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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Request Line

I've decided to start yet another regular feature here at NFTF....The Request Line! I've had several people make requests for a certain topic over the years...some of which I have responded to....but I guess I wanted to formally do it now under this umbrella in light of the emails and comments I have received over a particularly hot issue of late. So, we'll start off with the McChrystal firing.

As most of you know, I like Stan McChrystal. In fact, I wrote a piece about him awhile back and strategically, I thought he was the right man for the job. Of course, he is only human and making the mistake of talking to Rolling Stone magazine probably wasn't the brightest thing to do but I still don't begrudge him his views. Clearly, he was frustrated much in the same way that Eric Shinseki was frustrated with the Bush Administration. What's amusing to me (of course) is how the Cult is responding in the exact opposite way they did with Shinseki.

Back then, when General Shinseki questioned Rumsfeld and the handling of Iraq, he was a traitor. Now that McChrystal is doing the same thing, he is a hero. Why? Because his views have been co-opted into the "Liberals are Weak, Can't Handle the Military" lie. The simple fact is that the Cult can't accept Barack Obama as president and are salivating at any minor chance to play gotcha. Even more amusing is that they equate their own cognitive dissonance and epistemic closure with people like myself who criticized George W. Bush. There is quite a large difference but there is no way in hell they are EVER going to get it. But let's get back to McChrystal.

My opinion is that both men spoke their mind and, because we have civilian leadership of our armed forces, were asked to step aside as a result of their views. They were out of line but probably thought they were doing the right thing...in their opinions anyway. Neither man is a traitor and both are honorable men in my opinion. Incidentally, both Shinseki and McChyrstal have far more access to intelligence and defense information than I or many other commenters do so to make anything more than a rudimentary judgment is really....in all honesty....pure farce.

What is ROTFLMFAO material is the Cult's sudden and sweet embrace of the "liberal-commie-pinko rag" Rolling Stone. Remember, everything else you read in the piece of shit is wrong. And Marxist. For example, it wasn't the private sector that caused our financial problems of the last few years. It was all the government's fault. I guess Rolling Stone is just dandy if it fits the Cult's narrative.

And, with David Patraeus taking over now for McChrystal, I'm wondering if the Cult will now be speaking of betrayal.
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16 comments:

blk said...

Mark, you're missing the subtext. This was a plot by the radical left (i.e., Rolling Stone) to get McChrystal out of there. He was a key proponent of the Afghan surge, which some are claiming Obama was skeptical of, and had to be dragged into supporting. And we know how much the left hates the war in Afghanistan.

On a more serious note: whenever a magazine or news program does a "profile" of a public figure, I'm sure it's quite flattering. But it's always a trap. They're buttering you up to get you to say things that you know you shouldn't say.

If you're running for office, any publicity may be good publicity, and the risk may be worth it. But if you're just someone doing a job, like a general or the head of a federal agency, you gotta know that it's going to have consequences if you say the wrong thing.

So that means McChrystal 1) has political ambitions, or 2) wanted to embarrass the Obama administration for some internal political reason, or 3) was oblivious to the dangers of talking to reporters who are buttering him up.

The president, no matter who he is, can't have his generals undermining his authority with 1) or 2), and if he's guilty of 3) he has no business being a general.

The real problem is that Bush sat around and ignored the Afghan war for seven years, letting the situation become so dire. He attacked Iraq based on lies because it was an "easy" war that would get us oodles of cash and transform the Middle East politically. That war was not easy, cost us a trillion dollars and empowered (or should I say, "emboldened") Iran.

So Obama is saddled with Bush's unfinished wars. Afghanistan is a no-win situation. Karzai is a crook and everyone hates him. The rest of the country is run by drug lords. The average guy grows poppies that are turned into heroin to feed the drug habits of the US, Europe and Asia, while giving the Taliban millions to run their war. The place is an utter catastrophe, and there is no apparent way to win.

The only way we made progress in Iraq (such as it is) was when a wedge was driven between Al Qaeda and the Sunnis. Such a wedge has been driven between Al Qaeda/Taliban and at least some sectors of the Pakistani government, so there's some hope. But until we can do that sort of thing in Afghanistan, we won't make much headway.

Anonymous said...

What's amusing to me (of course) is how the Cult is responding in the exact opposite way they did with Shinseki.

Hmmm, this is news to me. The majority of what I've been hearing on the Republican side has been along the lines of "while it's likely enough that there has been backbiting and that Mac has been frustrated with the lack of leadership over his head, nonetheless you just don't do that, and McChrystal is a plenty experienced enough general to know it. There's no excuse. The timing sucks for the mission, but there's really no choice but to fire him."

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/22/quotes-of-the-day-384/

I thought hardly anyplace was as "Cult" as HotAir. Where have you been hearing differently?

juris imprudent said...

I really can't figure out what caused McChrystal to go so astonishingly stupid. Obama did exactly what he had to do - replace the insubordinate officer. It would have been insufferably weak for him to not do so - not just in American eyes, but the world.

And, with David Patraeus taking over now for McChrystal, I'm wondering if the Cult will now be speaking of betrayal.

Well, this is indeed an interesting time. After all, it was the loony left that howled about Gen. Betray-us not that long ago. Are they now going to admit they were stupid unpatriotic fucks when they did that - or are they going to start screaming about Chimpy Obushma and his mighty war machine?

Afghanistan is a no-win situation.

blk - that is true, and has been from day one. Funny thing how the left was all okey-dokey with Afghanistan and all aghast about Iraq.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I think you had it right the first time. Good call.

Anonymous said...
ooooo, good one Mark. I hadn't thought of that. Similar to Shinseki, McChrystal is betting his well-timed remarks will pay off in the next Republican administration with a nice Cabinet post as Sec of Vet Affairs.

Well played sir. An insightfulness I'd started to forget you possessed.

dw

6:07 PM

Anonymous said...

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2010/06/23/rolling-stone-runaway-general-reporter-aloof-obama-didn-t-really-understa

Tell me this is an Onion article.

Anonymous said...

And, with David Patraeus taking over now for McChrystal, I'm wondering if the Cult will now be speaking of betrayal.

Well, this is indeed an interesting time. After all, it was the loony left that howled about Gen. Betray-us not that long ago.


http://twitter.com/janeanegarofal

Not that long ago indeed. As in, yesterday.

sw said...

salivating at any minor chance to play gotcha markadelphia? you perfected that behavior on here for several years. So much for that more focused strategy in Afghanistan you told us was coming. Nobody is accepting Rolling Stone as a whole, just the quotes that McChrystal is standing by in that article.

rld said...

You're not the only one who is going to be paying attention Markadelphia. There is going to be a confirmation hearing very soon for Patraeus and I'm going to compare current statements to past statements of The People You Voted For. Are they going to stay consistent or embrace Patraeus, the same man they demonized?

Anonymous said...

I'd still like to know where you got this "conservatives are saying McChrystal shouldn't be fired" meme.

jane said...

I haven't been paying attention to this, but I overheard coworkers talking today and it sure sounds like McChrystal wanted out and was pleased he got out. No clue why he couldn't just retire quietly, must be a real rascal. Or stinker.

Anonymous said...

Jane, why didn't you finish the story about the state fair? I was interested.

dw

jane said...

?? State fair? I'll gladly finish the story but I don't remember it! Refresh me.

Anonymous said...

I'm an idiot.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008
State Fair, installment #1 [Assignment #3]

It was a link on your blog to "The Heavy Pen, that I didn't read thoroughly enough to realize you weren't the author.

Mea Culpa, I'll buy you a drink as restitution if Mark ever introduces us.

dw

Anonymous said...

It's interesting how you slap the "Cult" label on anything you disagree with, as if it were all one thing. You're like an artist who paints by putting grenades in paint cans. True, you hit the canvas almost every time, but it still makes you look stupid and dishonest when you put on airs about how accurate you are.

A good case in point is "The Cult". You label the Tea Party as The Cult, the Libertarians as The Cult, fundamentalist Christian abortion clinic bombers as The Cult, KKK members as The Cult... anybody who disagrees with you is The Cult, regardless of how much they may disagree with each other.

Is it any wonder that people call you an idiot or a liar when you insist on having this monolithic fantasy ogre as the subtext of nearly everything you write?

juris imprudent said...

The only thing funnier than his "cult" bit is when he whines about being called a Marxist - as he did when he was defending the Marxist conceit of "false consciousness".

jane said...

DW, I don't even have a blog. But I'll take the drink, if Mark would ever stop keeping all his people separate, the big mean separatist.