I may have many quarrels with this White House over many things. But this is not one of them. Mr. President, you have done well here sir. 🙂
President Obama has agreed to waive a Pentagon rule and let outgoing Gen. Stanley McChrystal retire at his full four-star rank, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.
While the general is short of the time needed to retire at his current pay grade, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama would ensure he keeps his rank as he steps down.
“The president believes and has talked with Secretary Gates about this, and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure he, somebody who has served the country as he has, can retire at a four-star level,” Gibbs told reporters.
McChrystal resigned as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan last week after he and his staff were quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine article criticizing and mocking key administration officials, and he announced Monday that he would retire from the Army.
A senior Pentagon official told CNN that he would have to have held his rank for three years before qualifying for full retirement benefits — but Obama is waiving that requirement because of McChrystal’s many years of “honorable service,” the official said. — Via White House to let McChrystal retire with 4 stars – CNN.com
I think this was a great thing to do. Many a partisan blogger, on the right, will slam dunk the President and say that this was some sort of a political move. I disagree; the President knows that our Military is the finest in the World and that we need them to continue the war on terrorism. This shows that, I believe that McChrystal was set up by this weasel that worked for Rolling Stone Magazine and I believe that the President most likely knows this, this is maybe why the President is allowing McChrystal to keep his stars and his retirement.
So, again, Mr. President thank you for showing your humanity. 🙂