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Thursday, June 24, 2010

"[POTUS Barack] Obama Was Correct To Let [General Stanley] McChrystal Go". I AGREE.

Obama was correct to let McChrystal go
By the Daily News

Anyone serving in the military, whether it be a private, a lieutenant or a general, must be subordinate to superiors, especially the commander in chief, which is why we believe that President Barack Obama made the correct choice Wednesday by accepting Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resignation.

The decision to relieve McChrystal of his command as the top man conducting the war in Afghanistan had to be a very difficult one.

We endorsed McChrystal when Obama made him commander in Afghanistan last year because of the success he had in fighting counterinsurgencies in Iraq and his success with special operations missions in that country.

We stand by that endorsement, but realize McChrystal crossed the line when he made over-the-top comments about his superiors in an interview with a Rolling Stone magazine reporter.

McChrystal used very poor judgment in his choice of words.

In the interview, McChrystal said the period last fall was “painful” when the president was deciding whether to approve more troops and said Obama appeared ready to hand him an “unsellable” position.

One can easily understand McChrystal’s frustration as he waited for months to get an answer from Obama about his troop request.

We had stated in an earlier editorial that it took Obama too long to grant McChrystal the troops needed to wage a successful war in Afghanistan. When Obama finally answered the general’s request, the troops he sent were 10,000 fewer than what McChrystal requested.

McChrystal undoubtedly had some legitimate complaints, but going public in Rolling Stone was not the way to address them.

It is a rather sad ending for a distinguished career soldier who has served our country admirably over several decades. He should be very proud of his distinguished career and for his many successes while commanding troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gen. David Petraeus now takes over McChrystal’s command in Afghanistan, pending Senate approval.

This was a very sound decision on Obama’s part. Petraeus is a proven leader with successes in fighting the war on terrorism, including the surge in Iraq, and we feel he is the right man to lead our effort in Afghanistan.

We wish Gen. McChrystal the best in future endeavors and value his long service to his country.

We also understand why Obama had to make the decision he did.

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