Obama’s Afghanistan general goes off

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This article was published 23/06/2010 (5807 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama rebuked his Afghanistan war commander for "poor judgment" Tuesday and considered whether to fire him in the most extraordinary airing of military-civilian tensions since Harry Truman stripped Gen. Douglas MacArthur of his command a half-century ago.

The White House summoned Gen. Stanley McChrystal to Washington to explain disparaging comments about his commander in chief and Obama’s top aides. The meeting set for today was a last-ditch moment for the general once considered the war’s brightest hope.

If not insubordination, the remarks in a forthcoming Rolling Stone magazine article were at least an indirect challenge to civilian management of the war in Washington by its top military commander.

"I think it’s clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed a poor — showed poor judgment," the president said, surrounded by members of his cabinet at the close of their meeting. "But I also want to make sure that I talk to him directly before I make any final decisions."

A senior U.S. military official in Afghanistan told The Associated Press the general has been given no indication that he would be fired, but no assurance he would not be. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions between Washington and the general’s office in Kabul.

The eruption comes as the war and public support for it are at a tipping point, a perilous time to change military leadership. A majority of Americans now say the war is probably not worth fighting, and Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that public dissatisfaction means the U.S.-led international coalition must show progress this year.

A crucial military push against resistance in the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan is going more slowly that McChrystal had planned, and showing fewer solid results. Marines in Helmand province are in near-daily firefights, months after a push there was supposed to have cleared out the bulk of Taliban fighters.

McChrystal has spent the past several weeks arguing that the U.S.-led military effort is gaining momentum against the Taliban, while Gates argued for time to show that McChrystal’s many changes in strategy and tactics can succeed.

The showdown was set to take place today in two parts — as part of Obama’s regular monthly war meeting, in which McChrystal usually participates by videoconference, and a separate discussion between the general and Obama in the Oval Office.

Several names circulated among Pentagon and Capitol Hill aides as potential successors. Military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration has not talked to possible successors but might do so today.

"We all serve at the pleasure of the president," said Gen. James Mattis, one of those mentioned. "I have a pretty full plate here" in his current job as Joint Forces Command chief, Mattis told AP.

Other names include Lt. Gen. John Allen, the No. 2 at U.S. Central Command; Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, McChrystal’s No. 2 in Afghanistan; Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command; and Adm. James Stavridis, the top NATO commander in Europe.

Democratic Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, urged McChrystal to resign. Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which approved McChrystal for the job, was among three prominent Republican senators to criticize the general and say a decision about his future should rest with Obama.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: "I couldn’t believe Gen. McChrystal, being the good soldier I think he is, at least in this article not being a very good soldier."

McChrystal publicly apologized Tuesday for using "poor judgment" in the magazine interviews. He then left Afghanistan for the meeting in Washington.

 

— The Associated Press