THE QUESTION
McChrystal: Tough decision, but was it the right one?
In confronting the issue of Gen. McChrystal's apparent insubordination, did President Obama have any choice but to remove him? Going forward, what can Gen. Petraeus do to overcome this dramatic shakeup and keep his troops reassured and on mission?
Posted by Steve Pearlstein and Raju Narisetti on June 23, 2010 4:31 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Battle on the third front
In both Iraq and Afghanistan there is a third front -- Washington and interagency politics.
Posted by Robert Goodwin, on June 25, 2010 4:57 PM
No bailout in Afghanistan
General Petraeus must now be VERY clear on the mission and strategy - is it counterinsurgency, is it troop withdrawal by a certain date, is it leaving Afghan leadership with control of their own security?
Posted by Lisa Larson, on June 25, 2010 3:37 PM
The toughest decisions
In announcing his decision, President Obama underscored two vitally important principles of good management: the mission is always bigger than any one man or woman; and there is a profound difference between debate and division.
Posted by Lisa Caputo, on June 25, 2010 12:36 PM
Chipping away at our structural debt
Concrete actions rather than words or processes will be needed to restore the public's faith in government. The time to start is now!
Posted by David Walker, on June 25, 2010 11:47 AM
A modern-day Gen. George McClellan
The Civil War General George McClellan was a true talent, and one might argue his was essential in building the Army of the Potomac. But he had no sense of place, and this got him sacked.
Posted by Col. Charles D. Allen, on June 24, 2010 3:26 PM
Treading on non-negotiables
Our founding fathers understood that a standing military represented a potential danger to liberty and therefore sought to minimize its power.
Posted by George Reed, on June 24, 2010 12:54 PM
What matters now is Afghanistan
the president's action stems not from his dismissal of McChrystal but his appointment of General David Petraeus.
Posted by D. Michael Lindsay, on June 24, 2010 12:27 PM
Our broken strategy-making process
Stan was wrong and the president did what he had to do. However, unless and until we address the root cause, we will continue to lack strategic focus on the road to bankruptcy and failure.
Posted by Gen. John Batiste (Ret.), on June 24, 2010 11:25 AM
The burden on Petraeus
In assuming his new position, General Petraeus must show the leadership that McChrystal failed to exhibit.
Posted by Scott DeRue, on June 24, 2010 11:21 AM
Rebuilding 'Team America'
Such blatant hostility and disregard for their superiors endangers everyone. When respect for authority is absent more than egos are hurt - lives can be lost.
Posted by Katherine Tyler Scott, on June 24, 2010 11:11 AM
He had me at Pat Tillman
I thought that Gen. McChrystal's career ended with the Tillman investigation, and I was surprised to see his name appear as the new commander in Afghanistan.
Posted by Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw (Ret.), on June 24, 2010 11:08 AM
Blinded by the lights
The problem is that in a world in which so many people are playing to the crowd, substituting buzz for substance, the temptations are hard to ignore.
Posted by Jeffrey Pfeffer, on June 24, 2010 10:59 AM
Dissension in the ranks
The President as a leader needs to let his team know he will not tolerate selfish behavior that distracts from the important work at hand.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on June 24, 2010 10:51 AM
A general destablized by Afghanistan
General McChrystal, a career military man and Army Ranger who is known to sleep just four hours, eat just one meal and run seven miles per day, excelled in the Iraq war. Yet something about the ambiguous nature of the Afghan struggle destabilized him.
Posted by Amy Fraher, on June 24, 2010 10:44 AM
Don't dismiss McChrystal's doubts
Why would a four-star general risk reprimand and dismissal in such an obvious way?
Posted by Michael Maccoby, on June 24, 2010 10:36 AM
When the reason trumps the result
The generals must be held just as accountable as the privates. That is why President Obama's reasons were just as important as the result.
Posted by Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., on June 24, 2010 10:14 AM
McChrystal should just be the start
Even tough-minded hombres like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush couldn't bring themselves to boot aides lacking discretion or competence - or both.
Posted by Ken Adelman, on June 24, 2010 7:22 AM
A Constitutional necessity
One need not go far - Iran, North Korea, Iraq in the days of Saddam Hussein -- to see the dangers of military rule.
Posted by Kathryn Kolbert, on June 23, 2010 4:55 PM
A time and place for debate
General McChrystal should have known what to expect from making his disagreements as public comments
Posted by Barry Posner, on June 23, 2010 4:54 PM
An excellent replacement
What a tragedy this is to damage a long, distinguished career in a single media interview, and with Rolling Stone, no less!
Posted by Bill George, on June 23, 2010 4:42 PM
Save & Share:
Out2lunchie: If Zogby anonymously polled the Regular Army Officer Corps, 80% of them would express a vote of no confidence in their CINC's ability to und...
oregonbirddog: I think McCrystal's leaving ought to be viewed as an opportunity to reevaluate our war stratigy as a whole. McCrystal's emphases on winning ...
jonathan92591: Politics aside, and from my limited knowledge on military policies, I believe the military has a strict code in which General McChrystal vio...
