McChrystal vs. Obama: The Gloves Come Off In 'Rolling Stone'

I’ve seen top heavyweights tangle many times. Mike Tyson was the most brutal I’ve seen, but Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield top the list the best matchups I’ve seen.

Now we have Obama vs. McChrystal. The President vs. the General. Early odds have the President a 6-1 favorite, not because he’s tougher, but just because he’s the President. President usually trumps General.

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Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his camp made some rather explosive comments about Obama and his corner man, Joe Biden in Rolling Stone, and D.C. is exploding (Biden was referred to as “bite me” by a McChrystal aide—I’ll ignore the temptation to make another Mike Tyson reference).

Basically, McChrystal is questioning the Obama war policy in Afghanistan. Rolling Stone calls him the “Runaway General.” The tone in the media right now is utter shock and surprise that a general would actually be critical of the president. This happens, even during war and perhaps even especially during war.

McChrystal is critical of the rules of engagement (ROE) that the Obama White House has made him install in the war zone. McChrystal has also been criticized by his own troops for the current ROE in Afghanistan. The article mentions specifically Cpl. Michael Ingram, who was killed clearing a building that troops on the ground had wanted to blow up from a distance, but were denied approval. I guess buildings must now be read their Miranda rights before being taken down.

Soldiers are dying in the battlefield because of the new ROE and now is the time to find out where those ROE are coming from. The media seems disinterested in the heart of the matter here, instead, they will focus on the matchup between the President and the General and we all know whose side they will be taking in this fight.

ABC proclaimed, “Top General in Trouble” and reported only on the words said — not whether McChrystal’s complaints about Obama were accurate. My early scan of the rest of the networks show the same thing. McChrystal is in trouble for what he said, but the content of what he said is being ignored because it points to the shirtless Emperor.

McChrystal has been called to the White House later this week for meeting with the President. Round one perhaps? Perhaps a first round knockout? Nobody expects peace to be made. In the meantime, the man who likes to think of himself as the Heavyweight Champion of the World has been challenged over legitimate concerns for the safety of the troops in Afghanistan.

The media couldn’t care less about that part of the story — they will cover the matchup, round by round — and ignore the real battle going on in Afghanistan and why our soldiers are having to go into the ring with one, or both arms tied behind their backs.