McChrystal shouldn’t have given that interview. But whether or not he is sacked will make little difference to the real issue here. For what the article has confirmed is that the American prosecution of the Afghanistan war is flawed, chaotic, and incompetent and will hit the buffers unless someone gets a grip. And that means fighting this war as if it really is a war and not a ‘nation-building’ exercise; and saying unequivocally that America is there for as long as it takes because, however awful and bloody this conflict is, the alternative – a jihadi-boosting defeat for the west and the Talebanisation of Pakistan – is infinitely worse.RELATED: For once, a decent editorial at the Los Angeles Times, from yesterday:
Unfortunately, McChrystal's remarks are distracting attention from the graver question of whether this country's increasingly costly involvement in Afghanistan is stabilizing that country and neutralizing the threat posed by terrorists to the United States. The best reason to bring McChrystal home for consultations Wednesday is not to upbraid him about his loose tongue; it's to press him on whether the strategy he sold the president is working.Too late for that now. Obambi had to look tough.
More at Memeorandum, especially, Right Wing News, "Fish Wrap Says Decision To Remove McChrystal Shows His Decisiveness."
"McChrystal shouldn’t have given that interview."
ReplyDeleteHistory will have to judge this. The focus on the strategy may improve matters.