Barack Obama Fired Stanley McChrystal Over Criticism of His Administration

General Stanley McChrystal was in charge of all troops in Afghanistan before he was fired by President Barack Obama in 2010. McChrystal is now a retired general, and many are looking back and wondering why Obama made the decision to fire him at the time.

Although Obama was reportedly more tolerant of dissent and criticism than the current administration, it appears that even he has something of a line. Here's what we know about why Obama fired McChrystal.

According to reporting from the BBC at the time, McChrystal was apparently fired after he was quoted in a Rolling Stone article making disparaging comments about the president and those around him. McChrystal described the period where Obama was slowly moving toward adding more troops in Afghanistan as "painful." An aide to McChrystal also described meetings between Obama and the general saying that Obama "didn't seem very engaged. The boss [Gen McChrystal] was pretty disappointed".

The article also suggested that McChrystal "pretended not to know" Vice President Joe Biden, and that he "felt betrayed" by U.S. ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry. Additionally, one of his aides described National Security Advisor James Jones as a "clown."

McChrystal was dismissed following a meeting at the White House to discuss the article, which was perceived as damaging at the time, although it seems mild by today's standards.

At the time, Obama said that he made the decision to replace McChrystal "with considerable regret" but also said that he had failed to "meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general." He also said that the article had "eroded trust" and "undermines the civilian control of the military that's at the core of our democratic system."

Obama was quick to clarify, though, that David Petraeus, who was installed as McChrystal's replacement, would be carrying out the same policies.

"I don't make this decision based on any difference in policy with General McChrystal ... nor do I make this decision out of any sense of personal insult," he said, adding that he welcomed debate within his team but would not tolerate division once a decision had been reached. "War is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general, or a president."

For his part, McChrystal didn't seem to disagree with the president's decision.

"I strongly support the president's strategy in Afghanistan and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations, and the Afghan people," he said. He also apologized for the article, saying "It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should never have happened."

Although it seems like McChrystal understood he messed up and was fired because of the article, it's odd to reflect on how small of a scandal this now seems. McChrystal disagreed publicly with the president and was fired for it. Today, it seems like something similar happens almost once a week.