It's OK to sack a General

by Pablo Fanque
National Affairs Editor

A General, George Washington, insisted that our form of government should have a military controlled by civilians.  And we know from history--in particular in Latin America and Africa--that military controlled by the military all too often launch coup d' etats, and if not an actual coup, will operate as a shadow government.

Most famously, no doubt, are the cases of Generals McClellan and MacArthur.  McClellan treated Abe Lincoln like a hopeless country bumpkin.  General MacArthur generally treated Harry Truman with disdain, and whenever possible ignored his orders and went his own way. 

Harry Truman on MacArthur (from Merle Miller's Plain Speaking:

"I fired him because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President. That's the answer to that. I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the laws for generals."

"I have finally concluded... decided that there were times when he . . . well, I'm afraid when he wasn't right in the head. And there never was anyone around to him to keep in line. He didn't have anyone on his staff who wasn't an ass kisser."

Lanky Link, on the other hand, had more patience than Truman.   In letters to friends, General McClellan often referred to President Lincoln as an "idiot" and "the original gorilla."  And worse, he publicly disrespected The Link and took insubordination to an all new level.   Lincoln once called on McClellan at home and waited several hours to see the general before a servant told him that McClellan had gone to bed. I'd have canned him on the spot. 

It became clear that McClellan did not want to lead his army into battle.   To justify his yellow streak, McClellan chronically overestimated the enemy, and claimed the Confederate army in Virginia was twice its real size. When pushed to make a plan and stick to it, McClellan became resentful.  Lincoln finally ordered McClellan to attack the Confederates in Northern Virginia.  McClellan ignored the order.

"If McClellan does not want to use the army," Lincoln wrote, "I should like to borrow it a while." When McClellan finally did show signs of life, instead of invading northern Virginia, he loaded his army on boats, sailed down the coast, and landed on a peninsula between the York and James Rivers.  After an extremely and deliberately sluggish march, the army came within six miles of the Confederate capital of Richmond before being beaten back by a smaller, poorly-equipped force led by General Robert E. Lee.  Later, McClellan and Lee fought to a brutal and costly stalemate at Antietam.  McClellan refused to follow Lee as the southern forces bugged out.

For six agonizing weeks, Lincoln and McClellan exchanged angry messages, with Lincoln pushing his recalcitrant general to finish Lee off.

On November 5, 1862, Lincoln finally gave him the boot.   McClellan tried to even the score, and was nominated by the Democrats to run against Link.  Lincoln won.  Again.

As we mentioned here yesterday, it's also time for General Stanley McChrystal to hit the bricks. This is not the first time he has disrepected his Commander In Chief.  But then, Afghanistan is Obama's War, and McChrystal was his hand-picked man to lead that war.  That war hasn't gone so well; the best you can say today is that we've made a little progress.  Insubordination aside, it may be time to shake the pumpkin and try some new leadership.  Even his most rabid defenders pulled back after the now famous (but yet to appear in print) Rolling Stone profile/interview of General McChrystal began widely circulating throughbout The Beltway.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today gave an indication McChrystal is in the doghouse, or worse.  He told  reporters "There has clearly been an enormous mistake in judgment to which he will have to answer for," and chracterized "the magnitude and graveness of the mistake" as "profound."

Gen. McChrystal also took an arrow yesterday from the man who recommended him for command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates.  "I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case,"  Gates said.
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