Black Flag in his wise comment on my previous column, sums up what has happened. A low self-esteem, narcissistic President cannot tolerate ridicule. He would rather lose a war than confront modest laughter about his self-induced failures. So he turns to General Petraeus, who fainted at a Congressional Hearing to avoid either lying under oath or criticizing his Commander-in-Chief for his stupid decision to telegraph troop withdrawals in the middle of a major counter-insurgency.
Well, Obama now has yet another senior sycophant to polish his ego. I wonder whether such ego-boosting will impress the Taliban, or protect U.S. troops on the ground in Afghanistan, or lever Obama to re-election in 2012?
June 24, 2010 at 12:06 pm |
Well – not really – ridicule is something I am accustomed to seeing at the local Renaissance Faire in plays and acts. There exists the need and requirements for honest and legitimate criticism – this fails when the Team of Rivals falls backwards into a team of yes-men and yes-women. McChrystal was required to demonstrate and act out the very rules/laws/standards imposed on his command and control structure – this is a necessary functioning attribute of a successful military operation – by undermining the core principles he was expected to operate under, he undermined the very core of what makes our military successful. So who is the narcissist?