Gen. McChrystal and his boss

Gen. Stanley McChrystal might want to keep his mouth shut, said Cynthia Tucker in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, gave a speech in London last week warning that rejecting his request for more troops and adopting a narrower strategy than the one he recommends would be "shortsighted." President Obama, who is still mulling what to do in Afghanistan, promptly called McChrystal to his side to remind him who's in charge.

If Obama "can't stand the heat of public scrutiny," said John R. Guardiano in The American Spectator, he's not fit to be commander-in-chief. At least Gen. McChrystal "understands how American democracy works. He understands that informed and well-considered decisions are more likely to be wise and efficacious decisions."

One thing's for sure, said Alex Spillius in Britain's Daily Telegraph. Stanley McChrystal's public "bluntness" further strained his relations with the White House—already touchy after the leak of his recommendation for 40,000 more U.S. troops. Some commentators said McChrystal was flirting with insubordination, and some military leaders said Obama was risking defeat by being slow to take McChrystal's advice. If the White House has its way, McChrystal will make his case only to his boss from here on out.

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