General Stanley McChrystal received an advanced copy of his recent Rolling Stone magazine interview titled “The Runaway General”, and immediately issued an apology to the White House. He has been the Commander of the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan since June 15, 2009 and suddenly finds himself in deep trouble with his boss.
President Barack Obama is reportedly furious and has called McChrystal in to discuss the flippant article that mocks Vice President Joseph Biden. The piece was written by Michael Hastings, who suggests that McChrystal and Obama have “failed to connect”, and the general and several other top military officers believe that the Commander-in-Chief looks “uncomfortable and intimidated” most of the time. Ouch!
McChrystal immediately realized that he had been duped by Hastings after reading the piece that hits newsstands this Friday. He quickly released the following statement through the Pentagon: “I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened. Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity. What is reflected in this article falls far short of that standard.”
The tough as nails military man spent five years running the most secretive black ops group at the Pentagon before accepting his latest post. He runs seven miles a day, eats only one meal and sleeps just four hours a night. He surrounds himself with a staff of handpicked killers, spies, geniuses, patriots, political operatives and outright maniacs, according to Hastings.
The first thing he did when taking over his Afghanistan duties was to ban alcohol on the base and kick out Burger King, and every other symbol of American excess. McChrystal has been credited with the death of the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and has been criticized for his role in the cover up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident.
The 55-year-old may well be looking seriously at his retirement options.
Check out the full article HERE and see McChrystal remarks taped for the interview below:
Photos: WENN, PicApp