Commonsense

You are exactly right. We are now seeing that the left really doesn't give a crap about what is going on. All they care about is their power. Patreaus was a no good ineffective liar when a different party was in charge. Now he is the right man for the job. America, wake up, we are being run by liars. The progressive/liberal agenda is nothing but one big lie.

The general should have known that this reporter would do anything to bring him down. Now I hope that we hear some actual truth from the general about how the left is doing with regard to fighting the war. We should fight to win and get out or just get out now if we aren't going to fight to win.

That was the first thing I thought when I heard Obama was replacing McC with Petraeus! Has everyone forgotten that less than 2 years ago the Dems at MoveOn.org took out that full page ad in the New York Times (for pennies on the dollar) that called Petraeus "BetrayUs", blasting the surge strategy as ineffectual, and claiming he was cooking the books on the war and making us fight an unwinnable religious war? Has everyone forgotten than even though they were sitting in their chairs on the Senate floor and had voted on several things just moments before and moments after, both Barry and Biden refused to vote to condem the MoveOn.org ad despite the fact that every other senator present (including all of the other Dems) voted? Or Barry's grilling of Petraeus in Senate hearings on the cost of the war and troop increases?

Now Barry is pretending that Petraeus is his best friend and hero! What a load of hypocritical bull. I don't think 2012 can come fast enough.

So is the Republican Conservative agenda a bunch of liars.

There is no Difference.

It doesn't matter if the Oval Office changes hands, everything remains the same.

OK So where are all the liberals now.

You've got to be kidding me. That's all you have to say about this article?? Where's the outrage and shame. I'm personally embarassed of this guy as an American. It would be one thing to have sent a memo to the Pentagon expressing concern about what he witnessed. It may have even been the same net result with McChrystal getting canned, but not the fiasco that it turned into. Here's a guy who epitomizes what's wrong with this country. Every man is for himself. A reporter goes in and perhaps costs the lives of American servicemen through a disruption in foreign relations policy all because he was looking for a hot story. I'm not claiming this piece of @!$%# reporter as a fellow liberal that's for sure. His actions reek of selfish conservatism if you ask me.

Roy - I posted my outrage against this Hastings guy a little farther down.

Apparently this "reporter", a.k.a. greasy little fame whore who deviously used supposed quotes from unidentified staffers instead of McC's own words, is an uber-peacenik who is a major anti-war activist. Well for someone who is so strongly against people being killed in this war, he sure has a funny way of showing it! I hope someone makes a list of all of the people (both US/Allied troops and Afghan civilians) who end up losing their lives because of the turmoil caused by the change in command and the emboldening of the Taliban to capitalize on the situation, and sends that list in big red letters to Hastings! He is going to be the one responsible for each of their lives.

I think someone should require him to verify his quotes of all of the unnamed and unidentified staffers/aides he was quoting in his article. I have a sneaky suspicion that we are going to learn that the people being quoted were actually either not actually McC people or the quotes were fake/revised.

that general knew exactly what he was doing, he would rather go down like this than to have a loss at the end of a great career, generals don't make policies, they follow orders, his hands were tied and didn't see any better way to get out. these generals are no dummies, he was being under cut by ambassadorand just trying to make it look like it would be all his fault, in stead he got out. We need to get out, can't help a corrupt government.

Best government MONEY can buy? I want another deal

SO where are the Republicans left that still have brains rather than their "party" line of NO???? Or even TBaggers that can say more than lets crawl in a hole and hide from the world and anyone sick or in need of anything we don't deem to think they deserve.

Petraeus, McChrystal, doesn't matter who is in charge. Time to end these wars. Shouldn't have been there in the first place. Thanks for screwing things up Bush!

oh my god! an american with his own point of view gets fired! And y'all say Obama is a liberal! Obama is as fascist as Hitler.

There is enough blame to go around.

This reporter was there for a story, and thanks to a volcanic eruption in Iceland, he was "stuck" with McChrystal's group much longer than he had anticipated. If he thought this article would only cause 72 hours worth of disruption, then he's dumber than he looks. His cause was self-serving,

Then there's Gen. McChrystal. I guarantee this is not the way he wanted to leave the military. No military man or woman wants to leave on a low. For those who think that his (possible) failure in Afghanistan would have been worse than being relieved, think again. McChrystal probably knew what the rest of us know - this war is not winnable. I believe that many of these comments were made out of frustration.

I'm personally disappointed in Gen. McChrystal. His actions were not that of a professional soldier. He knew better, and so did his staff. These people acted like a bunch of drunken baffoons when they were in Paris (read the article). Their conduct was unbecoming of officers serving this country (or whatever their rank was), and they are an embarrassment to the men and women who proudly serve. They owe the American people an apology, and they owe members of the military and their families even more!

The Obama administration is not without fault here, and neither are previous administrations whose actions got us to this point. Yes, the buck stops with the current administration because we can't go back and change the past - unfortunately. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are just one more problem of biblical proportion that faces this country and our leaders. The fact that our nation's problems and the solutions for them are divided based on which side of the aisle one sits on only complicates matters.

What would happen if EVERYONE just stopped all this bull$hit rhetoric and really dealt with the issues? I would like to think that good ol' American ingenuity would be able to find solutions enough to satisfy everyone. But as long as name-calling and finger-pointing remain the priority, it won't make any difference who our President is or what his/her political affiliation is!

CommonSenseDude

OK So where are all the liberals now.

They called him General Betrayus when "W" had him as top dog.

MoveOn.org made that remark. MoveOn.org does not speak for all liberals any of the time. MoveOn.org does not speak for any liberals all of the time (except themselves).

General Petraeus is a soldier. He does what his superiors tell him to do so long as it is a lawful order. Thus, he implemented (did not invent) the surge in Iraq. He was unfairly criticized for doing his duty. He did it well and the surge emerged as a successful strategy in a misguided war.

General Petraeus is recognized as the world's foremost authority on counter-insurgency. The war in Afghanistan/Pakistan is and can only be a war of counter-insurgency. Thus, General Petraeus is a much better choice than General McChrystal. If the war in Afghanistan can be "won" (of which I am unconvinced), General Petraeus is the most likely leader to accomplish that.

General Petraeus did not accept this position involuntarily. That he did so should indicate to President Obama's detractors that he (Gen. Petraeus ) has confidence in the civilian leadership.

Personally, I wish General Petraeus good luck and good health.

Now Barry is pretending Petraeus is his best friend and hero.

coleslaw1. I would say the Commander-in-Chief is acknowledging that Petraeus and McChrystal have demonstrated that Petraeus is the better man for the job. If "Barry" did what you say and has the humility and sack to look Petraeus and McChrystal in the eye and tell them so, what's your beef? The only thing the President could have done wrong is to talk to the media and stoop to the same sophmoric undisciplined level that McChrystal ventured onto.

I have a sneaky suspicion that we are going to learn that the people being quoted were actually either not McC people or the quotes were fake/revised.

I'm not getting that feeling based on what I've heard and the trend that I've noticed myself serving in the military. This information age and political Hatfield vs. McCoy American culture has really harmed the military culture to the point that a 4-star General can't even manage to keep his military bearing in front of a douche bag Rolling Stone reporter! Hint 4-stars probably shouldn't be swinging on the Newsvine on a daily basis and expect to be the objective field commanders working for the Commander-in-Chief and the American people. It really turns my stomach to have a superior even enter into a political discussion; I usually suddenly have to use the restroom and leave the room. I don't want to hear Rush Limbaugh, or Jon Stewart coming from my superiors, and I don't do it to my subordinates. Keep your politics at home...where they can't even be confirmed to exist. I don't care if you're liberal or conservative.

My but you're a hateful bunch.

To Hastings - I'd say this is an unintended consequence of being what you might call a journalist.

Gen Petraeus will do a great job (I'm a liberal, or rather I think the gop is full of idiots).

lawyers, when I think of unintended consequences, I think of sincere utterance of the word "oops". This wasn't an oops by Hastings and the Rolling Stone; at best, this was a "oh well, that's not our problem" and a bunch of journalistic principal bull@!$%#. This is just another guy trying to make his mark. I always get contrasting images of the country, people and industry, coming together and making sacrifices during WWII whenever something like this happens. We will never be that way again.

General Patreaus took heat from Democrats because of King George's horrible war policy. Patreaus unlike McChrystal was a good soldier and kept his mouth shut. It was him that designed and implemented the surge which was successful and Democrats have commended him for that ever since. In the early going he just had to take the heat for the stupidity of Bush/Cheney. At least he Democrats have the courage took admit when they are wrong and fix the problem unlike the cowardly Republicans who just blame it all on someone else. You folks need to learn how to accept respnsibility and stand up like a man.

That this reporter claims he didn't think this article and those quotes would bring McCrystal down is laughable. He's either patently stupid or a liar. All his protestations that he is so shocked this thing has gotten so much play and McCrystal fired are entirely disingenuous, to say the least. You know he is THRILLED! Nice career boost for him in the short term, eh?

No point to flogging him, however. He was doing what reporters do. It's like blaming a bear for being a bear. The greatest portion of fault here lies with McCrystal and his staff. It was terminal stupidity to ever agree to this interview and allow it to go on for over a month, leaving this reporter to witness and record, unchecked, even the most unguarded moments. Arrogance. They got exactly what they deserved.

I don't blame Obama (like him or not) for jettisoning McCrystal. At the least, this debacle demonstrates an INCREDIBLE lack of judgement on the General's part. That and the content of his/staff's remarks call in to question a whole host of other issues and pretty much shattered the ability of that NSA team to work effectively together. If McCrystal had been a member of my management staff, I would have fired him, too, and not even waited for him to return to the U.S.

Obviously McChrystal didn't think he could be touched either... his ego got a little too big for his britches. Anybody that did that to their boss would suffer similar consequences.

"CommonSenseDude"? Obviously you have none! Both you and JH must be TEA BAGGERS! Yes, I said it! Don't you EVER call the President of the United States nor the Commander In Chief a "White House Clown"! Have some respect! Ooops! You have none! The "reporter" thought that GEN McChrystal was "untouchable". How many years has he been a reporter? He should have known that no one is untouchable! GEN McChrystal should have known better as well as his aides being officers. Unfortunately, their wrong doesn't make it right for everyone serving in the military or civilians serving in the military. However, I did find it odd that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mullins, was not present at the meeting with President Obama and GEN McChrystal. Actually, he did ask why he wasn't asked to be there since GEN McChrystal fell under his command. GEN McChrystal is one of the most brilliant thinkers in Afghanistan and to lose him was wrong. However, he is working with GEN Petraus but not in the capacity that he once was.

In regards to the comments his aides said about the Vice President, I hope they get what they deserve: charged with Article 88 of UCMJ and removal of their position amongst other punishment. When they took their commissioning oath, the swore they would support and defend the Constitution of the United States as well as the President of the United States. That oath also includes the Vice President! How stupid were they to say what they did?

Buddyro18: Let me tell you this: DON'T YOU EVER COMPARE A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THAT! A REMARK LIKE THAT WOULD BE CONSTRUED AS TREASON IF YOU WERE IN THE MILITARY. YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A SUBVERSIVE TEA BAGGER WHO THRIVES ON SPREADING REVISIONIST HISTORY! AS PRESIDENT OBAMA WAS LEFT WITH THIS MESS CREATED BY YOUR GOD-LIKE PRESIDENT! THANK GOD WE ARE SLOWLY MAKING PROGRESS IN CLEANING UP THE VARIOUS MESSES LEFT BY YOUR PRESIDENT WHICH MAKES YOU JEALOUS!

The headline of his "story" was pretty overblown(almost a flat out lie).

"The Runaway General" title sounds like a rogue general on the loose, who won't follow or is disobeying orders.

Trying to create controversy where there wasn't any before, that's this guy's style of journalism.

Now watch what happens when everyone else clams up. Reporters will be sh*t out of luck trying to get personal interviews "on the record".

That McChrystal didn't have enough wisdom to see what might come out of saying what he did "on record", shows that maybe he wasn't the right person to be in charge of Afghanistan.

No one is "untouchable" as one Orenthal J. Simpson find out during his hunt for the "real killers". You don't earn four star rank without knowing both the UCMJ and protocol inside and out. Gen. McChrystal's remarks and attitude in the Rolling Stone article showed contempt toward the President and made the fact many of if not all of his complaints were legitimate a mute point!! The President was correct in both the decision to accept his resignation and in replacing him with General Petraeus. Gen. McChrystal crossed the line and the military will move forward without him just as it has in past circumstances where Generals have crossed the line!! I'm surprised Michael Hastings thought Gen. McChrystal was "untouchable". With as much time as he has spent in Iraq I would think he would know there are certain lines the Military can't cross which Gen McChrystal did (whether or not it was on purpose will have to wait for his "tell all"!)!!

I don't believe the reporter for one minute. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing and he screwed up this general's life - for the moment anyway.

McChrystal will get another job.

When this was posted, I noticed that cyfi and I share the exact same opinion.

Retired Military,

After reading your rantings, I have concluded one thing

Yes indeed you are retired.......From REALITY.

Clowns like you and your president are exactly why our military leaders are losing respect for the office.

I would agree.

"“One of the things that happens in journalism, especially with powerful figures, is that they give journalists access in exchange for favorable coverage and future access,” Hastings said. “That dynamic didn’t apply to me and the story I was writing, or just my general style of journalism.""

Yeah right. I wonder how you would have handled this same scenario if the person you had been following was, oh I don't know, Joe Biden?

McChrystal was the military professional that swore an oath! He knew better but the arrogance and 'untouchable' side got the best of him! This is not the first time he stepped over the line...

The reporter was doing his job--he gets paid to get the story not to protect those that should know better than to run thier mouths. This should not be about him but about the real security risks this implies! Hastings neither created the access nor made up the story!

Lao:

You're absolutely right. This reporter had an agenda before the interviews took place, and I would bet that he lied, cheated and conned everyone, in order to get the juiciest story he could, and put the General, and the military, in the worst light he could.

It's almost a guarantee that he was an obama supporter, so unfortunately, having him shadow the "savior of the world" (obama), would only result in more journalistic proof that obama was sent by god.

But this is also a very good insight into the integrity of journalists, who will refuse to reveal their sources, often to protect a criminal, but then rat out an honest, hardworking person, with no regard to what will happen to him.

Even though I don't read or buy Rolling Stone, that magazine has just lost the rest of my respect.

McCrystal was wrong and had to be fired. Other countries have ignored pompus militaries and been taken over. That's why the military has to report to civilians.

No doubt, McCrystal agreed with the journalist and thought there was no way he could be fired! Oops! Or, maybe, his ideas were going so poorly he wanted out anyway. Who can say for sure?

McChrystal over played his hand...He too thought he was untouchable..THough initially thought he should remain and be made to eat crow...Friends in the military have convinced me that he would not be able to complete the mission--the troops would stall or obstruct! He has the Old guard --in control--my way attitude...he pushed the troops too hard and those 'in country' did not like his cozy relationship with Karzai! He was not a diplomat like Petraues---who has trained himself to be so!

Afghanistan is a mess but it has more to do with who was put incharge [Karzai & Bros]and that it was a stepping stone to get to Iraq! 7 plus years of playing to corruption and not seeing that a centralized govrnment will never work is stupidity--It has made the Afghans not trust us! This may serve to clear the morass but Karzai will not be pleased---he will lose power under this--the govrnment will become more stable as a decentralized group with provincal rule!

"I did not think he would get fired"

There's his problem, he didn't think. I think he needs to find a new line of work. He was privy to the general and his staffs private conversations. Did he honestly think they would have said those things in front of him if they knew he was out to write a very sensationalized story and didn't care who he hurt. Most journalists with integrity would not have used those comments in print.

If you read McChrystal's (internet published) last tweets from France you will be astounded at what comes out of his mouth. It's all so infantile. What a devastation for a proud carreer. Looks like nobody was thinking. Rolling Stone? Come On!

McChrystal was a general in charge of a war, the reporter is a reporter. Very different roles. When I read the article I thought McChrystal would survive but I also thought this is WAY over the top and he should go. The more important issue here is that McChrystal and his aides thought they could get away with this. That is arrogance, a dangerous characteristic in military leaders. Doesn't matter who the president is, a military officer has zero right to be critical in public, indeed to do so is something like treason. The military can not be allowed political opinions.

Walter Cronkite was asked once if the public had a right to know that kind of information and I love the responsibile answer that he gave.

"Yes, but not right now."

I miss that kind of impartial, detached amd honest journalism.

exactly!!!!!!!

One would think the General would have realized the dangers of mixing alcohol and talking with a reporter present. Even without the reporter it seems wrong for the general and staff to go on a bender during wartime. While they weren't in Afghanistan they were intimately involved with operations there during this time.

Poor judgment. I guess that goes with alcohol too, but it doesn't belong in command.

McChrystal was on an ego-trip.

Same should apply to the politicians of this country, but they feel they are above the law & untouchable. They are our employees and should be held to the same standards. When they do wrong, it usually gets swept under the carpet if possible. As an example, not paying taxes. You or I would get jail time, heavy fines, wage garnishments, audited the next five years sraight, etc....but them, "Ooops!" seems to get them off with a wrist slap and just pay the money back.

Obama is insubordinate to HIS boss: the American people. I don't see him getting fired. He has also badmouthed Americans, eg when Calderon was here. How come HE gets to badmouth his boss, but god forbid anyone says anything about him? Obama's the one with an ego trip.

Evelyn 518247 is EXACTLY correct.

The General showed such bad judgement here, it appears that he maybe wanted out of his job!

I have a sinking feeling that he might get commended by the publishers of Rolling Stone, and maybe other journalists as well. It is a strange and dangerous world we live in.

It is what it is. Has anyone denied anything in the article? I believe McChrystal thought he was untouchable, and his enormous ego is what got him fired.

McChrystal sat around for days dissing his superiors, Mr. Hastings simply reported the truth.

Do not shoot the messenger for telling the truth....McChriystal is responsible for his own downfall.

Apparently this "reporter", a.k.a. greasy little fame whore who deviously used supposed quotes from unidentified staffers instead of McC's own words, is an uber-peacenik who is a major anti-war activist. Well for someone who is so strongly against people being killed in this war, he sure has a funny way of showing it! I hope someone makes a list of all of the people (both US/Allied troops and Afghan civilians) who end up losing their lives because of the turmoil caused by the change in command and the emboldening of the Taliban to capitalize on the situation, and sends that list in big red letters to Hastings! He is going to be the one responsible for each of their lives.

I think someone should require him to verify his quotes of all of the unnamed and unidentified staffers/aides he was quoting in his article. I have a sneaky suspicion that we are going to learn that the people being quoted were actually either not actually McC people or the quotes were fake/revised.

My thoughts also. So much of the article was attributed to "unnamed sources", that it should never have been taken seriously, let alone used to ruin the career of this military man. I read it, trying to find something that McC actually said that was so bad that he should have been fired. Now we are going to pretend that all this was for the good of the troops and the mission in Afganastan, not because of a petulant President out for revenge because someone said something unflattering about him.

Maybe he thought the remarks were treasonous, and decided to blow the whistle.

On second thought, you're right king. He is a jerk, with a nose for nasty news and a disingenuous excuse.

Your comment is right on the mark, its unfortunate that access was granted. Its unfortunate that This General's career had to end like this, but there are things your allowed to do, then not allowed to do. I understand freedom of speech, but this Hastings, did what he had to for a story, and when its all said and done , what was gained? A 4 star General who is out there with his troops, trying to protect our country, a country Hastings lives in. Is gone.There is alot the media may know about many things, doesn't mean they need to end up in print. His 15 mins of fame are up, I for one, have no use for this reporter.

Hastings reminds me of the work place brown nose. Talks a lot of smack behind bosses back and first time someone else says something he is off and running to boss with the "guess what I heard" to get ahead. Problem is ya may get that atta boy from boss but not one single employee likes you and laughs at your nose stuck to butt attachment.

Lesson here I guess is make sure the brown nose is not with the crew when they are slamming a few down and venting.

Rick G --Neither is the U.N. or all the illegals but hay we haven't kicked either of them out of the country yet.

THANK YOU rrobeson!!!!

Everyone seems to be dissing on Hastings here. While I agree that the reporter is a twit for not knowing what kind of repercussions his article would have -- I am more amazed at the stupidity of the General and his minions!!

The Gen and his staff know full well that a reporter WILL put everything on the record. They also know what they are and ARE NOT allowed to do while in uniform and in war!!! The general is very lucky he is not punished further for his actions/comments during war. Good Lord -- the man was in charge of tens of thousands of troops!!!

I am guessing that the General is now realizing what most Republicans still need to --- EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND DO WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU. IT WILL BE ON TAPE AND WILL BE ON YOU TUBE!!! You all like to throw the gaffes of Joe Biden et al at us, but, still insist on rewriting history to suit your version.

I am a liberal and I never once said Petreaus was a betrayer. I have never felt that IRAQ was where we should be but, if we are there we may as well have the best general for the job.

Good luck and God Bless to the General and to all of the troops that according to most reports, now feel that there is a man in charge who wants to get things done.

I suspect the General did know what was afoot and just didn't care...I'm sure he was just completely fed-up with they way he was told to fight this war...the article in Rolling Stone quoted him as saying while in France "I have to go sell something that isn't sellable"

Airangel--I totally concur with your statement. However, that just proves the point that as a General in a war, if you do not agree with the CinC, then you step down and let someone who does agree and will not put the tens of thousands of troops that are fighting at your command at risk.

If you dont believe in the doctrine, then you meet with your superiors and resign, as did many Generals during the IRAQ fiasco under Bush.

YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RUN OFF AT THE MOUTH WHILE A REPORTER IS TAPING EVERY WORD!!!! The General should have and does know better. I am worried that there is something sinister behind his actions.

Seal-1916211, please stop blaming the reporter because the General welcomed him into his inner staff for 30 days. The reporter did not force himself upon the General and his staff. They also gave the General an opportunity to repudiate anything in the article before it was written.

Who invites a reporter into their inner workings and then is surprised when he does his job and reports what he hears and sees?

• The General was relieved of duty because his judgment was atrocious
• The General proved that he couldn't work with civilians which was one of the key, mandatory components of the Afghan strategy he devised.

BinNH, how do you feel about his role in the Pat Tillman cover up when he LIED to the parents and family of Tillman?

RTBTAT--why must you bring more evidence of the General's stupidity and lack of good judgement into a vine that is obviously for the stringing up of the reporter who is the only one who did his job.

BethanyB, whoooooooooooops, my mistake - LOL

Beth, isn't it amazing how people don't want to hold a senior, commanding general accountable for his decisions, words, and actions, and would rather blame a young reporter who was doing his job?

RTBTAT--but that is the way of the world right now. Shoot the messenger, ignore the message.

That is what is soooooooo scary about the Teapartiers and what ever the right is calling themselves this week. They have no ideas -- they just dont want anyone elses.

Actually, yes, profit IS profit. What does that have to do with this story or my comments about the story?

seems to me it is the role of reporters to report what they see. seems to me it is the role of generals to avoid situations where what they say comes back to bite them. seems to me generals and staff should know not to go on a bender with a reporter. seems to me the bar for responsible behavior is way way higher for a general in charge of a war than for a reporter. Bush canned Adm Fallon over a very similar event, and was right to do so.

nrd

Sorry, but the truth is what it is. Mr. Hastings was doing his job, and absolutely no one is denying what is in the article is anything but the truth.

What if Bob Woodward decided the impact of his reporting of the Watergate scandal would be to bring down the Nixon administration, and decided not to report it?

We have freedom of the press to protect us from tyrants.

show me the security breach that could gt our servicemen killed with what woodard did. Never served your country did u. think about it from their position.

show me where Hastings' reporting could get any servicemen killed? It isn't like he stumbled on battle plans without the knowledge of the Command. If anyone put troops at risk it was McChrystal. It is the job of officers to think before they speak. It is not the job of reporters to protect officers. McChrystal's ego (and that of his staff) got way too big. No one to blame but him.

Before you blame Obama or Hastings, look up Adm "Fox" Fallon.

McChrystal would have to top the chart in arrogance and ego if he did this interview and think he could get away with it. This was a terrible venue to voice his gripes rather than through his chain of command. He certainly should be relieved of his command by showing such disregard for his superiors, whether he liked them or not. That being said, Hastings' article will or has already led to more limited access to information that journalists would like to have. It would be hard to believe that there has not been a ton of emails, conference calls, directives, etc. within the military regarding "suggested guidance" in dealing with the media.

I'm not convinced that General McChrystal cared much about how this would affect his career at the time of the interview. Call it what you want, but once you are in a no-winner situation it sometimes just makes sense to blast away at your critics.

it was a highly unprofessional and dishonorable thing to do. McChrystal didn't want out (read the article) - neither did he have any respect for the whole chain of command thing. I'm a vet, served in a large headquarters and casually knew several generals. This simply is not done.