Do you guys think it was a good idea for General McChrystal to speak out against the Obama Administration in the fashion he did? Clearly he's a four-star general and is an intelligent man, but I was just wondering how people feel about him speaking to Rolling Stone instead of resigning and then talking out against the policies and actions President Obama has been taking.
I personally think that his interview with Rolling Stone, while it might not have been very 'polite' (for lack of a better word), this will definitely attract more of the public's attention.
is the article on line?
No, it's not out yet. The e-mail I received from The Washington Post said it hits newsstands on Friday, so I'm really excited to read it.
Obama seems to me to always back down in face of powerful interests - the banks, the health care industry, the Pentagon, the Israel lobby - I can't think of a single example of him standing up to any entrenched interest.
I guess that's why McCrystal feels safe doing this - he doesn't think Obama has the guts to fire him.
That's for print. It is on the internet here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/119236
Oh, amazing! Thank you for the link!
edit: I read the thing and honestly I think it is too late to start a successful counter-insurgency operation. Had we went in there and started with counter insurgency we might be well on our way to a stable Afghanistan. But we've already done too much damage to successfully convince them.
I also think they underestimate just how much the war in Iraq has undermined the Counter-insurgency strategy.
I just don't think it's possible to undo the psychological damage we've already caused, much less convince them to trust us.