Short, Tense Deliberation, Then a General Is Gone

[TomCADem]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — By the time he woke up Wednesday morning, President Obama had made up his mind.

During the 36 frenetic hours since he had been handed an article from the coming issue of Rolling Stone ominously headlined “The Runaway General,” the president weighed the consequences of cashiering Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, whose contemptuous comments about senior officials had ignited a firestorm.

Mr. Obama, aides say, consulted with advisers — some, like Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who warned of the dangers of replacing General McChrystal, others, like his political advisers, who thought he had to go. He reached out for advice to a soldier-statesman, Colin L. Powell. He identified a possible successor to lead the war in Afghanistan.

* * *

But this is the highest profile sacking of his presidency. The time between Mr. Obama’s first reading of the Rolling Stone article and his decision to accept General McChrystal’s resignation offers an insight into the president’s decision-making process under intense stress: He appears deliberative and open to debate, but in the end, is coldly decisive.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/us/politics/24decide.html?hp

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This is an interesting article that discusses the process that lead to McChrystal's dismissal, and sheds light on how the President's decision making process.

[msongs]

1. not lbn is it? this was posted yesterday already tho nt

[No Elephants]

2. Zero problem with dismissal. Wish Petraeus were not the replacement.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Good for Obama.

It takes courage to follow through on stuff like this.

[cliffordu]

4. I'm glad he ain't mad at me.

[WillParkinson]

5. Who wants to bet on his next job?

FOX?

[SemperEadem]

6. yep.. it's only a matter of time before he's on the

right wing chicken circuit, making the rounds and airing his grievances to anything that will listen to him. He's the teabaggers dream boy!! Watch--he's going to resurface in a couple of months as fux noose's military analyst.