Say what you think...and get canned. General gets the hook.

[Balt]

He decided he'd rather retire or get reassigned rather than continue supporting a foolish venture, just like McChrystal. If you guys think generals are ever surprised to be relieved, you're mistaken.

You're probably right. You don't ascend in the ranks without respecting the chain of command. Maybe it was just a one-time slip up, or maybe he was looking for an out.

I don't disagree with anything he said, but he knew he didn't have the authority to say it.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I wonder what your response would have been if it were a R in the white house.

Doesn`t matter what his resonse would have been. It has been that way throughout the history of the US Armed Forces.

Craig was 100% correct on this one!!

 

[Nemesis 1]

The end result can't be surprising after the comments he made. He isn't some anonymous poster ranting on an Internet forum. You can't make comments such as that, as a high ranking military officer, and expect to still have a role the next day. The validity of what he said doesn't matter even though I fully agree.

Not the first and likely won't be the last to meet the same end. General McChrystal became well aware of that last year after his comments on Karzai.

Do you really believe your own words. Being honest and strait forward is the wrong approach to world problems . . Its not surprizing but gewiz golly golly gu. Whats up with people like you ?

 

[Nemesis 1]

However much you agree with a general, there's a reason for them not to be making political statements to the press having to do with the civilian control of the military.

The last thing we need is generals going to the people to try to turn public opinion against the elected politicians for the policies they want as their rivals.

Craig these empty words are going to come back and bite ya in the ass way sooner than I like. Ike would not agree with you at all. We as a people found out that if you speak out against secret government the president of the United States is even open game . JFK is when we lost freedom. If you believe the offical story your next to hopeless.

 

[Nemesis 1]

There are what 40 million or is it 20 million us government employees. How many work these forums????

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Do you really believe your own words. Being honest and strait forward is the wrong approach to world problems . . Its not surprizing but gewiz golly golly gu. Whats up with people like you ?

People like me? You mean people who don't want the military trying to shape and dictate policy? His role precludes him from publicly stating such things. I do believe your Constitution saw to this.

 

[Lithium381]

transparency ftw

 

[DaveSimmons]

I still think we'd have had some chance of success in Afghanistan if we'd stopped there and focused on rebuilding the country instead of pulling away resources to invade Iraq.

Once the Bush administration decided to make Afghanistan an afterthought, we should have just left since we'd lost any chance at creating a strong central government and keeping the Taliban out.

But I'm not in the military, so I'm allowed to criticize our generals and commander in chief on the record. This guy knew he was not.

 

[LegendKiller]

transparency ftw

There is a chain of command, transparency has nothing to do with this. At the top of the chain of command is the commander in chief, the President. You bitch to him, not to the media. We do not live in a military dictatorship and we were never intended to. There's a reason why the civilians have utter control over the military.

Would you prefer China's "transparency" instead, where the Military controls almost everything?

 

[Nemesis 1]

People like me? You mean people who don't want the military trying to shape and dictate policy? His role precludes him from publicly stating such things. I do believe your Constitution saw to this.

Actually our constitution provides for free speech without reprimandation. Depending on what is stated . I see only truth in his words and playing politics is not part of the constitution. Nor does it allow for a federal tax in peace time or a standing military federal army in peace time . It provides for strong independent state rights to govern the people within the borders of each state without federal goverbnment intervention so long as the states stay with in the bounds of said constitution

 

[Nemesis 1]

I still think we'd have had some chance of success in Afghanistan if we'd stopped there and focused on rebuilding the country instead of pulling away resources to invade Iraq.

Once the Bush administration decided to make Afghanistan an afterthought, we should have just left since we'd lost any chance at creating a strong central government and keeping the Taliban out.

But I'm not in the military, so I'm allowed to criticize our generals and commander in chief on the record. This guy knew he was not.

BS no one has ever conquered these people Ever not even alexander the Great as some claim. You can genecide them but you can't defeat them. We already had this debate 4 years ago. Guess who won that debate .

 

[Nemesis 1]

If the people of a territory vote for statehood and the majority votes it in . Than it becomes a state . A lot of troop movements in those times . So If the people state by majority vote to leave the union they had every right to do so Abe was no hero . It was not a war about slavery , It was about state rights . We the PEOPLE lost that war that includes all races.

 

[DaveSimmons]

BS no one has ever conquered these people Ever not even alexander the Great as some claim. You can genecide them but you can't defeat them. We already had this debate 4 years ago. Guess who won that debate .

I didn't say conquer, I said rebuild. There was a window of opportunity while the Taliban was in disarray where we might have been able to focus on roads, schools, hospitals, etc. and strengthening our ties with local leaders, so when the Taliban returned the locals would have the resources, support and will to resist.

A bottom-up "hearts and minds" strategy might have worked, instead of just betting on one tribal leader being able to hold things together from the top.

Or not, I'm saying it had a chance of working, not that I claim to know that it would.

 

[Nemesis 1]

These people haven't even begun to exploit their natural resources . We want them as does Germany China Russia . Pull out and just pay market price without stealing their resources

 

[Nebor]

These people haven't even begun to exploit their natural resources . We want them as does Germany China Russia . Pull out and just pay market price without stealing their resources

We're not stealing their resources. We're protecting them so the Chinese can buy them for pennies on the dollar. Old link. The Chinese pay cheap bribes and make out like bandits. They also take a lot of Afghan government contracts (guess who pays for those.) All the while providing no troops to ISAF.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Did I not say . Pull out . Just pay market prices . Stop using Money as your GOD its a tool nothing more . I own Gold . Not to spend Not to eat . Because its a better value than money . I simply exchanged something that is worthless for something that endurs . Its that simple . I spent alot of money 0n a shelter and stocked . I will not enter it . But my family has a choice stand with me or go into hiding . I also befor 2003 had some really nice weapons . There now gone . I kept falling away from my duty and the lord kept reminding me in his way to get back on track. 3 times I denied him. But now My duty is fullfilled . The only thing left is my death

 

[Nebor]

Did I not say . Pull out . Just pay market prices . Stop using Money as your GOD its a tool nothing more . I own Gold . Not to spend Not to eat . Because its a better value than money . I simply exchanged something that is worthless for something that endurs . Its that simple . I spent alot of money 0n a shelter and stocked . I will not enter it . But my family has a choice stand with me or go into hiding . I also befor 2003 had some really nice weapons . There now gone . I kept falling away from my duty and the lord kept reminding me in his way to get back on track. 3 times I denied him. But now My duty is fullfilled . The only thing left is my death

Grammar lessons have similar properties.

 

[Nemesis 1]

Yes . I see you .