Why McChrystal Will Stay

It sure looks like President Obama is going to fire General Stanley McChrystal—and with good cause, as many argue—but is there a chance the man in charge of Afghanistan could survive the disastrous interview he gave to Rolling Stone? His best bet seems to be in hoping that Obama deems it too risky to change the commander in Afghanistan this late in the game. “It’s perilous for Obama to fire McChrystal now, with only a year remaining before the July 2011 date for beginning to transition to Afghan security responsibilities and consequently beginning troop reductions,” writes Spencer Ackerman. Similarly, Marc Ambinder writes, “[R]eally, for Mr. Obama, the most important thing, at the end of the day, is winning the war. That's why McChrystal probably won't be fired. That's probably why McChrystal won't resign. And that's why all of the actors in this drama are going to have to at least pretend to get along: There are lives at stake.”