US to Replace Top General in Afghanistan (McKiernan Out & McChrystal)

Herald Net ^ | 10 May 09 | Pauline Jelinek and Anne Gearan

[PghBaldy]

Thank you to all who added info to this story.

[Winstons Julia]

Do you believe the report that there’s no Al Qaeda left in Afghanistan?

My nephew (Army National Guard) is going to be (we think) deployed for a third tour, this time in Af in the Fall.

I don’t have to worry then, that orders aren’t going to be to “give the enemy a hearty hug and apologize for America”?

[Paratrooper]

There are plenty of bad guys in Afghanistan, every soldier who deploys must be alert and prepare for unconventional warfare. My daughter’s fiance just returned in April and my son is deploying in December.

[Winstons Julia]

So, you have faith in this new Top General...but can the White House interfere and mess this up?

[Paratrooper]

McChrystal is not a snake eater. He has special ops background, not special forces. Special forces are known as snake eaters, special ops guys resent being called snake eaters. They preferred to be called “beady eyed killers”

[Paratrooper]

Defining an end state for Afghanistan is just about impossible. We cannot leave the country as a breeding ground for terrorist. The country is a true mess, an almost one of a kind disaster with no true historical model to help planners. I can’t help but to think of the Movie Brave Heart and trying to unite all the Scottish Clans.

[Paratrooper]

The White House knows we must win in Afghanistan so no punches will be pulled. For the past 6 yrs all we have heard from the left is we should have fought in Afghanistan and not Iraq, now they must back their claim.

[swarthyguy]

Hey, how much specificity do you want from a civvie -

Anyway, thank you for the correction, my mistake.

[Paratrooper]

No harm done. It is a common. SF guys got the reputation for being snake eaters because they trained to survive and fight in the jungles of SE Asia....plenty of snakes to eat.

[PurpleMan]

Here’s his bio

http://www.jcs.mil/biography.aspx?ID=15

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_A._McChrystal

[omega4179]

It sounds like hes a great soldier, one that the Opressor can throw under the bus when things don’t go exactly like they want.

[plain talk]

Instead, we need to leave Afghanistan, and destroy what little infrastructure it has, torch all the poppy fields, and level the camps there. We can do this from 10,000 feet. And we will need to do it once every decade or so, to prevent the likes of Al Qaeda and the Taliban from reconstituting and rebuilding too much

I agree. I don't accept Colin Powell's notion "you break it you buy it". I think in places like Afghanistan you break it and then come back in 5 years and break it again.

[Marine_Uncle]

I wonder if the change was requested from Zero’s office or if it was initiated by Gates and Mullens.

[Candor7]

focuses on nonmilitary solutions as a better long-term solution. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The dem recipe for non victory. We saw it in Vietnam. Now we get to do it all over?

This is going to get a lot of our soldiers killed, who will be ordered to do peace corps work while being shot, mortered and IED'd.

SHAM WOW!!!!

Wars cannot be one on political correctness. And so now we know why Obama put the CIA in its place.They are not to report the failure of his "non military " use of the military, which in fact will destroy our military.This is the end which Obama seeks, the destruction of our military.

Why you say? Our military is not politically correct, and represents a conservative threat to Obama, as our soldiers rotate oout of service. This is the message that Napolitano has sent with her memo on," veterans" being susceptible to right wing extremism.

This change in policy is a disaster, and so unpatriotic as to be laughable.Many good men and women will die because of it, as history has proven.

And the opposition in Congress, where are they???Where is Colin Powell, who not so long ago was so concerned about victory and not repeating Viet Nam?

This is in the realm of cosmic joke, and it is a curse upon our nation and its men and women who serve.

[Crim]

“hell has frozen over!”

*looks around room*

Nope...not yet it hasnt...still nice and toasty..

(been married so long they made me a tour guide)

hat tip..Sam Kennison

[penelopesire]

Great to get knowlegdable Freepers opins on this pick. I heard the news in brief today and wondered if this was a good thing or a bad one. Nice to get the positive news.

God Bless Our Troops!

[rcrngroup]

Instead, we need to leave Afghanistan, and destroy what little infrastructure it has, torch all the poppy fields, and level the camps there.
We can do this from 10,000 feet. And we will need to do it once every decade or so, to prevent the likes of Al Qaeda and the Taliban from reconstituting and rebuilding too much

Wait a second, that makes too much sense.
0boooooombashiite will never go for it. He might end up hurting or offending some of his fellow muzzie terrorists!!!
.

[rcrngroup]

So, you have faith in this new Top General...but can the White House interfere and mess this up?

Emphatic sh!t Yes!!!
0booooooombashiite would screw up a w_t dream without his teleprompter to guide him. As in the last 50-100 screw ups, 0booooooombashiite will screw this up and then incredibly always find some sap (even high level saps) to fall on their sword and take another one for the imposter. Doesn't anyone have any balls or sense of decency to tell 0boooooombashiite where to stick it??? And say it loud & clear on the evening news.

[ex-snook]

Of some interest. General Wesley Clark picked McKiernan as one of the hundred most influential Americans in Time Mag. Old Wes must not be in on the know any longer.

[penelopesire]

“Old Wes must not be in on the know any longer.”

Now there is someone that really should just slither away into the sunset....lol.