General Stan McChrystal was published in Rolling Stone, then fired for insubordination. For days, media has mused about how he could be so stupid. Was he? Note, criticism states he and his staff should not have said what they said, at least in front of a reporter, but not that the statements weren't true.Media exposed a couple of factors, but haven't realized what they've exposed:
1) the President is disengaged, and
2) the war is being run by committee!
One doesn't run a war by committee, at least, if one wants to win. Further, this committee is staffed by antagonists, if not adversaries. These were the people criticized by McChrystal's staff.
Richard Holbrooke, Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, is one of Obama's Czars, meaning he was not confirmed by the Senate as ambassadors are required to be. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan have official ambassadors who perform their full functions, thus leaving Holbrooke without a real job (acting like “a wounded animal” as McChrystal's staff phrased it) and who is reduced to writing “another memo from Holbrooke” as McChrystal himself phrased it. 
Ambassador to Afghanistan is Karl Eikenberry, who was appointed by Obama while Eikenberry was still a serving Lt. General in the Army. He is a full member of the committee, but hardly a team player—or much of an ambassador. He has frustrated actions by publicly criticizing Karsai and writing a back-channel memo disagreeing with McChrystal when McChrystal was attempting to have the surge approved. Someone unappreciative of Eikenberry's “unteamly” ethics leaked the memo, so everyone would know who and what Eikenberry was.
James Jones is Obama's National Security Adviser and a retired Commandant of the Marine Corp. Jones seems not a fan of Counter-insurgency, thus is “stuck in 1985,” as McChrystal's staff describes him. There are two thoughts in the Armed Services about counter-insurgency, and the “old school” has a point. As one Master Gunnery Sergeant explained, one can go in, take everything out, leave, then repeat as needed. It's cheaper in troops and treasure, and there is nothing in Afghanistan to rebuild. 
Joe Biden is also in the mix, but it isn't clear how much. It was said he was fascinated with counter-insurgency, but that hardly says he knows much. He may well be, however, one of those who confuse position with knowledge and wisdom. Those who think they are ordinated by God are often idiots by nature. McChrystal wonders aloud what Biden question he might get today, and how he should respond "I never know what's going to pop out until I'm up there, that's the problem," he says. 
Obama's involvement shows: “It was a 10-minute photo op," says an adviser to McChrystal. "Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. Here's the guy who's going to run his f**king war, but he didn't seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed." Seems McChrystal had less-than-complete authority to run the Afghan campaign, but would have been the major, if not sole, person blamed for its failure. With the antagonistic nature of the committee, the remote-to-unavailable access to higher authority, McChrystal used Rolling Stone as way to change the mix while telling the truth. It got him fired but not accused of whining and not being up to winning. He exposed the problems, even though he had to take the hit. Special Ops requires smarts and McChrystal is the best.
Is it true? We will learn eventually. McChyrstal has been fired from commander in Afghanistan, but not retired from the Army. They can keep him in the Army to keep him quiet, for he will no doubt reap a large-advance book deal as soon as he is available.
Watch how many of these committee members disappear after we've supposedly forgotten, or watch them become real cooperative, team players. Patraeus, I think, would have demanded that and a softening of the exit deadline--or would not have taken the job. He may well be the one guy in the room as smart as or smarter than McChrystal.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23 July 2010: On this date, Stan McChrystal retired at the rank of full general in spite of not having sufficient time in grade to qualify. Perhaps that is the token of having to suffer war by committee with a committee ranging from incompetent to adverse. A book deal worth millions no doubt looms.Washington Post article on McChrystals retirement.
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08.16.10: McChrystal accepts position at Yale: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20100816/pl_politico/41101
