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President Obama announced Wednesday that he has accepted Gen. Stanley McChrystal's resignation as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan following a scathing article in which McChrystal and his aides were quoted criticizing the administration for its handling of the war.
In doing so, Obama nominated Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command and the former commanding general in Iraq, to replace him. The president stressed that while the decision was a difficult one, it does not represent a change in the course of the war.
"This is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy," Obama said in the Rose Garden, Petraeus by his side and McChrystal nowhere to be seen.
The president praised McChrystal, saying he always showed "great courtesy" and carried out his orders "faithfully," and that they were on the same page in terms of war strategy. He said the decision to accept the general's resignation was not based on "personal insult," but a desire to ensure there is no "diversion" to the mission. Obama said the conduct described in the article "does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general," which led him to his decision.
"I did so with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country," Obama said. "War is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general or a president."
Obama said the commentary in the article "undermines" civilian control over the military chain of command. "It erodes the trust that is necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan," he said, adding: "Now is the time for all of us to come together."
McChrystal got his marching orders in Washington, where he met face-to-face with the president after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon.
The Wednesday meeting preceded a regular session of the administration's strategy team for Afghanistan, held in the White House Situation Room. Normally, McChrystal would have joined via teleconference, but he was summoned to Washington as he faced a private flogging over the article that appeared in Rolling Stone.
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