McChrystal Imbroglio Could Strengthen Anti-War Headwinds

[Bluebear]

Gen. Stanley McChrystal's MacArthur Moment was more than an embarrassment for the White House - it was a reminder of just how badly Barack Obama's "good war" in Afghanistan is going.

The challenge facing Obama in responding to his loose-lipped Afghan commander has an obvious parallel in Harry Truman's firing of Douglas MacArthur at the height of the Korean War.

But it may actually be more comparable to a more chronic presidential leadership crisis - Abraham Lincoln's dilemma during the Civil War, when he was forced to repeatedly reshuffle his general staff in the face of vacillating public opinion, insubordination and, above all else, uncertainty about how best to win a bloody war he couldn't afford to lose.

"Afghanistan is a mess, and it's getting worse. To make matters worse, the president's been dealing with internal squabbling on this for some time," says Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan Washington think tank, who has written extensively on Afghanistan.

"If there's a bright side to all this, it's that the president has an opportunity to reattach himself to a new policy, fire this guy and start with something new," Clemons added. "It's a tremendous opportunity to reset. But he can't do anything until he fires McChrystal."

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/06/22-15

[Duer 157099]

1. How awesome would it be if Obama just said

"Aw fuck it, bring all the troops home tomorrow!"

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. We lost. Get out. Get over it. K&R

[Rageneau]

3. Time to claim another defeat and come home.

America doesn't know how to win a war anymore. Most probably, because we keep fighting wars that should not have been fought.

The ignorant, under-equipped, untrained Taliban are just the latest folks to kick our butts -- Hoo ah!

[gratuitous]

4. Oh no! We all know how good, nay GREAT, war is!

This Must Be Stopped before anyone starts getting the wrong idea about war.

[Bluebear]

5. Well, so much for that. nt

[tekisui]

7. Another missed opportunity.

We elect a once-in-a-generation leader. And he misses every once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead.

[malaise]

6. Good read

End the fugging wars.