Pentagon to replace top Afghanistan commander . . . why?

[bigtree]

Monday, May 11, 2009; 12:48 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will replace the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, U.S. General David McKiernan, less than a year after he took over the war effort there, CNN reported on Monday.

The Pentagon plans to name Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, a former commander of special operations forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as McKiernan's replacement, CNN said. McChrystal is currently the director of the U.S. military's Joint Staff.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101757_pf.html


. . . a senior Pentagon official told the BBC:

. . . Gen McCrystal had a better understanding of the nature of the conflict in Afghanistan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8044735.stm


the Swamp says that, ". . . military officials have been critical of McKiernan privately:

. . . saying he has not moved aggressively enough to overhaul the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/05/us_afghan_commander_stepping_d.html


here's McKiernan highlighted in a report from April:

April 10, 2009 -- The top U.S. general in Afghanistan reached out to influential Afghan tribesmen in regions where U.S. troops will soon deploy, apologizing for past mistakes and saying he is now studying the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

Gen. David McKiernan met with villagers in Helmand and Kandahar -- two of Afghanistan's most violent provinces -- in an attempt to foster good will ahead of the U.S. troop surge that will send 21,000 more forces here this summer to stem an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.

McKiernan said he wanted to show respect to tribal elders by traveling to Kandahar on Wednesday to explain some of the mistakes U.S. forces have made in the past -- such as arresting people based on information taken from one side in a tribal fight, or killing civilians during operations.

"I'm trying to connect to the local population in a bottom-up way and try to explain what the new U.S. strategy means and why they're going to see an increased force presence where they live," McKiernan said during the trip to Kandahar aboard the seven passenger jet he flies in . . .
http://www.wlwt.com/politics/19145115/detail.html

[HopeHoops]

1. Maybe he asked to be relieved of that position.

It has to be a major stress. I wouldn't blame him.

[bigtree]

4. it looks like he's being presented as less effective

. . . in implementing the president's strategy there than the new guy. The reports don't give him the consideration you have.

[dgibby]

2. Wonder if the military's penchant for handing out Bibles to

Muslims had anything to do with it? Talk about poor judgement!

[NNN0LHI]

3. Wait for this good old boy go Colonel Kurtz on us

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Abrams, Westmoreland, Goodpastor. Switching quarterbacks in a lost game.

Who's next? Maybe they can give Powell or Schwartzkopf a chance at a Hail Mary.

[librechik]

6. All the Bush League generals should go.

We need generals who are interested in the secular world, not bringing the troops--not to mention the enemy-- to Jesus, who can understand the need for an exit strategy, and who aren't thinking about running for president.

Don't know if the replacement is like that, but I know that the ones Bush appointed were way too much like Priest-generals fighting a Crusade to impress the rubes back home. That is wrong and un-American.

[NNN0LHI]

7. Gates is on TV now saying he fired him

[malaise]

8. That slaughter of innocents last week

:shrug:???

[NNN0LHI]

9. They burned up an entire village with white phosphorous last week and blamed it on Taliban

When that story didn't pass the smell test they had to fire someone.

If Bush were president this guy would have been promoted.

Change.

Don

[malaise]

10. Yep I think you're right

He may have been doing Cheney's bidding.