The McChrystal Dunce Hat
Generals and presidents have not always gotten along on chummy terms in America. Who can forget the forays of Gen. MacArthur after WWII and Gen. Patton, two WWII veterans to say the least of the men. Both were accomplished military leaders and strategist but both came to butt heads with the policies of United States Presidents.
Cantankerous Generals is nothing new in U.S. military history. No doubt, in the heat of battle, a General is not inclined to be nice, the stress is great, and the fatigue is heavier by the moment. But then there is a point at which such divisive thinking can indeed endanger the country as well as the men and women in uniform. However the Gen. McChrystal case seems more of an embarrassment than a threat.
Sure, no president should have to endure one of his supreme commanders bad mouthing high ranking operatives of his or her administration or the military itself. Sure, no commander should be stupid enough to do an explosive article with Rolling Stone but one has to ask: just how much does all this fluff really cost anybody? In the greater scheme of things, what McChrystal said and did will be of little impact to the war in Afghanistan and little effect on the military itself other than a bruise of stupidity. McChrystal was by all accounts a good general and he was not talking about blowing up Korea with atomic bombs or invading China like others in our history.
It seems more likely as is even with past Generals, McChrystal was over worked, over stressed by political and diplomatic considerations and was just waiting for a place to vent. Of course he probably could have chosen a bar with friends rather than Rolling Stone but in the heat of battle things happen that are unexpected and unplanned just as is the case with politics itself.
All too often military operations today are dripping in political meddling and so little can get done effectively because of it. While the real motive for McChrystal’s actions may never be known, it is quite obvious a lot of political stress and battle fatigue was weighing in on McChrystal. This does not excuse his actions so much as it may explain them. The problem today is that when someone in the public eye cracks and the media gets involved, it becomes a whirlwind of distress that destroy otherwise competent and good but wholly human people.
Should McChrystal be fired for what he did –probably so –should he be demonized for what he did –probably not. Any president deserves respect as do his people. The military itself deserves a certain neutral decorum at least so far as the public goes so it can maintain a whole corps. But then on the grander scale if all McChrystal did was say some disparaging personal remarks, it is far better than having a general defy orders or a general suggesting we invade a country or bomb a country just because we can like others have done in the past.
McChrystal deserves a dunce hat but it’s not so clear whether he should be forced out of the military for what he did. Maybe he needs a course in public relations but other than that, it seems rather minimal the threat he poses or posed with his Rolling Stone interview.
