A rapid-fire chain of events led to Gen. McChrystal's downfall

[unhappycamper]

Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal leaves the White House after a meeting with President Obama in which he was removed from his position as commander of Western forces in Afghanistan. He has been replaced by Gen. David H. Petraeus.


A rapid-fire chain of events led to Gen. McChrystal's downfall
By Christi Parsons and Peter Nicholas, Los Angeles Times
June 23, 2010 | 6:06 p.m.

Reporting from Washington — Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's team knew it had a problem on its hands last Thursday, when fact checkers for Rolling Stone magazine sent in questions for an upcoming cover story.

Did the Afghanistan commander's inner circle really refer to itself as "Team America"? read one question that landed on the desk of McChrystal's press aide, Duncan Boothby.

It was hardly the most explosive revelation in the piece, but it served as an early warning that McChrystal's decision to allow generous access might have backfired.

By Monday, an advance copy of the article was in the hands of a press aide for President Obama, setting in motion a chain of events that culminated less than 48 hours later with McChrystal's ouster and Obama seeking to reassert control over a military leadership that appeared disdainful of civilian authorities.

The article caught the White House wholly unprepared. "There was no forewarning," a senior administration official said in an interview. "It was like, 'Holy ----!' '

[Robert DAH Bruce]

1. Rapidfire? Yes:

He openewd his mouth!