Today, President Obama sacked Gen. Stanley McChrystal. The President said McChrystal’s comments in this week’s Rolling Stone magazine, “do not meet standards that are needed and expected, or adhere to military code of conduct for comments.” President Obama had little choice in the matter. The Rolling Stone article revealed McChrystal and his team hold a shocking arrogance and contempt for the chain of command. Leaving them in position during this critical time in the war would have been nothing short of irresponsible. They had to go in order to preserve the integrity of the US mission and the order and discipline of the best trained military force the world has ever known.
General McChrystal and his subordinates appear both reckless and foolish in the Rolling Stone piece. Whether it was arrogance or bravado that compelled them to say such things to the reporter may never be known. It didn’t matter to the President and shouldn’t for the rest of us, either. Those guys were a team out of control and leaving them in place was not an option when so many lives hang in the balance.
In the hours after the Rolling Stone story broke, I watched some conservatives and others opposed to President Obama rush to “like” General McChrystal on Facebook and to jeer how great it was to see somebody stand up to Obama’s Chicago-style politics (whatever that means). I fear in this day of “your guy sucks” political banter we are at risk of losing sight of what being an American means.
President Barack Obama Nominates General David Patraeus as the top commander in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Doug Mills/The New York Times
General McChrystal is a decorated and proven military leader. While it is not his role to blindly follow the will of elected political leaders, his scorn for the chain of command cannot be tolerated either. It is important to point out that there was no apparent disagreement over military policy revealed in Rolling Stone. What the article did reveal was a complete lack of respect by McChrystal and company for nearly every other member of the US team assembled to guide us through this war.
Freedom of speech is one of our most precious American rights. But, it comes with a responsibility to show respect for those with whom we disagree but who share our common goal to preserve and protect this nation. We should never lose sight of what makes us the same and what makes this country great. The article shows General McChrystal did for a moment and he has paid a price for it. There is a lesson in this for all of us. At some point, name calling becomes more than political posturing and begins to hinder our collective ability to move forward. I join the President in thanking the General for his service and showing gratitude for what he has contributed. They both made the right decision today. Let’s hope the rest of us remember our patriotic responsibility as well.
In a closing note, as a PR guy, I cannot help but address the obvious gaffe made by General McChrystal and his officers. They become about the 2 millionth people to learn the hard way that the journalist you invite to shadow you is there to report on you, not be impressed by you or be a laugh track for your jokes. Just like you, he has a job to do. Whatever you say and do is newsworthy, especially when you are in charge of a war. What your mother used to tell you still applies, think before you speak.
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.
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