General McChrystal...a slippery slope stabilizes for President Obama!

 

A boner of contention!

He sprinted on seven-mile stretches along the rugged terrain at the crack of dawn, was a 4-star General who savored a great  camaraderie with his fellow soldiers up-and-down the chain of command) - and quite possibly - ate nails for breakfast.

And, at the height of his brillliant military career, stumbled.

Uh-huh.

General McChrystal was given (allowed to hand-deliver) his walking papers.

Background Story

Post: 06/22/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/06/general-mcchrystalgets-sack-according.html

In the  infamous Rolling Stone interview at the aforementioned link, one of McChrystal's crusty chronies was heard to lament that the General was never given the President's undivided attention.

"He (Barack Obama) didn't even fu**king know who his top dawg in Afghanistan was," barked out the Officer in so many words.

The boss was pissed.

The comments didn't fall on deaf ears, though.

When the General was "summoned" to the White House, a spokesperson underscored that the top honcho in charge of Afghanistan would be getting Obama's "undivided attention".

Ironic that!

The meeting he longed for was his last.

Though tough to make, the decision to let McChrystal go ended up being best for the country, the troops overseas, and the Afghanistan war.

In a nutshell, President Barack Obama triggered - and in the aftermath - re-established civilian control over the military.

On the heels of the General's resignation, the President noted for the record that his decision to relieve McChyrstal of his duties was not due to any disagreement in policy or out of any sense of personal insult.

It all boiled down to a code of conduct unbefitting an officer.

I happen to be one of those inquiring individuals who believes that the General and his men made a deliberate effort to engage the Rolling Stone writer - and thereafter - hurled the insults knowing full well they'd be published.

Why?

To cast dissent, stir up the stakes, you name it.

Interestingly, on Larry King Live last night, the insightful writer was asked on-camera via satellite if they (the General and his jarhead buddies) knew it was coming.

The journalist paused longer than usual, reflected for a moment, then told Larry he had warned them there might be a couple of rough days ahead.

But, I had another take on Larry's question.

Did he mean did they know what the reaction would be or that the article he was penning was about to perform a full-frontal lobotomy on these yahoos?

Only Larry King has the answer to that question.

In my mind, because General MChrystal and his  gung-ho grunts courted the reporter, they ended up getting their just desserts.

The big swinging dick stopped here.

I never promised you a Rose Garden!

http://www.julianayrs.com/

Barack Obama...youthful & stylish in Black Leather jacket overseas!

Barack's inate fashion sense goes way back!

Sarah Palin should take a cue from the President, Barack Obama, who is currently on a tour overseas in the middle East.

The charistmatic 44th President (& Command-in-Chief) charged on stage at a military base today to boost the morale of the troops in a chic black leather jacket that lended a youthful air to the image of the country's head honcho (beleaguered lately over the Health Insurance Reform Bill signed into law last week amid vehement opposition by the Republicans).

In contrast to the jacket the Prez cut a stylish swath in, Sarah Palin's - festooned with all-manner-of tacky zips and snaps - was outlandishly "out-of-place" at a conservative tea party rally where image is of the utmost importance to American voters.


Post: 03/27/10

http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/03/sarah-palinat-rally-in-leathers.html

Hail to the Chief!

Biker chick look doesn't pass muster @ Political rally!

http://www.thetattler.biz

http://www.facebook.com/julianayrs

George Bush...burned in effigy in Iraq! "Troops out now" cry protestors!

An effigy of George Bush - attired in a snappy business attire with briefcase in hand - twisted in the wind for hours before being dragged from its perch and set afire - as Iraq army snipers squatted atop rooftops on-the-ready to tackle any outbreaks of violence in the streets.

As far as the eye could see, thousands of Iraq citizens knelt in prayer, as clerics openly denounced a Status of Forces Agreement that parliament was preparing to vote on next week.

Although the terms of the agreement stipulated a withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of next June (2009) and set a deadline for December 31 (2011) the anxious crowd was skeptical.

Some accused the government of not setting any withdrawal deadlines, while others quite blatantly expressed their opinion that even if the terms were specific, both the U.S. government and Iraqi officials could not be trusted to follow through on any signed agreement.

When asked when they'd like to see the U.S. troops take leave, a few vocal protestors were quite adamant in their responses.

"We want them to leave today."

On the practical side, hard-line loyalists assert that there would be less violence in the streets if the U.S. troops were to go home.

Some also pointed out that when the initial occupation began, Iraqi citizens did not anticipate (too naive, maybe?) that six years later there would be intermittent electricity, tainted sewage spilling into the city streets, and military checkpoints stalling thoroughfares and sparking sporadic bombings here and there about the city.

Although some allege they are not familiar with the terms mapped out in the pact, events in recent days signal that perhaps they'd prefer not to know.

After all, when Prime Minister Nouri attempted to read the pact on the Parliament floor, legislators loyal to the opposition were inclined to disrupt the proceedings which led to an open brawl in the chamber.

Maybe that was a calculated maneuver to stall the proceedings?

If a vote is not held early next week before a scheduled holiday, parliament may have trouble meeting the Dec. 31st deadline when the United Nations mandate governing the presence of the U.S. troops expires.

In essence, if the agreement isn't passed by then, American forces will have no legal basis for being in Iraq.

Political analysts are doubtful that the opposition can rustle up sufficient support to prevent the pact from eventually passing.

However, if it slides through with a slim margin, some argue that it could give the Mahdi Army militia an excuse for resuming attacks on the U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

From the sidelines, Iraqi citizens view the whole process with disdain.

"This is a normal consequence, more fighting," one student lamented.

Will the turmoil ever end?

All eyes are turned towards president-elect Barack Obama for the answer, in the final analysis.

A Small Peace...an excerpt, 1968; (memo to Berkeley)

My men,
My tiny men
Came crashing onto that land...
And ate,
Ate that vowing blood.
And the tears,
Solid state stood shocked -
Like fish, dead upon the shore, Mother.
I should run,
The sand seems to dance upon the floor of my feet...

Excerpt
A Small Peace
Julian Ayrs
1968

Starbucks...troops not coming home, according to staff!

I zipped into Starbucks tonight to grab one of my favorite snacks - the breakfast sandwhich - which I am fast-becoming addicted to. Built with peppercorn bacon, very tasty!

One of the service helpers asked the elegant woman in line in front of me if she would like to buy coffee for the troops. Under their new promotion, if a customer buys 6 lbs. for the men in the trenches, he or she gets 1 lb. of java free.

"Do they actually get the coffee," she chided the starbuck's server.

Yup, the young gal nodded in the affirmative.

The woman was a curious one, though. She probed further, "Do they have coffee grinders, too?"

"Oh yes," the fast-talking saleslady responded, quick on the uptake.

"We send 'em everything."

The woman turned and gave me a disbelieving look.

My turn.

When she asked me to make a contribution, I teased her a little.

"I thought the troops were comin' home?"

"No," she replied matter of fact. "They'll be over there for a while."

Huh?

Does Starbucks have an inside scoop on things?

Do tell, Jim Donald, we're all ears.