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OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 6/23/10

Obama and Insubordination: Is He Truman or Mr. Milquetoast?

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The leak of McChrystal's recommendation came well before Obama had decided on a course of action, but the timely disclosure cornered the President, who didn't dare push back against his generals and remind them about the U.S. principle of civilian control of the military.

In an ironic twist -- since the leak of his memo cornered Obama on the Afghan "surge" -- McChrystal complained to the Rolling Stone's Hastings that he felt "betrayed" by the leak of Ambassador Eikenberry's cables to Washington. "Here's one that covers his flank for the history books," the general said. "Now if we fail, they can say, "I told you so.'"

Does that not suggest that McChrystal is fearful of failure -- and of taking the blame? Who now is trying to cover his flanks?

What is clear is that there is not enough room in Kabul for both McChrystal and Eikenberry. One of them has to be given his marching orders, and I would not rule out the possibility it will be Eikenberry. This would be bereft of all logic and common sense. Rather it would be testament to Obama's fear of McChrystal -- not to mention the President's apparent inability to understand that Afghanistan amounts to Vietnam Redux.

As for how McChrystal's inner circle views Vice President Biden, the Rolling Stone article recounts a joke in which McChrystal mentions Biden's name and one of the general's top advisers replies, "Did you say "Bite me'?"

Obama Is No Harry Truman

After publication of the Rolling Stone article, some pundits are predicting McChrystal will be fired -- as he should have been last fall after strike one. (See, for instance, "Should Obama Fire Gen. McChrystal?")

The general is now back in Washington to face the music later today. But Obama might prefer a well-orchestrated minuet with the general rather than a requiem. McChrystal could, I suppose, even be wishing for a chorus of "he's a jolly good fellow" from the "intimidated" President.

That's not how it's always been. When Gen. Douglas MacArthur issued an unauthorized statement containing a veiled threat to expand the Korean War to China at a time when Truman was preparing to enter peace negotiations with North Korea and China, MacArthur was abruptly fired in place. No invitation to Washington to talk it out.

One strike and MacArthur was out -- because Truman could take the heat. In contrast, Obama has shown himself to be an accommodating fellow on issue after issue. It seems far from certain he would fire the White House groundskeeper, even if caught urinating on the flowers in full view of summer tourists.

Little can account for Obama's promotion of McChrystal to his current post, except for a strange blend of cowardice tinged with ignorance. McChrystal had been Vice President Dick Cheney's right-hand man in running Special Forces hit-squad assassins and torturers in Iraq.

From these endeavors, McChrystal has accumulated a fearsome following of what might be called the "worst of the worst" among both the U.S. military and Blackwater-style mercenaries. Here is Hastings on McChrystal's entourage:

"The general's staff is a handpicked collection of killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operators, and outright maniacs. There's a former head of British Special Forces, two Navy Seals, an Afghan Special Forces commando, a lawyer, two fighter pilots and at least two dozen combat veterans and counterinsurgency experts. " they pride themselves on their can-do attitude and their disdain for authority."

For good measure, Hastings adds a troubling vignette. Someone (I wonder who) apparently called his attention to what Hastings calls "a piece of suspense fiction" written by McChrystal for a literary magazine at West Point while he was studying there. Hastings includes a description of the short story:

"The unnamed narrator appears to be trying to stop a plot to assassinate the President. It turns out, however, that the narrator himself is the assassin, and he's able to infiltrate the White House: "The President strode in smiling. From the right coat pocket of the raincoat I carried, I slowly drew forth my 32-caliber pistol"I had succeeded.'"

Secret Service, take note. The times require your going back to freshman English and Shakespeare. Gather around the President "men that are fat, sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights. Yond McChrystal has a lean and hungry look; he thinks too much; such men are dangerous."

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Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, the publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He was an Army infantry/intelligence officer and then a CIA analyst for 27 years, and is now on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). His (more...)
 
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