McChrystal Reportedly Offered Resignation
VOA News
23 June 2010
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has met with President Barack Obama after being summoned back to Washington to discuss comments he and his staff made mocking senior members of the Obama administration in a magazine article.
General Stanley McChrystal left the White House Wednesday after a closed half-hour meeting with the president to explain the inflammatory remarks.
McChrystal was not seen returning to the White House to attend President Obama's monthly meeting with his national security team as expected. The Afghanistan strategy session is now under way, without word from the president on the general's fate.
Before his Oval Office meeting, McChrystal met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, at the Pentagon.
President Obama criticized McChrystal for "poor judgment" Tuesday but said he wanted to talk directly with the general before making any final decisions.
U.S. media reported McChrystal was prepared to offer his resignation. Before leaving for Washington, McChrystal said the profile published in Rolling Stone was a mistake that never should have happened.
In the article, titled "The Runaway General," McChrystal's aides are quoted as calling a top Obama official a "clown" and another a "wounded animal." The article also says the general was "disappointed" by his first meeting with the president.
On Tuesday, Secretary Gates said he believed McChrystal made a significant mistake. Gates also said McChrystal has apologized to him and was apologizing to others named in the article as well.
A spokesman for Admiral Mullen said the admiral expressed "deep disappointment" about the comments. The spokesman said Mullen spoke to McChrystal Monday.
One of McChrystal's senior aides has resigned because of the controversy. Defense officials say McChrystal's press aide, Duncan Boothby, submitted his resignation Tuesday.
Aides quoted in the article also heaped scorn on Vice President Biden, who favored a far more limited approach in Afghanistan than the one McChrystal advocated. McChrystal himself is quoted as accusing U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry of betraying him in a policy dispute.
A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai Wednesday called General McChrystal a trusted partner and one of the most important figures in the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi said the Afghan leader believes McChrystal is the best commander the United States has sent to Afghanistan. The spokesman said the Afghan people support McChrystal and his plans.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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