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McChrystal Recalled to DC After Article Slamming White House

General has some explaining to do after mocking, criticizing colleagues

By the Associated Press

Posted Jun 22, 2010 7:02 AM CDT

(AP) – The top US commander in Afghanistan has been summoned to Washington to explain his controversial comments about colleagues in a Rolling Stone interview, Obama administration officials said today. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who has issued an apology for the article—in which either he or his aides slammed Joe Biden, Richard Holbrooke, James Jones, and Karl Eikenberry, not to speak of expressing "disappointment" with the president and "wimps in the White House—has been ordered to attend the monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan in person tomorrow.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mike Mullen talked with McChrystal about the article last night. In a 10-minute conversation, the chairman "expressed his deep disappointment in the piece and the comments" in it, his spokesman said. McChrystal said today, "I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome."

In this May 10, 2010 file photo, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry brief reporters ahead of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit at the White House.  An article out this week in Rolling Stone magazine...
In this May 10, 2010 file photo, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry brief reporters ahead of Afghan President...   (Charles Dharapak)
In this May 10, 2010 file photo, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry brief reporters ahead of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's visit at the White House.  An article out this week in Rolling Stone magazine...
In this May 10, 2010 file photo, Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry brief reporters ahead of Afghan President...   (Charles Dharapak)
Gen. Stanley McChrystal pauses before attending a meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates  at NATO headquarter in Brussels, Thursday, June 10, 2010.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal pauses before attending a meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at NATO headquarter in Brussels, Thursday, June 10, 2010.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, Pool)
Gen. Stanley McChrystal listens to a question during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 30, 2010.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal listens to a question during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, May 30, 2010.   (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 100 comments
Non-deep-thinker
Jun 22, 2010 12:05 PM CDT
Finally, some of that "transparency" we've heard so much about.
ConcernedAnt
Jun 22, 2010 10:40 AM CDT
I found the most interesting part of the story was the fact that they only have monthly meetings about the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Monthly? I was left to wonder how often they have meetings about Iraq.
Unaffiliated
Jun 22, 2010 10:35 AM CDT
I've been following this in reports and links posted by independent journalist, Michael Yon. He's a special ops vet who was embedded with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan until recently when he was disembedded. The line from McChrystal's staff was that there was a backlog of embed requests from other reporters; Yon feels he was kicked out for criticizing NATO leadership in Afghanistan. He criticized a Canadian general, whose command included US troops, for allowing a key bridge to be hit by a suicide bomber, killing several, including an American, because the general allowed for a lax level of security. After that criticism, Yon was disembedded. That general was just court martialed for "inapprorpiate sexual relationships." I wouldn't say that Yon is 100% impartial, but I do respect his perspective. He's been calling for McChrystal to be replaced for many weeks now.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

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