What does U.S. Commander's resignation say about war in Afghanistan?

The U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan U.S. General Stanley McChrystal wears earplugs as he leaves by helicopter after a meeting between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and tribal leaders in Kandahar city June 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters, File Photo) Former Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal's resignation on Wednesday begs the question of what the move says about a war that has raged for more than eight years, some experts said.

The resignation came on the heels of a dust up with U.S. President Barack Obama over the general's harsh words for the Obama administration's handling of the war.

The rift began when an article in Rolling Stone magazine quoted McChrystal as describing as "painful" the period last fall when the president was weighing the decision to deploy additional troops to the war torn country.

The general said the president seemed ready to put him in an "unsellable" position and also criticized members of Obama's administration in the article.

Obama on Wednesday accepted McChrystal's resignation and in a televised speech from the White House said "all Americans should be grateful for General McChrystal's remarkable career in uniform."

"But war is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general, or a president. And as difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe that it is the right decision for our national security."

"The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system."


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