McChrystal Walks the Line

McChrystal cannot be faulted for offering his honest opinions. But expressing private assessments about the war's tactics and strategy is one thing: caustically mocking the civilian leadership is quite another.
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In a not-yet-released Rolling Stone interview, General Stanley McChrystal and his advisors allegedly criticize colleagues in the Obama administration, including Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, national security adviser Jim Jones, and President Barack Obama.

McChrystal cannot be faulted for offering his honest opinions. But expressing private assessments about the war's tactics and strategy is one thing: caustically mocking the civilian leadership is quite another. Indeed, much like his highly classified document "leaked" last year to the Washington Post, Gen. McChrystal, despite his sincerest apologies, has consistently threatened civilian control of the war. If the White House does not respond swiftly to McChrystal's remarks, it risks losing the respect of the uniformed military and the majority of the American public.

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