Did Top US Commander In Afghanistan Say The “Real Enemy” Are The “Wimps In The White House”?

General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan, is being called back to Washington to explain comments reported in a Rolling Stone article. Aides are quoted as mocking Vice President Joe Biden and special U.S. representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke.  McChrystal is quoted in the article as saying he voted for Obama but never connected with him. The article also reports:

• McChrystal has seized control of the war “by never taking his eye off the real enemy: The wimps in the White House.”

• One aide called White House National Security Adviser Jim Jones, a retired four star general, a “clown” who was “stuck in 1985.”

• The article portrayed McChrystal’s team as disapproving of the Obama administration, with the exception of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who backed McCrystal’s request for additional troops in Afghanistan.

• It quotes a member of McChrystal’s team making jokes about Biden, who was seen as critical of the general’s efforts to escalate the conflict and who had favored a more limited counter-terrorism approach. “Biden?” the aide was quoted as saying. “Did you say: Bite me?” Biden initially opposed McChrystal’s proposal for additional forces last year. He favored a narrower focus on hunting terrorists.

McChrystal has issued a statement that says, in part:

“I have enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team, and for the civilian leaders and troops fighting this war and I remain committed to ensuring its successful outcome.”

“I extend my sincerest apology for this profile,” the statement said. “It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.