You may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife ... And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house”
Pretty rich irony, isn’t it? Obama fired a progressive general who voted for him, and replaced him with Bush’s general. I dropped by DU briefly, and they Were Not Pleased.
So it appears that Obama was forced to sack someone who emulated his liberalism. This is just bizarre.
>> Maybe because he’s a kindred spirit who felt the need to assure Rolling Stone’s Michael Hastings that he voted for Obama even against McCain, a military legend who shares McChrystal’s transnational progressive outlook.
McChrystal, like McCain, is a sh!thead. What more need be said?
It’s my understanding that they took out all the eating “establishments” except for the chow hall. That was good for morale, right?
December 11, 2009
Rules Of Engagement Are A Dilemma For U.S. Troops
Partial Transcript:
MONTAGNE: So, in being very, very careful about shooting at what they absolutely believed to be insurgents, they ended up, in effect, losing these guys. How did that make them feel?
BOWMAN: Well, they weren’t happy at all. And some of them stormed out of this command center. And we talked with one of them afterwards. This is Lieutenant James Wendy(ph).
Lieutenant JAMES WENDY (U.S. Marines): There’s no way that anyone other than the enemy would’ve been injured.
BOWMAN: So, why weren’t you allowed to shoot?
Lt. WENDY: Honestly, I don’t know. I’d like to say I wish we could play by the big boy rules, you know, but, you know, it’s just the way it is. And if I had known how frustrating it’d be and was able to better prepare myself for that mentally, I think that maybe I would’ve been better off.
MONTAGNE: What about the military leaders? Is it reaching the top? Are they hearing these complaints about these rules of engagement that are so restrictive?
BOWMAN: You know, they are hearing these complaints. And I had a few minutes this week with their overall commander, General McChrystal, and I told him the same story, Renee, I told you. And I asked him about the rules of engagement. Here’s what he had to say:
General STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL (U.S. Commander, Afghanistan): I’ve been at this a long time now, since 9/11, and there were a tremendous number of times when I’ve seen activities done, which, on the surface of what was seen, looks exactly one way, looks completely convincing. And then in the aftermath, what you saw was incomplete. In fact, what we find is civilian casualties who are unarmed civilians.
I think when we err on the side of maturity and caution, there is a cost. And I know that we’re asking an extraordinary amount from them to operate with such restraint and self-discipline, but I think it’s how we win the war.
BOWMAN: So, that being said, there’s still a widespread frustration among the troops, of feeling that their hands are tied in going after insurgents.
The night before the general is scheduled to visit Sgt. Arroyos platoon for the memorial, I arrive at Combat Outpost JFM to speak with the soldiers he had gone on patrol with. JFM is a small encampment, ringed by high blast walls and guard towers. Almost all of the soldiers here have been on repeated combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and have seen some of the worst fighting of both wars. But they are especially angered by Ingrams death. His commanders had repeatedly requested permission to tear down the house where Ingram was killed, noting that it was often used as a combat position by the Taliban. But due to McChrystals new restrictions to avoid upsetting civilians, the request had been denied. These were abandoned houses, fumes Staff Sgt. Kennith Hicks. Nobody was coming back to live in them.
One soldier shows me the list of new regulations the platoon was given. Patrol only in areas that you are reasonably certain that you will not have to defend yourselves with lethal force, the laminated card reads. For a soldier who has traveled halfway around the world to fight, thats like telling a cop he should only patrol in areas where he knows he wont have to make arrests. Does that make any fking sense? Pfc. Jared Pautsch. We should just drop a fking bomb on this place. You sit and ask yourself: What are we doing here?
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/mcchrystals-real-offense-96873364.html#ixzz0rpXAhumH
You know...when it's time to come after the SOCONS and Tea Partiers. ;^)