Gen. Stanley McChrystal has some explaining to do. McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan held over from the Bush administration, has been summoned to the White House to apologize in person for some nasty remarks he and members of his staff made about Vice President Joe Biden and key members of President Obama’s Cabinet.
McChrystal and his aides in the field mocked National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones, special envoy Richard Holbrooke and others. The brutal comments will be published in an upcoming edition of Rolling Stone. The article describes McChrystal as being “disappointed” by a meeting with Obama and said the president seemed “uncomfortable and intimidated” by military brass. (The Rolling Stone story, by freelance writer Michael Hastings, was posted here as a PDF, but was pulled after about 9:15 a.m. It comes out Friday.)
An administration official told TPMDC that McChrystal has been directed to attend the regular monthly meeting on the war in person, “to explain to the Pentagon and the commander-in-chief his quotes in the piece about his colleagues.”
Obama reportedly was furious and wanted McChrystal in Washington for a meeting tomorrow with the president and top officials instead of via teleconference. McChrystal apologized from Afghanistan and has phoned the West Wing to make personal apologies. Officials wouldn’t say if McChrystal will tender his resignation tomorrow, but Politico’s Mike Allen reported today that many want him to stay and finish out the president’s critical mission in Afghanistan.
ABC News reported this morning that McChrystal’s press aide Duncan Boothby resigned.
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