Treason is specifically defined in the United States Constitution, the only crime so defined. Article III Section 3 delineates treason as follows:
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
When a preeminent four-star General who is commander of US forces in Afghanistan publically criticizes his Commander in Chief (President Obama) during a time of war, when our boys are in the field, that is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
According to sources reported by Rolling Stone Magazine, McChrystal characterized Obama as looking "uncomfortable and intimidated" by a roomful of military brass at a meeting. In other words, General McChrystal portrayed his Commander in Chief as being weak.
The Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other US enemies surely take comfort in this information. Likely, it is a boost , when they are fighting American troops, to enemy morale. Likely, US soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq will die as a result of General McCrystal's careless remarks.
Worse, if McChrystal purposely released this information to our enemies, as some sort of perverted way to undermine our troops' morale and thus the competency of our Commander in Chief to lead, then hopefully his attempted PR Military Coup fails.
Even worse, if McChrystal' s remarks were a willful or even subconscious attempt to go AWOL and remove himself from Afghanistan's theatre of war, essentially becoming a deserter, then the question arises: is McChrystal a coward? The fact is that he will now be safe from combat, free to take a stroll down a safe street, while more of our brave soldiers will die in the sands of Marja or Kandahar. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that more of our men and women could die as a direct result of McChrystal's words. It is also possible that the war will last longer and the enemy fight harder as a result of McChrystal's words. Maybe he cracked under the pressure of a senseless, unethical, unwinnable war, and wanted to get away. Maybe he took advantage of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Too bad his boys cannot. But if a twenty-year-old private in Kandahar committed such treason, he would be in jail, or possibly worse.
McChrystal also let it be known that he mocked and belittled civilian government officials, including Joe Biden, National Security Advisor James L. Jones, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry, and Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.
McChrystal might as well have kissed Bin Laden on the lips, and decorated a suicide bomber cake with a moral-busting military mantra. God help our troops, now.
The United States Code at 18 U.S.C. & 2381 states "whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
For me, a former soldier, it is not a hard call.
