Stanley Sacked

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Obama Fires Afghan Commander, Citing Need for Unity in the War,” is a banner headline describing the President’s decision to relieve General Stanley McChrystal after he made disparaging remarks about the administration in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

The President’s decision was framed as reasserting a central element of our democracy, civilian control of the military, and avoided any reaction to statements personally insulting to him. His selection to replace General McChrystal, is General David Petraeus, the popular military leader who successfully executed our Iraq strategy during the surge.

President Obama made the correct decision. General McChrystal had been warned about insubordination before, so this wasn’t just a careless mistake. And the President was also fair in giving General McChrystal an opportunity to explain himself in a 20-minute one-on-one meeting in the White House. According to the article, General McChrystal did not try to lobby for his job.

Perhaps, this is all for the best. David Petraeus, though he was technically General McChrystal’s boss and is taking a demotion to the new post, will now be focusing solely on the most critical situation our nation faces. His ability to assess the situation on the front line and suggest suitable tactics on a day-by-day basis, his operational skills, will clearly be a major asset for our country.