Friday, June 25, 2010

McChrystal Dances With His Four Stars


General Sacrifices Life's Brand In One Interview
This is one of the saddest episodes I've witnessed in a long time. Here we have a man that has given his entire life to serving his country. He's probably sweated more than any person we know, lead more Americans than we've met and sacrificed more than we can comprehend. Given all of this, his legacy has been diminished to a single magazine article.

General McChrystal deserves better than this but his recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine is what he'll be most remembered. It's almost like a 100 year oak tree growing with such balance and strength, only to be taken down by a chainsaw in less than 30 seconds.

I have no idea why, but as the story unfolded, the first thing I thought about was Jerry Rice. Jerry Rice is the greatest receiver to ever play the game of football and arguably the greatest player to put on an NFL uniform. Notwithstanding his accomplishments as a hall of fame football player, Jerry Rice is now more recognized as a contestant on the TV program, "Dancing With The Stars." This may end up being great for Jerry, but certainly not what the Hall of Famer intended.

We thank General McChrystal for his service. Who knows what lead him to speak as he did to a 'reporter' for an entertainment magazine. For a fleeting moment, he obviously forgot that he serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States, or didn't care. Now, even though he has four stars on his shoulders, he's now known as, "That army man in a magazine."

Thank you for your service, General McChrystal.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

he came from the ranks of special ops. He never had to play by the rules. But if you're gonna be the head, you have to. Insubordination would get anyone fired, especially in a print magazine and this day of instant media. The President was left with no choice. I agree with you, it will be unfortunate, but someone in that position shouldn't be giving free wheeling interviews to begin with.