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Why General McChrystal couldn’t effectively apologize
By Lauren | June 23, 2010
Let’s take a break from the Gulf oil spill to look at a mess that’s been brewing here in Washington. Seems that General Stanley McChrystal has been relieved of his duty as top commander in Afghanistan since word leaked out that he and his aides had been downright derisive about their civilian bosses in the Obama Administration when talking to a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine. The general himself wasn’t too bad, but some of the quotes attributed to his staff went far beyond the pale. General McChrystal apologized but President Obama replaced him anyway, citing national security as his reason for putting General David Patraeus in charge of the Afghanistan war.
So, why didn’t General McChrystal’s apology mend fences enough to let him keep his command?
I believe there are at least two reasons why the general’s apology didn’t suffice. First, it was apparent from the quotes attributed to his aides that General McChrystal tolerated, if not encouraged, a shockingly contemptuous attitude toward the Commander in Chief and his staff. For an apology to be effective, it has to be sincere. It’s hard to imagine how the general could made a sincerely humble apology after flaunting such arrogance in front of a reporter. Second, to be effective an apology has to include making amends. Losing his command to a more discreet successor may be an essential part of how General McChrystal makes amends in this difficult situation.
The lesson for the rest of us is clear - the more contemptuous you are of someone else, the harder it is to make an apology for that contempt later. And, if you’re going to complain about your boss, don’t do it in front of the press.
June 25th, 2010 at 12:18 am
[...] In Incredible Stupidity, ethics on June 24, 2010 at 8:17 pm Lauren Bloom writing on her blog, discusses whether or not McChystal’s apology to the President should have been or could have been [...]