Some lines for the White House this am

General Stanley McChrystal will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama later today. Here is an offering of media lines for the President’s Press Secretary to use, should he see fit, without any requirement for attribution whatsoever:

In the event that Gen. McChrystal is removed from his role:

1. Given the lack of progress on the ground in Afganistan, despite tens of thousands of experienced new troops, the magazine article was a poignant reminder that we didn’t have the right man for the job in Gen. McChrystal.

2. The President and Gen. McChrystal agreed that the moment the soldier becomes more important than the fight, the time has come for a change in command.

3. Gen. McChrystal advised the President that he was resigning his Command, and the President accepted his resignation without hesitation.

4. The President is all for thorough debate, but once a decision has been taken, he will not allow destructive second-guessing of civilian decisions by the military chain of command. It puts soldiers at risk, and the President has asked the Secretary of Defence to appoint a new Commander in Afganistan.

5. Our troops in Afganistan need their Commander to have the full support of Washington. Gen. McChrystal has lost that support, and the President has appointed Gen. XXX to take over the Afgani mission, effective immediately.

In the event that Gen. McChrystal stays in his role:

1. Gen. McChrystal has apologized to the President and the Vice-President in person, and his apology has been accepted. The task in Afganistan is too important to have a change in leadership at this crucial stage.

2. The President was frank with Gen. McChrystal about the poor judgment he showed in a series of unguarded moments with a journalist. But the President is confident in the military’s plan to secure Afganistan, and isn’t going to allow this hiccup to interfere in the execution of his plan.

3. Gen. McChrystal has the utmost confidence in our Nation’s civilian leadership, and has reaffirmed his conviction to finish the job in Afganistan. The President isn’t going to let a magazine piece ruffle his feathers.

4. Gen. McChrystal has apologized for his ill-considered remarks. The President doesn’t believe they should get in the way of the task at hand.

5. Gen. McChrystal gave the President and Vice-President a personal briefing on the progress being made on the ground in Afganistan. Just as we have seen in Iraq, the American military can succeed when given the right plan with the proper tools. The President doesn’t want to undercut our progress in quelling the Taliban by making a Command change at this time.

What you won’t hear:

The President is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. To fire the General will come off as thin-skinned. If he doesn’t fire the General, people will say he’s a weak Commander-in-Chief. To sum it up, this is one of those times when the role of President downright sucks.

What a minute, what about the hunger strike???

MRM