No shit, Sherlock. With the latest in the continuing soap opera that the media have created around the Obama Administration, the latest instalment concerns a rogue general getting wasted with his aides and a reporter from a Left-leaning rock publication and pissing on, not only the President, but also the Vice President, the Ambassador to Afghanistan, the highest-ranking civilian envoy and two serving United States Senators, both decorated war heroes and former Presidential candidates and one a Republican.
And here it comes again … a plethora of pundits weighing in on what the President should do, should say, yadda yadda … As much as the way Stanley McChrystal’s words have questioned the legitimacy of this White House, so, too, do all the talking heads from …the LEFT as well as the RIGHT, in their opining of how the President should behave.
It seems as though we’ve just got through last week’s brouhaha of MSNBC in meltdown, than we’re gearing up for another round of political pundits pontificating on what the President SHOULD do or what he MUST say in these circumstances. Bad enough, that the Right demonise him as alien, who doesn’t look like them; worse, that the Left not-so-subtly excoriate him, because he doesn’t act in the way they think such an “alien” should act.
The Left’s cognitive dissonance is a euphemism for something openly uglier for which they criticize the Right. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet … or not, as the case may be.
As for the pundits, I’m sick of people whining about this talking head or that one “speaking for me” or “speaking for the Left” … Pardon me, unless we’re all struck mute, we have voices. And if we need people to speak in public for us, that’s the duty of our ELECTED representatives; and if they aren’t doing them, they need reminding. The day Americans have to have corporate talking heads on television “speaking for them” is the day when the end isn’t far off. These people speak for themselves, their networks and their wallets.
McChrystal’s from the military; the pundits are from the infotainment industry. I’m sure neither Roosevelt, whose third administration gave infamous birth to the military industrial complex, nor Eisenhower, who warned us against the complex’s evil potential, ever had this sort of unholy, if untintentional and indirect, association in mind.
I agree absolutely about the punditocracy. Whether on the left or the right they all think that their excrement smells like roses. But if one sifts through the garbage one can find some gems. Obviously our political and military leaders have not read their history books. In fact, they have compltely forgotten what happened yesterday let alone last year or 2 or 3 or 4 hundred years ago.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/were-emallem-terrorist-su_b_623500.html
http://www.chrisweigant.com/
I just read the article. Even at West Point, McChrystal had a history of insubordination. I had no idea that he was my age and my college year. Reading about his background, he sounds so MUCH like an archtypical frat boy of that era.
The fact that the only person on Obama’s team who escaped criticism was Hillary Clinton might be significant, although I don’t think the Clintons have anything to do with this in the least. I do think, however – in fact, I KNOW – that there is a grassroots movement afoot in the US to oust Obama in 2012 and draft Hillary to run.
Maybe this guy wanted out this way, in order to free him up for a run himself in 2012 – ostensibly, as a Republican; but then, he’s said he voted for Obama.
“Maybe this guy wanted out this way, in order to free him up for a run himself in 2012
Marion – I do agree with you so much about this. I confess that despite what I think is a nose for news, I’ve NO idea what is going on here. What would possess a general to shoot off his mouth in such a fashion unless it was to BE dismissed from a job he no longer wanted to do? This way the leftie mag would be his cover for the Right, and the Left would – I dunno.
I hope this permits Obama to rethink the war. It was my understanding (and that’s pretty thin) that McChrystal got the game plan McChrystal wanted, so – what’s he made about?
MacArthur had an agenda, and it was NOT to Truman’s benefit. It has been rumored that he had a hand in the attempted coup of 1935 and that’s why he left the US not to return until after FDR’s death. Could this be similar? Is McChrystal looking for a new “job” that could be really hideous for this nation?
So where are the infotainment people in exploring the WHY of all of this which, on the face of it, make no sense? Everything I have seen of analysis is so superficial, and it strains credibility. No pro does this sort of thing. So why did he do it?
Are there hidden agendas here? If so – who has the cojones to tell the American public? Lies, lies, and damned lies are the lingua franca of our public exposure. We learn, decades later, what the truth was, but then it’s too late. So where are the analysts vs. the pundits who will ask the investigative questions rather than the ego-driven hype about “what it all means”.
Frankly – I think, the more I think about it, this is quite scary. But then, I may have re-read SueinCA’s analysis far too closely again – and yes, I may be paranoid. But doesn’t this all stink of something NO one is discussing – a plot?
Just asking.
c’lady, as I’m sure you know by now, McChrystal is out. That was the right decision, I think.
Did you know that McC had written a fiction piece some time ago about a person who had the task of investigating a plot to assassinate the president? The piece ended with the revelation that the investigator was the would-be assassin. Interesting….?
kes – Oh Freaking My God! That’s creepy as hell.
I checked out both McC and Petraeus for ties to RW Christians and found they’re pretty clean. Gen Amos (Marines) and Deputy Defense Sec’y McHugh – VERY tied, but they don’t figure into this – yet.
bito – No – it makes no sense. He’d gotten what he wanted from the president, so why diss him and the rest of the administration and do so in an incredibly public way?
Yeah – those reporters. SO powerful. Make you talk with no provocation at ALL. Shudda used them on the folks in Guantanamo. They are really abusive by letting you speak your mind. Sneaky devils.
I do agree Marion and all, that I bet we never learn what’s behind this ever. At least I hope we don’t because if we never have to have lingering doubts about anyone, then the worst will not have happened.
One day 9 years ago, I got up, exercised, made coffee, had breakfast, and headed to an appointment all without turning on the news as was my wont. That was 9/11. I heard it all in the car, could NOT wrap my mind around ANY of it. To this day, I now never leave home without checking the news FIRST. I want never EVER to have those news reports of horror that have been part of my teen years and adult life from JFK to RFK to MLK, Jr. to 9/11. Never, ever again.
C’lady, for more info on McC’s fiction, here’s a link:
http://www.observer.com/2010/daily-transom/mcchrystal-wrote-weird-short-stories-college#
Clady, it is very strange concerning the why of the General words and actions. Why would, a what would appear to be an a intelligent person, make these statements to a reporter while on the record. Why would he sit there and allow his staff make these statements? It makes very little sense. He did not become a general by ignoring/breaking the rules.
The president had very little choice in his decision.
I would like to know if General McC. enforced this same rule on any members under his command during his service time? Would he have allowed disparaging remarks about him to a reporter-on the record?
I agree there is something more to this story and we will never hear anything about it.
Why is it always mentioned that the story was in the “left leaning Rolling Stone Magazine”? Would not a reporter and editor from “The Nation” to the “Weakly Standard”, the “NYT” to the “Washington Times” all report the story? Shouldn’t the General and staff still have known better no matter who the reporter or publication was? He took an oath did he not?
Is there more to this besides mass stupidity of the General and his staff. Or was it the lefties and their well known tricky of “gotcha questions” for over a month. The reporter just wore them down. 😉 Reporter torture.
Hi! I’ve been following your trilogy but haven’t made any comments until now. Call it what you want, soap opera, political theater, McChrystal and his aides should’a known better. I’m a Vietnam Veteran and the military heirarchy demands that officers do not fraternize with subordinates when off duty, especially enlisted subordinates. The atmosphere in the officers club is like a Masons or Elks Lodge meeting.
Well, Duuuuh! How do you categorize a reporter from a left leaning magazine. Excuuuuuuse Me. He is a civilian. So do you get drunk with a civilian present and start spouting off your personal feelings about your boss? Isn’t that why there are psychotherapists?
So McChrystal must think his excrement smells like roses. And the President and his staff are a bunch of fools. Obviously, McChrystal can’t take the heat and needs to get out of the kitchen.
Pretty much sums it up and exactly why I thought he (McChrystal) was a mistake from the beginning. 😯
*Edit* And Karzai’s overwhelming confidence in McChrystal should be a huge red flag.