In the 1964 movie classic Burt Lancaster played the Air Force General who led the Joint Chiefs aided by a Senator and an influential newspaper columnist to undermine the authority of the President of the United States because the president was perceived to be "weak" against the Soviet Union. The movie was remade years later called "The Enemy Within".
The coup d'etat attempt failed in the plot. The central idea that the military should also obey the civilian and duly elected president remains a fragile one in a democracy.
Professional soldiers tend to have a low opinion of those untrained in the art of war.
What is surprising is General McChrystal's behavior of late. He was ordered to submit a report on Afghanistan. The report called for more troops. That should have been the end of the story.
Yet we now see him publicly advocating his position. Read this here.
He is warning that unless his request for more troops is granted, US effort in Afghanistan will fail and he is defining what failure or success is.
Wow! General McChrystal is putting pressure on Obama to follow his prescription !!!
I cannot believe this is happening. The last time that happened that ended a brilliant career was when Harry Truman fired General MacArthur who wanted to invade China during the initial stage of the Korean war.
Obama should tell McChrystal to shut up or be fired.
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