McChrystal out, Petraeus in: First reactions
President Obama has relieved the scandal-plagued McChrystal of his Afghan command and, in a surprise move, given the job to David Petraeus
After a 30-minute meeting this morning, President Barack Obama has relieved Gen. Stanley McChrystal of his duties as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and announced he will nominate Gen. David Petraeus to replace him. Obama's decision comes a day after Rolling Stone's publication of a damning profile of McChrystal, which includes "blistering remarks" by the general and his staff about senior members of the Obama administration, including the president himself. With the war in Afghanistan still at a fevered pitch after nine years of fighting, was Obama's shakeup of military command the right move? (Watch Obama make the announcement.) Here, breaking opinion:
Stunning — and telling: "The shift from McChrystal to Petraeus is stunning and unexpected," says Steve Benen in Washington Monthly. But "by tapping Petraeus, it's clear Obama isn't changing course in Afghanistan."
The president played the politics just right: "Obama appears to have split the baby rather adeptly here," says Ed Morrissey in Hot Air, "softening the blow of losing McChrystal by arguably trading up for the legendary Petraeus. That should dampen criticism over cashiering McChrystal, especially among Republicans on Capitol Hill."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A bolder side of Obama: Wow, says Think Progress' Matthew Yglesias via Twitter. It is "so un-Obama to be this badass."
Unfortunate, but necessary: "This is a real tragedy because Stan McChrystal is an incredibly capable officer who is a real hero in my book for what he did in Iraq and Afghanistan," former Bush administration official Eric Edelan tells The Daily Caller. But he said "things that were disrespectful of a civilian chain of command." So "I don't see how he could have stayed on."
It looks good on paper, anyway: "With Petraeus now running the Afghan 'surge,'" says Andrew Sullivan in The Daily Dish, "we are back to square one: An impossible and contradictory war that requires permanent occupation to work and twelve months to succeed."
Even Obama's opponents should back this move: "I think conservatives are making a big mistake citing all sorts of legitimate reasons for McChrystal to have expressed frustration," says Victor David Hanson at the National Review. "I agree with almost all of them, but they are not the issue, which remains judgment, the chain of command, civilian/military relations, and the very wisdom of palling around Paris with a loose-cannon reporter."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
This is much bigger than one general: The dismissal of Gen. McChrystal "will help slow the increasing erosion in civil-military relations," says Katrina Vanden Heuvel in The Washington Post. It also allows Obama to "change course and craft a responsible strategy to end the war in Afghanistan." The "runaway general has paid for his latest public act of insubordination."
...............................................................
See more of The Week's coverage of the General McChrystal story:
• McChrystal vs. Obama: A timeline of their clashes
• The List: A short history of other "furious" Obama moments
• 5 "insubordinate" quotes that cost McChrystal his job
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published