The Whole Delivery

ALL OF IT : Obama accepted McChrystal's resignation and put The Man Called Petraeus in the job. It's a savvy political move and may just destroy any plans Petraeus had for elective office. It's a holy mess over there. Unless a miracle happens, he'll now be caught in the quagmire. The president's words about the civilian chain of command were welcome and important. I'm glad my skepticism about that was proven wrong. Unfortunately this whole thing seems to be translating into doubling down on the policy. At the end of the statement a lone reporter called out "Mr President, can this war be won?" The president didn't answer. Why the hell are we still there?

Oh dear : WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top U.S. war commander in Afghanistan apologized Tuesday for an interview in which he said he felt betrayed by the man the White House chose to be his diplomatic partner, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry. The article in this week's issue of Rolling Stone depicts Gen. Stanley McChrystal as a lone wolf on the outs with many important figures in the Obama administration and unable to convince even some of his own soldiers that his strategy can win the war. In Kabul on Tuesday, McChrystal issued a statement saying: ''I extend my sincerest apology for this profile. It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened.'' It's not a good look at all when generals do interviews nowadays, or any military figure that is unless it's the polish and astute Admiral Mullen. McCrystal's reckless mouth makes questions about "Why are we over there?" become even louder and louder in my mind, regardless of th...