On Jun 23, 11:18*pm, Don Foreman
wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:11:11 -0700 (PDT), "





wrote:
On Jun 23, 6:51*pm, steamer wrote:
* * * * --My two cents: how could a guy with that much military background
manage to shoot himself in the foot? ;-)

--
* * * * "Steamboat Ed" Haas * * * * : *Didja see my stuff *
* * * * Hacking the Trailing Edge! *: *at 2010 Maker Faire??
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* * * * * * * * * *---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

I think that firing McCrystal is something that Obama will regret. *If
the war in Afghanistan turns out well, then no one will think much
about McCrystal being fired. But the more likely outcome is the war in
Afghanistan will turn out badly, and people will remember that Obama
fired McCrystal for saying what half the country thinks. And that most
people thought that McCrystal was the best person for leading the
troops in Afghanistan. *People will remember McCrystal was fired not
for failing to perform, but because he did not hide his opinions of
the administration. *Obama needs to learn how to work with people that
do not respect him.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dan

The general was out of line. *The C in C had no alternative but to
fire him or get his resignation, just as Truman had to fire MacArthur
for disobedience.

The military is not a democracy. *Military people must behave
respectfully toward their superiors *even if they privately and
personally regard them with contempt and disdain. *This is especially
necessary for high-ranking officers with high visibility because they
have influence over so many subordinates. *

So why did he do it? We can speculate, but I prefer not to. *- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes he was out of line, but he could have continued to follow orders
and be in charge of an army being slowly bled to death. I think that
if he could have respectfully resigned, he would have, but I don’t
think that that’s allowed in the military. He got out of a situation
that politicians put him using his own political means.