So, a ranking office in the US Army and his staff defy military protocol, tradition and rules by ripping into the civilian leadership.
Obama seemed backed into a PR corner, but managed - I think we can agree - to extricate himself from betwixt the rock and the hard place rather skillfully.
But the broader question remains: What the hell was McCrystal thinking?
I was speaking a few weeks ago with a friend of mine who's a high ranking Marine. He'd done several tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan and spent time at McGill working with CentCom. I remember he was appropriately gung-ho about Iraq back in 2004, but by the second battle of Faluja, he was convinced it was time to leave.
Now, when we asked him about Afghanistan, he said we couldn't win. That we were postponing the inevitable. But he also said, "General McCrystal is a guy I really respect. If anyone is smart enough to find a way to win, he can."
And the McCrystal went and shot himself in the foot, in the truest sense of the phrase. Yes, beer and familiarity probably loosened lips, but at the same time, you don't become a commanding general without being a pretty slick political thinker. Even Tommy Franks, who was a mouth-breather, knew how to play appropriate political obeisance.
I can't help but think that McCrystal has reached the conclusion that Afghanistan is unwinnable, and he doesn't want to be William Westmoreland.
This way, he doesn't have to have failure on his record: just some minor insubordination. He can remain a "straight shooting Special Ops" guy, rather than the guy who lost in Afghanistan.
Obviously, this is speculation. But typically, the media are more concerned with "How tough is Obama?" and "Is he angry with McCrystal?" to focus on the important question: Why did McCrystal screw himself out of the most important combat command of his lifetime. If he really is as bright as he's reputed to be, was this a series of slips of the tongue, or did he create a political crisis to extricate himself from a military no-win situation.
Enquiring mind want to know.