Whoops..... McChrystal recalled to DC

[scoutpilot]

Today - the burning questions are:
Petraeus is essentially taking a demotion to go to Afghanistan. Why?
Is he answering the call as a true patriot OR is he being required to clean up the mess of his underling?

And..... who will Obama pick as the new chief of CENTCOM?

Demotion on paper, yes. Demotion in the public eye? No. CENTCOM is a combatant command, not a combat command. There is, in many ways, more prestige associated with being the commander of a theater rather than a combatant command, especially in a case like this.

The more I think about it, the more I see Petraeus as Obama's ONLY choice.

In the end, I'm certain he did it because when the POTUS asks/tells you to take a command, you do it.

I don't know how true his supposed political aspirations are, but this is a move that could ruin his reputation through failure, or galvanize it to the point of near-invincibility from an executive standpoint. Time will tell, but I know how the smart money is betting.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Demotion on paper, yes. Demotion in the public eye? No.

Oh I agree! He is still 'the man' in my book. I know I would vote for him.

 

[Zaphod]

I believe McCrystal is a great soldier, he fell on his sword, risked his career for what he believed to be the most important factor. However, he is flawed. He had no business airing it the way he did, regardless of his virtuosic intentions. He gave ammunition to our enemy, created an illusion that you can attack leadership, and divisiveness within the troops. He should have shown the true soldier he was, resigned, and then took up the issue as a citizen of the US. He lost credibility not because of his beliefs, but the manner he expressed those ideas.

Yep.

Although I doubt he gave ammunition to the enemy. They despised us long before this, and will do so long after.

 

[Zaphod]

Demotion on paper, yes. Demotion in the public eye? No. CENTCOM is a combatant command, not a combat command. There is, in many ways, more prestige associated with being the commander of a theater rather than a combatant command, especially in a case like this.

Could I trouble you to explain to this Squid the difference between a "combatant" command and a "combat" command?

"Combatant" to us means a warship.

The more I think about it, the more I see Petraeus as Obama's ONLY choice.

In the end, I'm certain he did it because when the POTUS asks/tells you to take a command, you do it.

I don't know how true his supposed political aspirations are, but this is a move that could ruin his reputation through failure, or galvanize it to the point of near-invincibility from an executive standpoint. Time will tell, but I know how the smart money is betting.

I agree with your analysis regarding Petreaus. This will break him or make him invincible. After all, HE is the one that brought Iraq to heel. If he can pull off Afghanistan, his books will be read at West Point (and hopefully Annapolis) for decades to come. As for politics, we'll see.

I hope the smart money is betting on his succeeding.

 

[Pima]

I think we should all acknowledge that Rolling Stone is more akin to People or Maxim than it is to Time or Newsweek.

Yes, there are many soldiers reading it, but the traditional subscriber is not a political junkie.

Additionally, this morning the enlisted soldier interviewed by Rolling Stone came out and stated that he spent over an hour discussing his opinion and was sad to see that they only quoted his vulgarity.

You have to take into account the medium along with the source.

Again, McCrystal was wrong to say anything he said if he thought it wouldn't bite him. However, if you believe a 4 star who briefed reporters for the Pentagon during the Iraq Invasion did not know this would bite him, than you need to really question the military and their leadership.

Sorry, but I think this guy is very smart and he knew his future. Typically, at this level, the media must submit the questions the reporter will pose before the interview. This was not an off the cuff interview. It was planned. Remember McCrystal is a busy man, there are many levels of approval before you get to that interview. Don't know for sure, but I would bet Gates knew of the interview. I would not assume he knew what McCrystal would say, but, I will take the leap that Rolling Stone sent Gates the article days, maybe weeks before it hit the news stands.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, just someone who has seen the system. McCrystal would not have been able to give the interview without DOD approval. The media is acting like that Obama and Gates were caught unaware, to me that is total BS. McCrystal knew yesterday was a DOG and PONY show. His wife probably already had his favorite meal ready, and contacted a Realtor to find them their "retirement" home.

Cynic, maybe! Then again, as a spouse who has seen 2 commanders relieved of duty, and 6 yrs of the Puzzle Palace, I feel confident in saying they are playing the game.

 

[Zaphod]

Additionally, this morning the enlisted soldier interviewed by Rolling Stone came out and stated that he spent over an hour discussing his opinion and was sad to see that they only quoted his vulgarity.

Selective quoting by a media outlet that, in turn, skews the story?

The HELL you say!

The media is acting like that Obama and Gates were caught unaware, to me that is total BS. McCrystal knew yesterday was a DOG and PONY show. His wife probably already had his favorite meal ready, and contacted a Realtor to find them their "retirement" home.

Cynic, maybe!

Oh, come on! WHAT could POSSIBLY make you be cynical of the media or the administration?

BTW, start a thread about those two relieved commanders. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[scoutpilot]

Could I trouble you to explain to this Squid the difference between a "combatant" command and a "combat" command?

"Combatant" to us means a warship.

The Unified Combatant Commands are what you think of as the "COMs"

SOCOM
CENTCOM
AFRICOM
EUCOM
NORTHCOM
SOUTHCOM
PACOM
etc. and so forth.

They are enduring commands based on regions or functional basis. They are commanded by a four-star, and he is responsible for the entire region or functional area he commands. For example, CENTCOM doesn't just worry about Iraq and Afghanistan. They concern themselves with earthquake relief in Pakistan and training missions in Saudi and Turkey, etc. It's a larger and more-broad reaching command structure.

A "combat command" is a slang term we tend to apply to a theater or, more properly, a joint force command. As CENTCOM commander, Petraeus stepped back from the day-to-day running of the war in Iraq, and ceded that to Odierno. Now, as the commander in Afghanistan, he's back to the "nut-and bolts" of theater-level combat leadership.

 

[Pima]

Here's my gist on Petreaus.

Last week, maybe now 2 weeks ago, he feinted at the Congressional briefing, maybe he just came from the WH and was told McCrystal will be relieved and you are now the go to guy

 

[scoutpilot]

As for the medium vs. the source argument, it's far less about the medium and moreso about the individual reporter. One of the WORST reporters we dealt with, and finally dismissed, in Iraq was from the Stars & Stripes.

Rolling Stone has done some very pro-military work. And some that wasn't. It comes down to what story the reporter turns in. If that reporter didn't put those quotes in there, no one would have been the wiser except for him. You have to know who you're working with, and where trust and confidentiality fall on his/her scale, relative to the politics and the prestige of a scandalous story.

 

[Lee2015]

McCrystal knew yesterday was a DOG and PONY show. His wife probably already had his favorite meal ready, and contacted a Realtor to find them their "retirement" home.

He will start a new life, write a book, and earn well-deserved millions!!

 

[Zaphod]

Here's my gist on Petreaus.

Last week, maybe now 2 weeks ago, he feinted at the Congressional briefing, maybe he just came from the WH and was told McCrystal will be relieved and you are now the go to guy

 

[Maximus]

Michael Hastings, the Michael Hastings from Newsweek? The Michael Hastings who wrote the book about his murdered girlfriend that worked for Air America? Yeah, he's objective.

BTW, Michael Hastings is no David Lipsky.

 

[scoutpilot]

BTW, Michael Hastings is no David Lipsky.

No, he is not, and that's the point. It doesn't matter who he works for. What matter is who he is.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Yes Maximus - he was a Newsweek correspondent who wrote from Baghdad. His girlfriend followed him to Baghdad and she was killed in the war. Not sure what you are implying here.... please elaborate. Not sure what you mean by he's no David Lipsky. If you recall in Abolutely American - that book was not censored. He put it all in there - the good the bad and the ugly.
Is Hastings anti-war? Yes, but that doesn't affect the credibility of the facts that he collected. Don't shoot the messenger because you disagree with his politics.

The artilce was not the result of ONE interview he spent days with the General and his staff. He was supposed to spend two days with him writing a profile. When the volcano let loose the two days turned into a month.

Rolling Stone editors have said that neither McChrystal nor his staff tried to get the magazine to delete or change any quotes during the magazine’s fact-checking process before publication.
But, Hastings told Lauer, he did receive pressure from the general’s staff to change some of his intended reporting.
“They tried to pressure me not to write about some things that were on the record. I told them I can’t really play that game,” Hastings said.​

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37893363/ns/today-today_people/#ixzz0rmoNWWKY

You can call Rolling Stone a 'rag' - but define rag. The article was wrote weeks ago and thoroughly fact-checked.
When a publication fact-checks a piece, they have someone on staff who is a fact checker. This person's sole job is to contact sources and read back to them the quote supplied by the writer. At this point the source can confirm or deny the remarks attributed to them. This is all done by a third party and verified.
BTW -newspapers are under tighter deadlines and typically don't fact check (unless it's an expose')

Since the story broke, I have not seen one source go on record to claim that any of it was false. Hence, I would stand by the story.
Now, assuming that all of it is true - Hastings is free to report it. Report it he should, even if it would harm the General or set back the war.

 

[Zaphod]

His girlfriend followed him to Baghdad and she was killed in the war.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Report it he should, even if it would harm the General or set back the war.

Even if it sets back the war, eh?

That's "patriotism" as defined by liberals, folks.

And you wonder why the military doesn't trust liberals and why this nation is in the messes it's in.

 

[Pima]

Report it he should, even if it would harm the General or set back the war.

I agree.

I do believe people are being naive that the crap hit the fan 2 days ago when Rolling Stone magazine hit the stands.

Gates had to know what McCrystal said if you believe they are true reporters. I just can't believe that Rolling Stone went to press without contacting Gates's office for a comment regarding McCrystal's statements. Sorry, I don't buy it. This is a 4 star being interviewed for a national publication, not a base/wing commander for the townie paper. He had to know it was happening...what kind of SOD are you not to ask about the article/expose? Instead of talking about McCrystal, shouldn't we question why Gates was not aware of it?

Someone give me a scenario how they printed this article without PA having a hand in this. If the PA had a hand in it they would have seen the article days/weeks ago before it went to print.

Yesterday was a DOG and PONY show, McCrystal already knew it was all over. Ten will get you twenty his wife was making him his favorite meal for dinner last night. I would even take odds that she had a realtor lined up for their new home.

As I stated earlier, a General who briefed the press for the DOD knows the cow dung he is walking into when he gives this type of interview. I will say maybe he thought he could get away with it since he did before with 60 minutes and the infamous meeting on AF1, but I also think when he did it before he was willing to accept that he took a high risk of being relieved of duty.

Have to ask, Obama accepted his resignation, I am trying to figure out if that means from the Army or from his position. If it is from the Army, I am not going to be shocked to see him sell back his leave and become CEO of a defense contracting company 1 July.

I know from personal experience that the higher you get up, the more your networking contacts come into play for after the military jobs. Many are actually sought after while still AD members. Who knows, maybe SAIC, Booze Allen, General Dynamics contacted him and offered a deal too good to pass up. DON'T READ INTO THIS THE WRONG WAY! Just saying for many at a certain time they say I have had enough. Enough of the politics. Enough of deployments. Enough of missing holidays, anniversaries, etc. Enough of moving. They opt to say I am leaving and before I do, I want to expose the problems that I see.

Zaph, I understand your opinion about the "set backs the war" comment. I am just not willing to believe that JAM meant it the way it came across. I have stated before and you have agreed, sometimes comments over the net are misconstrued, I choose to believe that as a mother of a military child she would never want to see the war set back and endanger soldiers.

 

[LineInTheSand]

intelligent, well educated, lawyers.

Lets not ever use these words in one sentence.


In all honesty, the lawyers aren't the ones you would want to consult here, a public affairs officer is.

It's fairly apparent that the report just had to much access without reminding those around them that reporters are sponges that suck up every thing you say.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

I just can't believe that Rolling Stone went to press without contacting Gates's office for a comment regarding McCrystal's statements.

Rolling Stone did contact Gates' office. That is how the administration had a head's up on what was coming. Rolling Stone spent the better part of the last two weeks fact checking with the Obama administration.

BTW - the issue actually comes out in print tomorrow. Tuesday night, Rolling Stone submitted a copy of the article to the Washington Post and gave them a heads up.
Yesterday morning the article appeared online.

 

[Pima]

Rolling Stone did contact Gates' office.

That should say it all...I don't think McCrystal was caught off guard about being summoned to DC. He is not a moron. We need to remember he was a Pentagon Spokesperson in 02-03. If you say he didn't get it, than you have to say he is a Moron because his career progression should have taught him what not to say to media.

At the beginning of the Iraq War in March 2003, he was serving in the Pentagon as a member of the Joint Staff, where he had been vice director of operations, J-3, since July 2002. McChrystal was selected to deliver nationally televised Pentagon briefings on U.S. military operations in Iraq, including one in April 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad in which he announced, "I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over.

Even in your post you infer that the Obama administration knew for 2 weeks.

Like I said earlier, Mrs. McCrystal had Gen. McCrystal's favorite meal on the table last night. She probably even had balloons in front of the house with a banner Welcome Home, they knew his arse was coming home, UNLESS they are both MORONS!

 

[scoutpilot]

The dead horse called...