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Would you fire Gen. McChrystal?

tkesslerTony Kessler 409 Posts
in HR & Employment Law Vote Up0Vote Down
If Gen. Stanley McChrystal were your employee, would you fire him? He said some bad things in a [I]Rolling Stone[/I] interview about his bosses, mocking President Obama, Vice President Biden, and others in charge of the country's Afghan war effort. At the same time, he appears to be an extremely effective, shrewd, humane commander in the field. You can find plenty of commentaries for and against firing him this morning. Even after we find out whether he survives his visit to the White House woodshed today, the question remains, would you fire a key employee who publicly ridiculed your company's leadership and policies?
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  • 11 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • cowencowen 5 Posts
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    Greatfully, I don't have to make the decision. I fully support and believe that one should not criticize their employer or their bosses as long as they are receiving a paycheck from them, and more so when it is a military person regarding the commander-in-chief.

    HOWEVER, I cannot fail to see that in this instance, the lives of our country's finest men and women were and currently are at stake here and that a general on the ground and who goes on missions with his troops, certainly is in a better situation than any of us, including the CIC to be able to determine the needs and the ways the war must be fought in order to win and protect our finest.

    I am in a quandry as to what is right and as to what I would do were I President Obama. I envy neither the general nor the President and pray God the right decision for our troops and our country is made.
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  • ACU FrankACU Frank 2,188 Posts
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    To make the situation stickier, the reason McChrystal is there to being with is that Pres Obama fired the last commander. Firing two in such a short period is going to be seen as a failure, regardless of the individual merits of each general.
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  • NaeNae55NaeNae55 3,243 Posts
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    I have not read the article, so am not really in a position to judge. Two things came to mind though, 1) Freedom of speech in particular applies to government employees and 2) how could someone smart enough to become a general be so stupid as to give such a controversial interview in time of war?

    President Obama is known for his ability to lead and his communications skills. Why is he having so much trouble communicating with and leading his generals? What is going on? Did the press trick this general, or is there really a problem? I guess time will tell, but we may not be around still when the truth comes out.
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  • plynnlplynnl 381 Posts
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    I don't know much of the details, but I did read that the Rolling Stone reporter hung around him for about a month and overheard some of the remarks between the General and his "peeps".
    Maybe the General forgot that the reporter was in the background. It will be interesting to see what does happen.
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  • plynnlplynnl 381 Posts
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    According to early news release, it appears McCrystle has been fired.
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  • tkesslerTony Kessler 409 Posts
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    John Phillips makes the case that what Gen. McChrystal did was classic insubordination and that President Obama had every reason to let the general go today: [URL]http://bit.ly/aDAkmy[/URL]
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  • ACU FrankACU Frank 2,188 Posts
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    McChrystal has "resigned" and will be replaced by Gen. Patraeus, pending Senate confirmation. Patraeus is the one general currently involved in our operations who will have the immediate credibility and ability to pull people together.
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  • DasherDasher 463 Posts
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    If I were the President of these United States, and thank God I am not, any general who spoke in the terms (verifiable) reported would have to go. Therefore, President Obama's decision is a solid one. It is difficult, but my advice is the same as it would be in the workplace -- make this decision with your head and not your heart.

    Gen. McChrystal is a lifelong military man of high rank. He is aware of the consequences of going outside and beyond the proper chain of command (unless he mistakenly fell for the hype, and though he was above the President and Vice President).
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  • Celeste_BlackburnCeleste Blackburn SPHR 248 Posts
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    [QUOTE=plynnl;720087]I don't know much of the details, but I did read that the Rolling Stone reporter hung around him for about a month and overheard some of the remarks between the General and his "peeps".
    Maybe the General forgot that the reporter was in the background. It will be interesting to see what does happen.[/QUOTE]

    While I don't doubt that this is true, I have to question the General that would slip up like this. Seems to me that one of the main bona fide occupational qualifications of that job would be to keep secrets and always be aware of who is around and what is going on.
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  • NaeNae55NaeNae55 3,243 Posts
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    Here's an interesting article with anther possible take on the situation:

    [url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062504087.html?hpid=topnews[/url]
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  • ACU FrankACU Frank 2,188 Posts
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    Well, that makes it better! :)
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