Bush got us onto Af'stan. He had a chance to take out BL but pissed it way by begging the Taliban, who larffed in his face, for almost a month to turn over BL. Now here we are 9 years later and the plan Bush had for Af'stan is a cruel joke on both the people of that country and us. If you voted for Bush, you share some of the blame.

Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice relates to conduct unbecoming an officer. Specifically relates to contempt or statements which others may take as reasons to be less respectful to those placed in authority over the command.

What clinched his fate is doing it while wearing a uniform, definitely a no-no in violation of DoD policy and administrative rules which all officers are trained to observe and receive training on, annually.

Even if I agree with him, it doesn't matter: he flaunted the regs because, I am guessing, he thought, like Boris Grishin in Goldeneye: " I am invincible."

Nope, you're not. Say good-bye. Buy some suits and get ready for the talk show circuit.

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Couldn't disagree more on the first sentence -- they make those comments as much (or more) than the civilian population, but don't (and shouldn't) generally make them in public and can't make them in uniform.

Agree with the second part.

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What does that mean? That the remarks weren't "stupid," by definition? Or that the comments were made purposely? The latter sounds even more ludicrous... those are career-ending comments (or sound like them to me).

EDIT: not arguing, just trying to understand what you mean...

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1992 300D 2.5T
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1974 Triumph TR6
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I was trying to say that they should not make those comments, I do understand that inappropriate comments are made my military officers.

You posted-
"The remarks were stupid to make in front of the reporter, but that's all."

To me that is trivializing the incident. Making stupid remarks in front of a reporter is serious when it's done by a General and his aides.
If this does end McChrystal's career, he'll be free to tell us all about his time in uniform.

I just when back and read the entire article; I'm not impressed by this guy if any of these quotes are accurate. Why did obama put him in charge of this operation?, why did he accept the job?; they clearly were not on the same page. Overall, he does not come off very sophisticated; my impression was that I wouldn't want him walking my dog. Maybe the reporting was bias; but unless he was completely mis-quoted, there is no excuse for a military leader to act like a middle-school student in front of a reporter.

Ah, gotcha. I meant only to say that it was stupid of them to make them in front of the reporter, and we obviously agree on that. They are human, however, and are going to voice their frustrations to one another. We all do. I am not trivializing the fact that the aides chose to reveal the comments to the media; on the contrary, I thought I expressed that they were foolish to do so.

The general's apology was warranted, since the "buck stops there," so to speak. His staff, and (in some cases) his direct comments in front of a reporter. Stupid. It's up to the CINC to decide whether they warrant his being replaced. I'll admit, he's in a tough spot. Leave him in, and he looks weak; kick him out, and you look vengeful and petty.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

We'll see how this plays out when McC gets back to Washington. I would not be surprised if he resigned.

To be fair, I wouldn't want a dog-walker as my field commander, either. There are plenty of cocky officers in the military who I might not like personally, but they do their specific job well. Look at Patton -- few will argue his effectiveness, but he could sure be an ass.

********* officers are a dime a dozen, but some of them really get the job done. I don't think there are many Colin Powells (love or hate him -- I like him) out there who are "sophisticated" and who have the smarts and cojones to win wars.

The comments about the VP were poorly timed (whether he was being self-deprecating or not), and the reaction to the email, which we might be taking out of context, was not very wise either. Not gonna argue there...

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1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Indeed. There are reports that he has already offered his resignation, but President Obama can always ask him to stay on.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I know some ex-military officers who are very "sophisticated," and have become very successful in the civilian world. I understand that the job requires some "attitude," but did he really think that he could act/speak like that in front of a reporter without it becoming part of the story? Can you picture this guy in a board room? Sorry, but it seems like bad judgement from someone who can't afford to have bad judgement. I assume that he is gone anyway.

Oh, I know a bunch, too. I lived around them for much of my dad's 29-year military career, and for parts of my ~10 year (so far) Guard career. They certainly exist, but the (ahem) "outspoken go-getters" do, too, and, like it or not, sometimes they're the right guys/gals for the job. It's not MY style, but it can work. Colin Powell is an extreme example, and I stand by my assertion that there aren't many like him specifically... but yes, there are senior officers with "diplomatic" smarts. (I don't much care for the term "sophisticated," to be honest; I don't think the general's taste in beer or movies has much to do with his effectiveness at his job, as much as I might harass ANYONE who championed Bud Lime). But I don't think you meant "sophisticated" in a snooty way... right?

I think President Obama approached it fairly wisely by saying that he wants to talk to the general before he comments much further. I'm not a big fan of the president, but you have to tip your hat in this case. His Press Secretary, on the other hand, is acting like an ass, and the unnamed aides who claim that the pres was "furious" when he read the article should have kept their mouths shut, too. Again, there's no need to air that.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

Where did I say that Afghanistan was part of Arabia?

Were bin-Ladin and his jihadists Afghans? Nope, they were arabs.

Were they operating out of Afghanistan? Yep, Tarnack Farms, near Kandahar?

Were the Afghan Taliwhackers warned what would happen if bin-Ladin attacked the U.S.? Yep, many times.

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Palangi

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TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

I agree, whatever the outcome; it should be handled in private. Nothing will be gained by having the military and civilian leadership engage in a public fight.