Afghanistan

There are two really troubling reports out. One, from the New York Times, references a recent speech that Gen. McChrystal gave in London. He set forth in public much of his often leaked program for Afghanistan and generally tore up alternative plans, including those of Joe Biden, for refocusing the war there toward containment of al-Queda.

What's wrong with that? Well, I suppose it is just such a break with any sane tradition of military vs. civilian relationships that it rather boggles the mind. There was a time in this country when military leaders kept their mouths shut and offered advice in private. Nor did they consider it normal to intrude on the making of policy.

Perhaps this is just another sign of the lack of acceptance of Obama's legitimacy on the right. Whatever it is, it is an intolerable situation that can only be remedied by firing this guy, which I thought was the reason he was summoned to Air Force One for a conference with the President.

This, it appears, is not the case, judging from the second NYT piece, where it appears the two had a constructive discussion, blah, blah, blah.

Does anyone care to remark upon the unbelievable sign of disrespect in the photo of the meeting? Obama is dressed in a business suit. McChrystal is wearing some kind of bizarre camouflage outfit, as if he had just come down from the mountains after routing a bunch of Taliban militants. Don't these guys own dress uniforms anymore?

The message of that visual image is obvious and intolerable. It is of a piece with the open speculation in conservative blogs about the desirability of a military coup and the open display of firearms at Obama events. This is very frightening stuff, very frightening indeed, and it is no use pretending it does not matter. There is a segment of the political class and the media that does not accept the plain results of the election, just as they did not accept the results of Clinton's election in 1992, but in this case with a far more violent intent.

I have argued on more than one occasion that in politics it is better to be feared than loved. This adage is truer now than ever. One might start by reasserting civilian control of military policy and that probably means firing and disgracing someone pretty big.