As The New York Times David Brooks would have it, the Rolling Stone reporter who broke the McChrystal story also broke ranks with legions of other reporters would have just let the good-old-boy General complain about the President in a frat house kinda way...and not report any of it.
Frank Rich points out that the RS freelancer actually comes from a chronologically long line of non-establishment reporters who have broken historic stories.
Mostly because of MSM embarrassment, Rolling Stone found itself defending the story.
I suspect, if it had been The N.Y. Times that had shadowed McChrystal, the same comments might not have been made within the reporter's earshot. Perhaps McChrystal was just trying to be "cool"? Just one of the boys? Trying to impress the writer for what he saw as a pop culture rag? The Independent (the one in London, not Montgomery) suggested that was the case, not for The General, but for his younger staff, some of whom read the magazine.
And while there's been a lot of commentary about The General's error in speaking in front of the reporter, the much more serious question is whether his thinking is commonplace in the modern military. The U.S. military answers to civilian leaders for a reason. We're the land of no military coups.
One way or the other, you can be sure Generals (and everyone below them in rank) will be less likely to speak off the cuff from now on unless they've checked the nameplate of everyone in the room, but will they continue to privately mock their civilian masters? As surely as their own junior officers will mock them.
[UPDATE: The WP says military officials charge the RS reporter broke the rules in reporting off the record material.]
[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of this blog.]
Personally, I'm glad McChrystal is gone. He was also the same nincompoop responsible for the cover-up of Pat Tillmans's death.
ReplyDeleteAny Internet-based search of the two names "McChrystal" and "Pat Tillman" will show it all.
As arrogant as Gen. McC is, I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did.
That RS story was quite revealing, and honestly, in my opinion, none too soon.
Goodbye, and GOOD RIDDANCE.
The United States Military DOES NOT need "men" like him.