is being bullied by members of Obama’s team. To often our servicemen and women are asked to make the ultimate sacrifice. Many do not have an outlet to vent their frustrations, believe me I know. When the good general uses a magazine as a way to merely express his feelings, it should be encouraged and celebrated not scorned.

Posted by: Richard Cloer | June 23, 2010, 8:55 am 8:55 am

Posted by: Bob Webb | June 23, 2010, 8:55 am 8:55 am

Obama has lost confidence in MCCrystal and the majority of Americans have no confidence in Obama.
What a mess.

Posted by: justin | June 23, 2010, 9:00 am 9:00 am

Poor judgement, lacking maturity, mocks people, and says stupid things to the media.
That could describe McCrystal, Obama, and Biden.
Mac seems like a perfect fit with Obama.

Posted by: ollie | June 23, 2010, 9:02 am 9:02 am

I say President Obama needs to clean house, any appointments placed by the previous adminstration needs to go-they ARE NOT LOYAL to him or his adminstration. Rahm- Obama chief of staff, needs to go, playing politics is not helping this nation. The republicians, the partisian approach as a party is NOT helping this nation or the tax paying citizens of this nation, the contempt you have for this President, at every turn you are trying to stop his every move.. don’t be to sure that the formentioned of your success is automatic come November..there are plenty of tax paying citizens outside of the tea party movement that are watching..and DON’T like what you stand for..and “WE THE PEOPLE”, WILL NOT FORGET the early days of the tea party movement rally’s -blatant intentional racial discord..in your face tactics endorded by the republician party..and we will not forget and we know who the politicians are who support you and the tea party movement come this november.

Posted by: GateKeeper | June 23, 2010, 9:03 am 9:03 am

Shoe wrote: He hasn’t compromised anything. ~sure he has, he has created weakness in the chain of command~
He said that so Obama will quit rolling in the floor, kicking his feet and whining. ~not a factual statement~
McChrystal spoke the truth as he felt it. ~no, he and his drinking buddies were mouthing off to a reporter….very military like, eh?~
So far, I have not heard anything from the WH to counter his comments as being untrue, which leads me to believe that his statement of Obama being “unprepared” and not involved is true. ~ if a non-response to drunken slurs makes you a believer, it is obvious that you don’t require much~ Could it be that this administration doesn’t know how to handle someone telling the TRUTH? ~yeah, we saw the movie, did it tickle you to finally work that line into your post? there is no defense for a general making statements to a magazine that compromise the chain of command or the war effort. period.~

Posted by: dowell | June 23, 2010, 9:04 am 9:04 am

If he can’t hack it than the General needs to be removed, what he did was wrong simply wrong! however he did it and whatever his intention was he was and is wrong, even if he was as some of you have commented “trying to get attention to what he Perceive as a problem, the way he went about is just plain wrong!

Posted by: gman | June 23, 2010, 9:06 am 9:06 am

“I say President Obama needs to clean house, any appointments placed by the previous adminstration needs to go-they ARE NOT LOYAL to him or his adminstration. Rahm- Obama chief of staff, needs to go, playing politics is not helping this nation.”
Orszag already jumped ship. There will be be more…

Posted by: Plank | June 23, 2010, 9:06 am 9:06 am

Maybe MCCrystal wanted a way out of a giant quagmire similar to Vietnam.
If anything this puts Afghanistan front and center, something Obama doesn’t want.
The last thing Obama wants is attention on his “good war” that is failing.
Obama would rather be flying around the country reading speeches, or attending WH concerts.

Posted by: mick | June 23, 2010, 9:07 am 9:07 am

There is alway pride before the fall(fire McChrystal)>>.

Posted by: justsaying | June 23, 2010, 9:08 am 9:08 am

Rolling Stone may seem like a tabloid but they have been one of the few left-leaning outlets willing to expose the truth about Obama.
They did a scathing report about Obama’s incompetence in handling the Gulf Spill, and others that were critical of Obama.
I applaud them for being our watchdog unlike most of the MSM.

Posted by: greg c | June 23, 2010, 9:13 am 9:13 am

“Gen. Stanley McChrystal said, “I’ve compromised the mission”" – ABC News
And a good thing he did. Now maybe we all will realize that Obama isn’t in Afghanistan to win, we can declare defeat and bring the boys home early.
McChrystal is one smart cookie and a true patriot.
On a side note: NoBo should recuse himself on the decision of what to do with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, fire him or accept a resignation. He should pass the responsibility to Biden. McChrystal has the same first name as Barry’s mom, Stanley. It might be too hard for him to think this through with a clear head.

Posted by: Noz | June 23, 2010, 9:32 am 9:32 am

I’m shocked that Obama didn’t set up a commission to decide whether to fire McCryrstal. Obama making a major decision in two days? That’s a new one.
He didn’t vote present 130x’s as a senator for nothing.
Obama is not a big decision maker.
Easier to dump the hard stuff on someone else and let them suffer the consequences.

Posted by: fran | June 23, 2010, 9:36 am 9:36 am

Obama is immature and shows poor judgement can we fire him?
Hillary 2012

Posted by: reed | June 23, 2010, 9:41 am 9:41 am

I don’t feel sorry for McCrystal.
He was dumb enough to vote for Obama and now he is paying for that choice.
What did Mc see in Obama that led him to believe that he would be a strong Commander in Chief?
THAT was poor judgement.

Posted by: kyle | June 23, 2010, 9:46 am 9:46 am

Obama wants this over fast.
He’s got things to do.
Oil spills to exploit.
Lawsuits to pursue with a state trying to fight off kidnapping and drug wars.
A crappy health care bill to sell.
Taxpayer’s money to waste.
Fundraisers, speeches, sports events, golf.
Obama wants this McCrystal thing over fast so he can put the war in Afghanistan on the backburner again.

Posted by: phelps | June 23, 2010, 9:52 am 9:52 am

The Pres. has to fire McChrystal or accept his resignation, to keep the illusion that he is in charge. There is no plan to win the war, not by this part time president who is more worried about playing golf, going to ballgames, three-day weekends, date nights, rock and roll nights at the WH and pleasure trips on Airforce one.

Posted by: Lizzie | June 23, 2010, 10:02 am 10:02 am

The only astonishing thing is that Rolling Stone and The National Enquirer are breaking major news stories.

Posted by: robert | June 23, 2010, 10:14 am 10:14 am

Bottom line a law should be passed if you want to run our country you best have served our country Obama has zero military experience and we obviously have no clue to what is really going on in Afghanistan..I thank you McChrystal for protecting us and serving our country America well whats left of it

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 10:24 am 10:24 am

McChrystal to Barack HUSSEIN Obama: Show me UR medals & I’ll show U mine
It’s very clear that Obama is a “weak” prez & does not have the safety of our troops in mind. I feel Obama is a DISGRACE to America.

Posted by: Jack | June 23, 2010, 10:25 am 10:25 am

Obama did this, Obama did not do this. Obama this, Obama that. My God! Damn if he does, and damn if he does not! I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes right now, a President of so many stupid people!

Posted by: mcmitch | June 23, 2010, 10:26 am 10:26 am

This general realizes his mistake.If he policy wise doesnt disagree with the president then why would he state such statements… It was not wise for him to make these statements. He is not a citizen. He is a general and Obama is his chief commander. Now if you had an employee that made such comments about you and you were the boss, what would you do? The general realizes that he has compromised the mission. You Obamahaters should realize that as well., but you won’t because you love to remain critical, narrowminded and self righteous

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:29 am 10:29 am

Was Obama unprepared for his meeting with McChrystal? The general should have handled this differently, to be sure, but if POTUS was unprepared for a meeting with his top general regarding a war that involves 100,000 Amwerican troops, that is a bit scary.
Posted by: Bob Webb | Jun 23, 2010 8:55:48 AM
________________________________________
What’s even more scary is the fact that we had a previous administration that left us in those two countries with no exit strategy

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:31 am 10:31 am

Posted by: Marie | June 23, 2010, 10:31 am 10:31 am

Obama is immature and shows poor judgement can we fire him?
Hillary 2012
Posted by: reed | Jun 23, 2010 9:41:57 AM
_______________________________________
How immature and poor was his judgement when he made Hillary Secretary of State?….. I personally think it was a wise decision

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:34 am 10:34 am

Hey mcmitch …America is dammed if he does or dammed if he doesn’t we are just dammed as long as he is running our country…Obama only speaks when he is mad and feels like he has lost an once of control because that’s what its all about for him control over the American people

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 10:35 am 10:35 am

Obama has lost confidence in MCCrystal and the majority of Americans have no confidence in Obama.
What a mess.
Posted by: justin | Jun 23, 2010 9:00:16 AM
______________________________________
Speak for yourself because this American doesn’t agree with you.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:35 am 10:35 am

I bet Hillary is loving this! Obama didn’t answer that 3 am phone call (Gulf oilspill), now Obama has the military in chaos, homes dropped 33% last month, the lowest since 1963, Obama wanting to sue one of our states, the world laughs at Obama. Yup, Hillary is loving this…when she proclaimed that Obama was unqualified, she was right! Obama is a weakling….the world sees it now & in November, he will be a lame-duck. 2012 can’t get here soon enough…I hope Hillary runs again..if she were President, the world would be a better place. Time for Obama to go.

Posted by: Jaylie | June 23, 2010, 10:40 am 10:40 am

Whatever decision is made, it doesnt change the fact that the Afghanistan war is a total failure. Obama owns this war…it’s not Bush’s war, its Obama. Obama continues to “divide & conquer”. A poor excuse for a President.
Posted by: Marie | Jun 23, 2010 10:31:53 AM
_______________________________________
Obama inherited and owns a mistake,a huge mistake, monumental mistakes, but the bottom line is that it was bush’s nearly seven year screw up. This is not a drive thru window where these enormous and imbedded problems can be fixed overnight. Unlike the previous administration, this president and administration will take the time to calculate risks, strategies, goals and outcomes before digging America into complex dangerous holes like the previous administration did.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:41 am 10:41 am

We don’t need Hollywood generals. 2 strikes and you are out. Last time when MCCrystal used the media to pressure the White House to adopt his strategy, I thought he deserved a second chance. This decent and smart President gave him the opportunity to prove he is a good soldier. He blew it. “MCCrystal YOU ARE FIRED”.

Posted by: tchanta | June 23, 2010, 10:48 am 10:48 am

Are you serious Jaylie? Do you see the clean up and response in the gulf? This president has had a lot more to clean up than the previous administration.George W. inherited a surplus. Barack Obama inherited a failing economy, deficits, two wars etc.., Why would Hillary laugh at what America is facing now. That’s just dumb for you to day that. If our president faces a crisis that means America faces a crisis, and no one man president or whoever is going to fix it alone. It take a coordinated effort of bright minds and able bodies to fix whatever is wrong.. Right now Americans should be working together as a whole not cheerleadering that the president doesnt have an immediate fix to complex problems… I never cheerleadeded the fact that we may be stuck in two wars for a while, or those ridiculous gas and food prices we had under the previous administration.Some of you must have long term memory issues or your income is so high that your out of touch with what Average Americans went through under Bush/Cheney

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 10:54 am 10:54 am

“Unlike the previous administration, this president and administration will take the time to calculate risks, strategies, goals and outcomes before digging America into complex dangerous holes like the previous administration did.” – TV
So instead of “rushing” into a mistake this administration takes it’s time and contemplates all the factors before proceeding with a mistake.
Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better in fact it’s worse.
There is then no hope for a course correction.
At least with the other guys you had hope that if they took time and contemplated all the factors they just might get it right.

Posted by: Noz | June 23, 2010, 10:55 am 10:55 am

If you were in Obama’s shoes 6 months ago, what would you do? It seems like there are no good choices here, only bad or worse ones. What will be least bad in the long run?

Posted by: Mike | June 23, 2010, 10:59 am 10:59 am

People here on the Gulf applaud the judge for overturning the moratorium placed by Obama. This would have cost over 300,000 jobs in Louisiana alone. Just shows how incompetent Obama is. Now, we have the McChrystal debacle. I agree, McChrystal shouldnt have said what he did, BUT, it shows the frustration in Afghanistan because of Obama. Now, Obama wants to sue Arizona in order to try and get the Hispanic vote. Obama doesnt care for the Hispanics, just like he DOES NOT care for us down here dealing with this oilspill. I voted for Obama and have regretted it many times over. You see now that the Obama administration is “unravelling”. Obama was elected on the “goods”…NOW, America is taking these “goods” back to the store and wanting a refund. I used to think Jimmy Carter was the worst prez ever, now, I KNOW Obama is the worst prez ever!

Posted by: NewOrleansLady | June 23, 2010, 11:00 am 11:00 am

McChrystal is the one who jeopordized the mission with his insorbordinate statements.Its not Obama’s fault that a serviceman forget who his commander was and what their responsibilities are. As a general he should have controlled himself.McChrystal disrespected himself and his position by not respected his chain of command. Bottomline!

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:00 am 11:00 am

“Obama this, Obama that. My God! Damn if he does, and damn if he does not!” – mcmitch
That’s because when he does something it’s usually the wrong thing to do such as sue Arizona.
Then when action is required he does nothing such as suspending the Jones Act.
“What’s even more scary is the fact that we had a previous administration that left us in those two countries with no exit strategy” – TV
That’s not quite right TV, the exit strategy was victory.

Posted by: Noz | June 23, 2010, 11:01 am 11:01 am

If Obama had inherited a surplus and vibrant economy and screwed it up like George W. did then by all means point the finger. From day one he has had to be about damage control and guess what… It takes time and sometimes trial and error to get it right people… Preident Obama told you that on the night he was elected.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:03 am 11:03 am

How do you spell “loser”? O-B-A-M-A

Posted by: ObamaDetractor | June 23, 2010, 11:04 am 11:04 am

Noz….. Victory meaning that what we will be greeted as liberators or when we kill all those fighting us in their country? We cannot have our way in every area of the planet. Our goal should have been to capture Bin Laden. What are your thoughts on Bin Laden Noz?
to me victory means capturing Bin Laden and destroying terrorist plots as well.Bin Laden being GOAL NUMBER 1. What does victory mean to you

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:08 am 11:08 am

No Drama Obama?
Another joke, just a media fabrication.
Obama is the Drama Queen!
It’s a new drama every day.
And most of it caused by Obama’s incompetence.

Posted by: ollie | June 23, 2010, 11:10 am 11:10 am

At least with the other guys you had hope that if they took time and contemplated all the factors they just might get it right.
Posted by: Noz | Jun 23, 2010 10:55:14 AM
_______________________________________
That’s the problem Noz. The other guys never took the time. They made rush decisions. Are you serious? You had hope Bush/Cheney would get it right? THEY NEVER GOT BIN LADEN. THEY LEFT OUR ECONOMY IN SHAMBLES BEFORE THEY LEFT OFFICE!

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:13 am 11:13 am

The “good war”.
Probably sounded good to Obama when he needed to get elected president.
Just words like many of his other empty promises.
But now that he actually is CIC Obama wants nothing to do with Afghanistan.
Does he still think it’s a “good war”.
We need to get out NOW!

Posted by: kyle | June 23, 2010, 11:13 am 11:13 am

How can you think the war is a mistake so after 9/11 you think we should have just sat back and do nothing those rag heads killed so many innocent Americans on the 9/11 attack so we had to protect America and go to war if we didn’t who knows what would have happened by now I know if Americans think poorly of Obama i can imagine what are enemies think about him I felt much safer with the republicans running our country

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 11:14 am 11:14 am

Some people need to ask themselves if their hatred for Barack Obama is so great that they are willing to sacrifice such a bedrock American principle as civilian control of the military. If they are, they are setting a dangerous precedent that could turn around and bite us in a bad way.

Posted by: vernon | June 23, 2010, 11:17 am 11:17 am

I think Gen. McChristal should resign. Why a C Hawk works for a Turkey O?
Whenever I see a THIN SKIN KID(O) lectures a bunch of experienced ADULTS (congressmen, leaders …) I felt so sorry for AMERICA, OUR GREAT NATION.
I was never so involved in politics, never. But THE ELECTION OF 2008 WOKE ME UP.
— a DEM turned Independent (will vote for Rup.) on 2012 unless DEM will have another candidate.

Posted by: talk from sf | June 23, 2010, 11:24 am 11:24 am

President Obama is totally unqualified to serve as commander in chief – and that’s the real story revealed by the Rolling Stone article that Americans should take. He would rather spend more time dancing around with celebrities, attending sporting and cultural events and taking time off for himself than meet with his top general. He is a mirror of the non-serving self servers that populate the media, academia, etc.. His dereliction of duty is the real issue.

Posted by: PAXALLES | June 23, 2010, 11:27 am 11:27 am

I agree Vernon

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:29 am 11:29 am

Is Nobama ready for the job?
NO! How can a senator qualify his job when he VOTED 130 TIMES O (PRESENT) as a senator?
How can he qualify the job when he was ABSENT most of the time as Senator?
Were we blind when electing him? YES. We were fooled by the BIASED AND UNFAIR AND NOT BALANCED MAIN STREAM MEDIA!
Shame for our MSM! You didn’t do your job … yet we will do our job on 2012 —– VOTE HIM OUT! HE IS NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE JOB.

Posted by: talk from sf | June 23, 2010, 11:30 am 11:30 am

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 11:31 am 11:31 am

Posted by: ObamaDetractor | June 23, 2010, 11:33 am 11:33 am

Angie, President is alot better than George W.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:33 am 11:33 am

Obama and his staff can’t read the health care bill or the Arizona law but they read Rolling Stone?
—- WELL SAID.

Posted by: talk from sf | June 23, 2010, 11:34 am 11:34 am

For those of you saying the Bush administration screwed up the world then ask your self why did you vote for a man who has zero military experience and in general NO experience at all to fix the problems we are facing…Think about that
Posted by: angie | Jun 23, 2010 11:31:02 AM
Very good point. I love reading your posts! Keep up the GREAT work!

Posted by: ObamaDetractor | June 23, 2010, 11:35 am 11:35 am

For those of you saying the Bush administration screwed the world up then ask your self why did you vote for man with zero military experience and zero experience in general to try to fix the problems we are facing..Think about it

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 11:37 am 11:37 am

Obviously, Bush’s experience didn’t help him or our country. Im no Clinton fan but he didnt have military experience and didnt cause these problems either

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:38 am 11:38 am

Some of these posts are just ridiculous.All the republicans are going to do is give tax breaks to the rich, deregulate industry and keep us in war. Why? Because all these things keep money in their constituents pockets.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:41 am 11:41 am

Think about that
Posted by: angie | Jun 23, 2010 11:31:02 AM
Think about this: The alternative was much, much worse. A temperamental, warmongering, economically illiterate jerk and a willfully ignorant and divisive person with bad ideas, a loose grasp on ethics and given to jibberish, both in lockstep with the same failed ideology and policies that created the mess.
And the GOP still has no ideas, solutions or qualified candidates for senate or the house, let alone President.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 11:42 am 11:42 am

Haliburton was involved in the constuction of that gulf rig. Didn’t Cheney serve on that board? Wake up America. Republicans do not serve American interests. They scream it all the time. “Let us have our way or we’ll take the jobs overseas”

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:43 am 11:43 am

McChrystal told the truth. Obama never tells the truth. We salute you Commander with all our heart.

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 11:46 am 11:46 am

Forgot to mention I was talking about McCain and Palin when I wrote this:
“The alternative was much, much worse. A temperamental, warmongering, economically illiterate jerk and a willfully ignorant and divisive person with bad ideas, a loose grasp on ethics and given to jibberish, both in lockstep with the same failed ideology and policies that created the mess.”
Have to spell things out around here.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 11:47 am 11:47 am

Posted by: angie | Jun 23, 2010 11:46:23 AM
McCrystal got drunk and compromised the mission.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 11:48 am 11:48 am

McChrystal told the truth. Obama never tells the truth. We salute you Commander with all our heart.
Posted by: angie | Jun 23, 2010 11:46:23 AM
Poll out this morning says that 68% of Ameiricans say that McChrystal should stay. I feel, Angie, that your post reveals how the MAJORITY of Americans feel with this failing Obama Administration AND Obama himself.

Posted by: Bea | June 23, 2010, 11:48 am 11:48 am

For the FIRST time in my life, I am TOTALLY ashamed of the President of the United States! November can’t come soon enough followed by 2012. America is in chaos because of the incompetence of Barack Obama. I honestly don’t see how Obama can get up each day and look at himself in the mirror with all the lies he tells Americans.
Posted by: ObamaDetractor | Jun 23, 2010 11:33:23 AM
_______________________________________
So were you in a coma during the Bush adminstration when Bush told us Saddam had weapons of mass destruction or when he said FEMA was doing a good job when all those people were dying in Louisiana, or when Bush/Cheney left office not doing a thing to fix our failing economy or the two wars we were left with… You should have been ashamed then because if you weren’t the only reasonable excuse is coma.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:49 am 11:49 am

I feel, Angie, that your post reveals how the MAJORITY of Americans feel with this failing Obama Administration AND Obama himself.
Posted by: Bea | Jun 23, 2010 11:48:50 AM
You certainly have the right to emote, but the majority of Americans don’t even want to be in Afghanistan and oppose the war.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 11:52 am 11:52 am

I don’t see dead bodies floating in the streets like they were during Katrina under Bush’s administration. I don’t see thosands of people chanting HELP! HELP! like were on the TV in an American city during the Bush administration and once again our then president telling the FEMA director he was doing a good job. Or was it because the citizens were black that it didnt seem to matter to you Bush supporters. … You weren’t ashamed of that ObamaDetractor?

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 11:54 am 11:54 am

After reading the articles it appears that McCrystal is not only disloyal, he and his crew are also drunks. This is a very dangerous combination. He needs to go.
There are plenty of other good generals out there and from what I can see, McCrystal’s “Afghanistan strategy” has been a miserable failure so far.

Posted by: Normagene | June 23, 2010, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm

If Obama, with all his advisors and the full force of the government is incompetent, what does this say about all those here that are clearly even more so?
The big picture encompasses far more than merely the events of 9/11. Those that only see a need for revenge for this are hardly competent to judge others.
This “revenge” has already cost us as many lives as the 9/11 event and the “problem over there” is getting greater every day.
With all the bashing on these Internet comment sites, I’m surprised we are not already in Heaven, but do keep on, we may get there yet!
If, indeed, one were to have a solution for all our problems, they would never be able to convey this to the public with stupid sound bites and vitriolic putdowns.

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 12:00 pm 12:00 pm

So why would a top commander who knows military protocol better than anyone deliberately break protocol risking his job in order to make public his opinion of the entire war and the way it is handled? Because he knows that otherwise it would NEVER be heard. He is no idiot so clearly getting the message out was more morally important to him than his position/job. Basically he was Obama’s main crutch in this fiasco/mission which means Obama is now standing on his own in terms of continuing on this path. He will not be able to blame and replace the military commander in charge come election time. Also this puts distance between the general and this mess when he runs for office down the road. He may be even smarter than we realize. He knew there would be a firestorm resulting from this. He clearly factored that in willing to accept the consequences. Bottom line. If the guy running the show does not believe in the mission then why would we?

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm

Insightful post GregD

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm

Also Bush lied repeatedly to the American people. Bottom line
Posted by: TV | Jun 23, 2010 12:10:34 PM
You MUST be in a coma! Obama lies EVERYTIME he speaks! Yes, I am a very PROUD African-American Republican…there are many of us and ours numbers are growing rapidly day by day…so watch out! Al Sharpton was right in his assessment of Obama: Barack Obama is a socialist. THATS the bottom line!

Posted by: ObamaDetractor | June 23, 2010, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm

BlackRepublican=Out of touch American

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 12:17 pm 12:17 pm

I think McChrystal should resign, but what is MORE damaging is the information and statements made in the Rolling Stones article. There clearly IS a problem between the Obama Administration & our commanders in Afghanistan. This needs to be addressed & resolved since this is where the 9/11 attacks originated. Everyone NEEDS to be on the same page here. President Obama needs to exercise leadership here, a quality we have not seen much of from him during his administration.

Posted by: Billy | June 23, 2010, 12:20 pm 12:20 pm

Obamadetractor I really don’t want to say anything else to you. You represent the worst of all. You hate your own kind.Sarah Palin and her ilk I get and understand. You, Michael Steele and others such as yourself are just disgusting. You will realize how despised you are when your income decreases to average American level.

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm

BlackRepublican=Out of touch American
Posted by: TV | Jun 23, 2010 12:17:45 PM
So now you’re a racist….wait, isnt that the line you Democrats use when folks don’t agree with the Obama agenda?

Posted by: ObamaDetractor | June 23, 2010, 12:23 pm 12:23 pm

On a ending note to this blog all of you who fell into the media hype and voted for Obama and now see it was a big mistake well come 2012 redeem your self as an AMERICAN and make the right choice for our country..
God Bless America!!

Posted by: angie | June 23, 2010, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm

All the great presidents had idiot detractor’s like those commenting above. ie Lincoln and Roosevelt were savagely attacked.
I recommend you all start reading news sources that spell out the truth…stop watching Fox would help….stop listening to Rush and others like him.
Lastly realize that as our population grows, the problems to sustain our lifestyles grows and that only government can offer practical solutions covering the welfare of all. Private industry needs to be strongly regulated to avoid the oil spills and financial meltsowns that come from maximizing profits with no consideration for anything else. The key is smart government like we have now. W’s government was crippled by his total and complete ignorance of the World we live in.

Posted by: Goran | June 23, 2010, 12:29 pm 12:29 pm

Those who study the Bible, mostly Christians, are aware that Jesus Christ was, at heart, a socialist too. His message to treat others as one would like to be treated is hardly a capitalistic notion.
Adolph Hitler was also said to be a socialist.
Food for thought:
Which is worse: being a Christian or being a Nazi?
Or is it now the ideal to be a Christian Nazi?
Or even better if you are black too?
Is it not rather cheap logic to call everyone you disagree with a socialist?
I can see it now. I’m playing bridge and my partner makes a stupid bid. It becomes immediately clear that he/she is a socialist.
It is also clear that there is something amiss in the way people are educated in this country.

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 12:37 pm 12:37 pm

This betrayal of his honor will haunt General McCrystal in the history books (except in Texas). For our President every step along the way he has had to surmount the despicable behavior of people intimidated by his ability, his fair mindedness and leadership qualities. Those who have abused their power in the past will not allow our country to move forward in a new direction without throwing everything they have against the collective force for positive change. Look at Iran. But change is going to come, not just because of the President but because of the millions that are currently working for it in their own quiet steadfast way. Those that are ruled by fear and resentment will not grasp why its better not to live life that way but the rest will. Divisiveness is the tool of the power hungry. Notice how the President never goes there. His spirit of cohesiveness is a powerful force in reaching out for quality. Hatred is the path to mediocrity and worse.

Posted by: Catherine | June 23, 2010, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm

The last thing the republicans did to advance anything for African Americans was the Emancipation Proclomation and the nation was at war with itself then. Republican agenda is to serve the wants of higher income Americans. Glance at American cities. African American incomes fall closer to middle and low income brackets. IE= most African Americans identify with democratic party because of tax allocated initiatives associated and accompaning democratic policies.Black Republican does not socioeconomically identify with average African American income. Black Republican more often than not has forgotten struggle for equality and those who died and sacrificed for him/her to have opportunities.Black Republican more often than not could care less about the plight of others that have same racial identity and lower income statis

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm

None of the statements were wrong and few came from the General. Mostly, statements were made in conversations where one side did not realize exact quotes were forthcoming.
The comments were essentially typical griping and banter. No one with confidence would even be upset by them. Indeed, it the article were not picked up as a hit piece, little would have come of it.
I don’t think there is a mistake, here. Rolling Stone was invited, I believe, precisely, to capture attention to what is going on and provide it to a hostile, left audience.
The media is all excited about a possible resignation, some gleeful, but to cover this story the national media is repeating all of the negative comment without rebuff and with agreement. In the long run, that revelation will stick. A major political gain has been accomplished.
Events may have gotten out of hand, but General McChrystal has the attention of the nation. If you believe he is dedicated to his mission and men, you can see his “job,” so important to the media, is nearly irrelevant. He is not wandering around trying to keep a job.

Posted by: Gene | June 23, 2010, 12:42 pm 12:42 pm

TV, how’s that Democrat fueled cycle of dependency on the gov’t teat doing for your people?

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm

I agree Goran!
It has been said that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world. We get everything right.
Problem is, we do everything wrong before we get it right.
Nothing new here. It is a part of our “system”.

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 12:48 pm 12:48 pm

Nobama loses either way…
It’s sad to see the great and heroic American General McChrystal have to grovel for his job to the Community-Organizer-in-Chief.

Posted by: tjp612 | June 23, 2010, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm

“Wars are won with brute force not absurd rules of engagement”
And feel free to volunteer to head over there and fight with brute force tough guy.

Posted by: Skip | June 23, 2010, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm

“But change is going to come, not just because of the President but because of the millions that are currently working for it in their own quiet steadfast way.”
Yep, see you in November. (Positive) Change is coming to DC in January 2011 (starting with removal of Pelosi as Speaker of House).
(BTW – change is coming in large part BECAUSE of the president and his far-Left ideology)

Posted by: tjp612 | June 23, 2010, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm

Meanwhile Skip you can go ahead supporting your “progressive” world view while the US military protects your freedom of speech. You should be so tough “vocally” in places like Cuba, Russia, China, Venezuela, etc. Tough guy.

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm

Lame-brained talk tough saber-rattling might impress your right-wing friends but so far it has does nothing but get MORE of our troops killed in the Middle East. We don’t have the forces to subjugate whole countries like you ridiculously suggest…especially when right-wingers like yourself would rather only preach military policy from safely behind their keyboards.

Posted by: Skip | June 23, 2010, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm

Good point Skip

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 1:06 pm 1:06 pm

“Posted by: Skip | Jun 23, 2010 1:01:07 PM
But Obamao and his Dem cronies in Congress have preached for years that “Afghanistan is the just war”. Do you disagree with your progressive heroes?

Posted by: tjp612 | June 23, 2010, 1:09 pm 1:09 pm

It is interesting to see someone cite biblical verses out of context.
We are told to render unto Caesar what is due Caesar—because it is very dangerous not to.
When Jesus died, according to Mark 15:38, “And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom”, one would like to know what you think of that?
When the tax collector comes for you, do you walk an extra mile with him and double up on your tax payments? Or do you complain?
Our government makes it possible to do either. You are blessed to live in the USA.
There are some other countries where you must tow the religious line, socialistic or not. Which do you prefer De Oppresso Liber?

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 1:12 pm 1:12 pm

It was just because our origianl attackers came from that region. We are at war because of our feelings after 9/11.We were manipulated, lied to, and led astray by Bush/Cheney and their hidden agenda

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm

But Obamao and his Dem cronies in Congress have preached for years that “Afghanistan is the just war”. Do you disagree with your progressive heroes?
—
You remember the Dem beliefs on WMDs, right?

Posted by: Samey Same | June 23, 2010, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm

“It is interesting to see someone cite biblical verses out of context”
Right-wingers have to abominate Jesus’s teachings if they want to try and justify their condoning of violence, rewarding of greed, and neglect of the sick and the poor while claiming to be Christians.

Posted by: Skip | June 23, 2010, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm

“Right-wingers have to abominate Jesus’s teachings if they want to try and justify their condoning of violence, rewarding of greed, and neglect of the sick and the poor while claiming to be Christians.”
Yeah, that keeps me up at night. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Posted by: Monty | June 23, 2010, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm

Skip face it, the only war progressives are comfortable with is those that are wrought by progressive governments against their own people. See Stalin, Hitler and Mao for examples. Whether you fools choose not see the true enemy, islam in this case, is a whole other issue. You must be getting tired of that hiding behind that “saber rattling behind the keyboard bit”. In war there will be casualties, but the purpose of a war is to avoid casualties to the population as a whole to take out an enemy of said population. There will be planners, strategic thinkers, leaders, soldiers, etc. You can use the leftist tack of insulting the messanger but you can’t defeat the idea.

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm

Skip and Greg D, do you believe in government engineered “social justice” or do you believe in charity born of one’s belief in God? If you believe in the former, how dare you interject God into Government. Don’t you know that there is seperation of church and state? What would atheists think of you? What the state of California think of you?

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm

We can only hope that the decision over what to do with the general takes less time than the decision over whether or not to send the general more troops. ABC can do a cool split screen..on the left a shot of the oil leak as we wait for a fix that works, on the right a shot of the White house chimney as we wait for a plume of smoke.

Posted by: cindy | June 23, 2010, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm

I see it..I see it..the smoke!! Seems that Obama is much more comfortable using “all options on the table” when it comes to his own general than the likes of the leaders of Iran and North Korea. Maybe this is him practicing.

Posted by: cindy | June 23, 2010, 1:42 pm 1:42 pm

Sometimes it’s not nice to call a rude person rude. You become the problem for saying so. What McChrystal said was true; I guess he should not have referred to his Commander-in-Chief’s incompetency as such.

Posted by: Walsh | June 23, 2010, 2:04 pm 2:04 pm

Skip, does Islam encourage or tolerate multiculturalism (a backbone of the progressive movement) where everyone is on equal footing, e.g., zoroastroists are on the same footing as muslims?

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm

“See Stalin, Hitler and Mao for examples”
These were progressives? Never heard that before.
I guess from this definition both Saddam and George W were progressives also. One was hung and the other lives comfortably in Dallas with a “temple” for people to worship him in.
Ain’t life a trip?

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 2:12 pm 2:12 pm

“These were progressives? Never heard that before.”
You left out Che. He’s on t-shirts!

Posted by: 101 | June 23, 2010, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm

Greg D, my use of the term “progressive” vis-a-vis the named tyrants was meant to connote their affiliation with leftists, i.e., government is father & mother, big government can solve evertything, etc.

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 2:23 pm 2:23 pm

Obama did what he had to do.I’m surprised-although he should have fired him yesterday without the lawn ceremony.

Posted by: Nephron | June 23, 2010, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm

I wished Obama or ‘Bite Me’ would have broken McC’s sword in half over their knee.. like .. more drama.. less apology. Even if you had to phone Donald Thump in to do his signature you’re fired.. something more..

Posted by: Dontget818 | June 23, 2010, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm

“Skip and Greg D, do you believe in government engineered “social justice” or do you believe in charity born of one’s belief in God? If you believe in the former, how dare you interject God into Government. Don’t you know that there is seperation of church and state? What would atheists think of you? What the state of California think of you?”
I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve never seen any government engineered social justice. The government is made up of people and it is they that do the engineering.
Charity is a reasonable attribute of certain people who respect the human condition, and becomes effective when a person wishes to be charitable, not because they believe in God, or fear him etc.
Neither Skip nor I have injected God into government, and you know this, so why blame us? If perchance you believe that a constitutional seperation of church and state effects such a seperation, you are very naive. Neither Skip nor I were born yesterday.
California thinks of me about as much as I think of them. The big difference is that I have heard of California.
It has a Republican governor doesn’t it?

Posted by: Greg D | June 23, 2010, 2:30 pm 2:30 pm

@ Greg D, “I have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve never seen any government engineered social justice. The government is made up of people and it is they that do the engineering.”
You must be kidding….The State of California, Medicare/aid, SSA, taxes on private citizens for redistribution of monies via direct grants or programs to “disadvantaged” individuals, etc. These are examples of leftists in charge. The reality is that the money supply is limited while their world view entitlement programs are not.

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm

Charity is born of oneself. The government has no authority to take and distribute as it sees fit.

Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | June 23, 2010, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm

Billionaire Charity = 600 Billion
Small People Charity = 300 Billion

Posted by: Dontget818 | June 23, 2010, 2:45 pm 2:45 pm

Obama did what he had to do.I’m surprised-although he should have fired him yesterday without the lawn ceremony.
Posted by: Nephron | Jun 23, 2010 2:26:17 PM
Shockingly we agree Nephron on part of this– Obama did what he had to do, and he chose a good replacement. However, I respect him for doing it face to face today, and giving McChrystal an opportunity to discuss the matter.
I like the tagline, more or less, ““I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division.”
Exactly right.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 3:08 pm 3:08 pm

Remember, This the same president that thought going to Copenhagen to pitch the Olympics for his home town of Chicago was more important than dealing with the need for more troops. He blew off the General, and finally under public criticism, Obama finally gave him a few minutes on the plane.
In the General’s eyes, Obama thinks the Olympics are more important than the lives of our soldiers. General McChrystal was just too happy to leave.

Posted by: PatS | June 23, 2010, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm

A few years ago it was General “Betray us” and the left called him a liar.
Today the left is thrilled with Petraeus.
What’s next Code Pink celebrating Afghjanistan’s nine year anniversary? My how things have changed.
Obama has magical powers.

Posted by: kyle | June 23, 2010, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm

government is father & mother, big government can solve evertything, etc.
Posted by: De Oppresso Liber | Jun 23, 2010 2:23:41 PM
that’s more a republican thing as they tend more toward authoritarianism and nanny statehood (albeit corporate nanny statehood )though they also tend to like an array of coercive hierarchies joined at the hip working against the people and middle and lower income classes– big guv and big biz in concert working hard to uphold the status quo in regards to inequities.
progressives view the artificial separation of equality and freedom as the red herring it is, are as of suspicious of big biz and special interests as they are big and secretive gov’t, push for transparency and human rights, and tend to be more libertarian (in the truest sense) than authoritarian.

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm

Just add McChrystal’s name to the long list of disappointed Obama voters.
And to the list of generals Obama has replaced.
Two of Obama’s hand-picked generals are gone. Maybe Obama should look in the mirror. But that’s hard for a guy that thinks he is perfect.

Posted by: ollie | June 23, 2010, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm

Billionaire Charity = 600 Billion
Small People Charity = 300 Billion
Posted by: Dontget818 | Jun 23, 2010 2:45:32 PM
:>)
As Bernie Sanders puts it, “We can no longer afford to provide over $125 billion every year in corporate welfare – tax breaks, subsidies and other wasteful spending – that goes to some of the largest, most profitable corporations in America. “

Posted by: progressive mama | June 23, 2010, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm

Obama causes so many problems. Everything wrong with America is his fault….. That statement isnt true but is definitely what Bush/Cheney, McCain/Palin, Tea Party supporters want to convince America of. Bush/Cheney caused the problems. Its gonna take a while for Obama to clean it up…. we wouldnt need that general over there if Bush/Cheney set and accomplished clear goals over there and brought our troops home years ago.. Like capture Bin Laden

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 3:39 pm 3:39 pm

I wonder what would have happened to a general who so blatently disrespected its president/leader in some of these countries with whom we are at war. I’m pretty sure General McStupid would not have been given the chance to resign. Why wasn’t he blatently fired? Why was he even given the opportunity to resign and save face for himself? He should at the very least be demoted.

Posted by: concerned | June 23, 2010, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm

Posted by: Hysterical | June 23, 2010, 3:45 pm 3:45 pm

The way I see it, Obama has created yet another disaster. This time with our armed forces in Afghanistan. If Obama wasn’t such an INCOMPETENT, ARROGANT, FOOL, the general would not have been able to get int trouble for speaking the TRUTH! If America had a REAL commander-in-chief negative disparaging comments would not be necessary!

Posted by: patriot | June 23, 2010, 3:45 pm 3:45 pm

General McChrystal exercised poor judgment. There is no question about that. The extent of the fallout from this article is still to be seen. Is the mission really compromised? Besides some egos being bruised, is there a greater communication issue between the civilian command and the Generals on the ground that is hindering the success of the mission?
Everyone who is a part of the mission has to give priority to its success going forward. What’s done is done. Gen McChrystal took full responsibility, publicly apologized and personally called everyone who was mentioned in the article and apologized to them. He went as far as to say “I’ve compromised the mission” and to offer his resignation. He didn’t make excuses, he didn’t blame the magazine, he didn’t rationalize. What more do you want from the guy?
How often do you see politicians hold themselves accountable to that degree? When President Obama accepted General McChrystal’s resignation, he said that the General’s conduct did not meet the standard. If our political leaders also held themselves accountable to meeting the standard, it would go a long way toward earning back our confidence in their leadership.

Posted by: Virtus2021 | June 23, 2010, 3:46 pm 3:46 pm

Obama made a tough decision without forming a commission of Ivy League eggheads. No need for Dr Chu the Nobel prize winner.
And he did it in two days instead of the typical weeks or months. Progress.
After all that hard work Obama deserves a vacation and five hours of golf.
Remember it’s good for the country.
Now he and the MSM can put Afghanistan on the back shelf again.

Posted by: reed | June 23, 2010, 3:52 pm 3:52 pm

The same right wingers who burned Dixie Chick albums now think a general should be able to tell his CiC to go jump in a lake.

Posted by: Ryan C | June 23, 2010, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm

The oil is being contained daily. An ENGINEERING SCIENTIST has to come up with the answer to cap the broken pipe. And guess what? Its not gonna happen overnight?

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm

Since when has any president had to face as many problems at one time…. I said face not cause like Bush

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm

Since when has any president had to face as many problems at one time…. I said face not cause like Bush

Posted by: TV | June 23, 2010, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm

So this is starting to remind me of my son’s HS football team. The coach only trusted one running back..and the ball was given to him every play..he wound up injured and we had a horrible season. I love Patraeous, but is he really the only guy we got? Does he have to be in charge of everything? Isn’t he the guy who collapsed not too many days ago? Now he gets Afghanistan? Maybe we should throw the oil leak in for good measure…

Posted by: cindy | June 23, 2010, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm

Obama needs Petraeus.
Must be a bitter pill for him to swallow.
Afterall Petraeus is the guy that made the surge in Iraq work. The surge Obama called a failure.
No doubt Obama hoped Petraeus would fail back then.
Now Obama has called on Petraeus to save his war.
How many times has something Obama said in the past come back to bite him now? His comments about Katrina and Bush’s incompetence comes to mind.
Poetic justice.

Posted by: mick | June 23, 2010, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm

“The oil is being contained daily. An ENGINEERING SCIENTIST has to come up with the answer to cap the broken pipe. And guess what? Its not gonna happen overnight?”
Yes, contained in the ocean…

Posted by: Hysterical | June 23, 2010, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm

Posted by: talk from sf | June 23, 2010, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm

The only way to compromise Obama’s mission is try to win.
Just like with the Gulf, the only way to screw it up, is to FIX the leak…
Do you see a pattern here? Incompetence IS the strategy!!!

Posted by: CBA | June 23, 2010, 10:49 pm 10:49 pm

Remember, This the same president that thought going to Copenhagen to pitch the Olympics for his home town of Chicago was more important than dealing with the need for more troops.
Posted by: talk from sf | Jun 23, 2010 5:04:44 PM
That is simply a lie. What is the point of the right wing telling lie after lie?
I suppose we can easily guess.

Posted by: Syd Rawlands | June 24, 2010, 12:15 am 12:15 am

“Since when has any president had to face as many problems at one time” – TV
Well when you’re a Lawyer and don’t know how to do much of anything and have no experience you don’t come up with viable solutions to the problems so they stay around and add up. Of course, while you bumble around you cause a few of your own too.

Posted by: Noz | June 24, 2010, 9:40 am 9:40 am

I guess that if one were to compromise a mission.. this would be a good one to do it on.. because it’s already been compromised for so many years. I guess we could say the ‘W’ compromised this mission on the day he decided to invade Iraq. I guess you could say Karzai compromised it on the day he decided to throw the election.

Posted by: Dontget818 | June 24, 2010, 10:05 am 10:05 am

General Stanley McChrystal should not go quietly into the night.
Stanley should not vanish without a fight.
Before Obama is mollified,
Obama should prove he is qualified.
To fire a general for insubordination,
You must be qualified to lead in our nation.
So lets see your birth certificate,
To prove you’re not a big hypocrite.

Posted by: craftsman1 | June 24, 2010, 10:43 am 10:43 am

Obama has also “Compromised the Mission”. After graduation he could have worked in any leading law firm except that he lacked the proper citizenship qualifications which would have come to light during the interview and normal background checks pursued by major law firms. So despite his Harvard achievements, Obama became a Saul Alinsky-style community organizer in South Chicago which alleviated the necessity of providing a legitimate background check, or a NATURAL BORN BIRTH CERTIFICATE, or naturalized citizen documentation..

Posted by: craftsman1 | June 24, 2010, 10:52 am 10:52 am

Could this be the “Mission”? There were also several short-term objectives of 9-11: to push the USA Patriot Act through a compliant and complicit Congress; to declare war on Afghanistan and Iraq; to create a “siege mentality” in the USA and around the world; to eliminate the Constitution and in doing so eliminate Constitutional Rights and civil liberties; to dramatically increase military and “security” spending; to further divide the country; to rapidly militarize local police; to set the stage for the next “9-11”; and, ultimately, to prepare for martial law.

Posted by: craftsman1 | June 24, 2010, 11:02 am 11:02 am

Members from all three branches of the Federal government already know that Barack Hussein Obama is ineligible for the office of President. National leaders, to include members of the US Supreme Court, already know that Barack Hussein Obama is not a “natural born citizen” of the United States of America, and therefore, is ineligible for the office he currently holds. Yet he still wields enough power to fire a four star general. Why is that?

Posted by: craftsman1 | June 24, 2010, 11:12 am 11:12 am

Posted by: progressive mama | June 24, 2010, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm

What gets me so upset is it took Obama 2 days to relieve Mcchrystal and replace him why? because his kool aid drinking feelings were hurt his ego is bigger and more important then the problems America is facing he cares more about his media image then the oil spill why didn’t he react as quickly for the oil spill crisis as he did about Mcchrystal.. why? well because it wasn’t about him that’s why ..We are facing a big problem with this oil spill so what is Obama doing having a hamburger with the Russians good job Obama he felt the need for some media attention …Do us all a favor you Resign!!!

Posted by: angie | June 25, 2010, 11:32 am 11:32 am

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McChrystal to Administration Official: ‘I’ve Compromised the Mission’

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