Andrea Mitchell: McChrystal 'Ought to be Canned'

June 22nd, 2010 7:35 PM

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday claimed that for what General Stanley McChrystal allegedly said about the White House, he legally, morally, ethically, professionally ought to be canned.

Discussing the issue with colleagues Chuck Todd and Savannah Guthrie on "The Daily Rundown," Mitchell claimed McChrystal's alleged statement "crosses the line of insubordination, and it crosses the line of the military code of justice."

She later made a comment one can't possibly imagine such a liberal media member making when George W. Bush was in the White House, "There is a reason why the military code of justice says you don't diss the Commander in Chief" (video follows with partial transcript and commentary, h/t HotAirPundit):

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, HOST: Do you think this walks up to the line of insubordination?

ANDREA MITCHELL: Oh I think it crosses the line of insubordination, and it crosses the line of the military code of justice. He has challenged the Commander in Chief, and legally, morally, ethically, professionally he ought to be canned. Question is whether practically you can fire the top commander at a time when the war is really, talk about inflection points. This war is in a very bad stage. 

A few minutes later, Mitchell said: 

The bottom line has to be the focus on what is the best for the men and women in the field, the troops. There is a reason why the military code of justice says you don't diss the Commander in Chief. It's because all the way down the line, this is a hierarchy. And this is telling troops in the field that they have to salute even when they don't agree with an order.

To be sure, I completely agree with her, and if it turns out that McChrystal and/or his staffers said what Rolling Stone magazine claims, he has INDEED been insubordinate and possibly should be fired or be forced to resign.

If the allegations are true, what McChrystal did is TOTALLY unacceptable regardless of who's in the White House. Plain and simple! 

However, isn't it extraordinary to hear a military-hating liberal like Mitchell -- who just a few weeks ago blamed war on testosterone as well as "male insecurity," and in January said the incursions in Afghanistan and Iraq have impeded our battle against terrorism -- suddenly quoting the "military code of justice" and claiming "you don't diss the Commander in Chief?"

Wouldn't it have been wonderful if she felt the President of the United States demanded such respect when George W. Bush held the position? 

After all, as NewsBusters reported Tuesday, during Bush 43's reign, America's press promoted military criticism of everyone associated with the White House.  

Now that there's someone in the Oval Office the press are in love with, military codes and what's in the best interest of the troops are suddenly en vogue.

What a difference a "D" makes, huh?

I'd say this was the height of hypocrisy, but that bar gets raised virtually every 24 hours with the sycophant activists pretending to be journalists these days.