Resigning was the only choice. I think even General McChrystal knew it. I cannot help but compare the situation between McChrystal and the Obama administration with many of the military tragedies I have learned about in the past few years when soldier's kill one of their own, or belittle their PTSD and encourage them to commit suicide. The list goes on for miles.
Soldiers are supposed to have each other's backs. Among platoons, even a hated soldier is protected when facing the world. Honorable American soldiers live by this policy. McChrystal seems to have (at least temporarily) forgotten this long-standing tradition. When he spoke out against the Administration in such a derogatory manner, he disgraced himself and the President who the American people elected. As a nation, he made us look less cohesive. Even when American's hate each other, we still stand together publicly. Did McChrystal have a right to speak his mind? Yes, he did. Nevertheless, it was a sloppy move by anyone's standards and beneath McChrystal's intelligence. It makes me wonder if he has let his mouth overload his ass in ways the American people are not yet aware.
After reading the infamous Rolling Stone article, I was reminded of the Playboy article of March 2004 by Mark Boal, Death and Dishonor. In the article, when speaking of murder victim Richard Davis, his fellow soldiers went out of their way to talk tough, embellishing some of their exploits because their words would appear in Playboy Magazine, situated among the photos of every young man's dream girl. Could it be that McChrystal himself fell victim to the same mentality? Talking tough for an edgy magazine like Rolling Stone? I have heard repeatedly that soldiers follow the example of their leaders; it is what they are trained to do. It is engrained in their very fiber. The question we should now be asking ourselves is whether McChrystal's feelings and behavior are indicative of a much larger problem throughout the military.