It is probably the most blatant act of insubordination since Douglas MacArthur tried to hide is own incompetence behind insubordinate attacks on Harry truman during the Korean War. Gen. Stanley McCrystal has bashed his Commander-in-Chief in an interview with Rolling Stone and now has apoligized with an "Oops" But neither Douglas MacArthur or Stanley MacCrystal were naive babes in the media world. MacArthur was, and McCrystal is, cold and calculating to his core.

 Becasue most Americans tend to idealize MacArthus, a few unpleasnt facts about his career ought to be stated. He wasn't always insubordinate. When Herbert Hoover wanted to clear the Washington Mall of pesky World War One bonus marches demanding a bonus for their service, MacArthur, ably assisted by his field commander George Patton, did the job. It was a disgrace that probably played a role in FDR's election.

 His performance in the Phillpines at the beginning of WWII wasn't eactly stellar either. One key to the Japanese success at Pearl harbor was that the Army commander General Short, had clumped all the Air Corps planes together on the apron to protect against sabotage. They were thus sitting ducks for the Japanese fighters and dive bombers. Yet, when the Japanese later attacked the Phillipines, there were MacArthur's planes conveniently clumped together waiting to be destroyed. He had no air support left for the campaign that followed and, after he was whisked away to Australia, the remnants of the American forces surrendered.

But the killer was his North Korean invasion. Yes, the Inchon invasion behnd the North Korean troops that invaded South Korea was a brilliant - if obvious -  move. But then the question was where would the UN forces under MacArthur's command stop. At the 38th parallel where the invasion started? At North Korea's defensible  narrow waste including its capital Pyongang? No, MacArthur without Truman's blessing, pushed ahead to the Yalu River, grossly over-exetnding his Army and perhaps ignoring the thousands of Chinese troops massed on the other side.

 The result was the greatest American defeat since the opening days of WWII or the early days of the Battle of the Bulge.

 We were forced into a head long retreat  while MacArthus litterally and publicly called for open war with China and blamed Truman for his defeat at the Yalu.

 Truman fired him and it was years before Truman's reputation recovered from sacking the great MacArthur.

Now McCrystal seems to be playing the MacArthur role. Obama gave the Army all that he could reasonable do and now McCrystal seems to be blaming Obama for the failure of p0licies that were adopted. 

McCrystal has a fragile relationship with the truth, however. He was a part of the cover-up of NFL football star Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire in Afghanistan at the beginning of the Afghan incursion. Obama is now paying the price of ignoring McCrystal's  prior prevarications and if he leaves him in command will pay the future price also - as will we all. He needs a commander who will speak the truth to him and given McCrystal's track record, how can he ever be sure?

Robert Gates has, in fact, been an exceptional Secretary of Defense. Now he has to be point man in resolving an exceptional problem.

There are many cites concerning the McCrystal and the Pat Tillamn story. For starters try