Rolling Stone magazine has had big issues before. But this week, Rolling Stone magazine may have topped itself, as Rolling Stone had two major headliners make statements. Of course, the cover was always going to be provocative, given that Lady Gaga was on it. Even by her standards, she made a notable fashion statement with guns over her chest, and a nearly naked backside. However, Lady Gaga may have been upstaged in her own issue, as Rolling Stone magazine has also managed to shake up Washington, thanks to General McChrystal.
While Lady Gaga’s revealing cover took up most of the early attention on the issue, a more revealing story inside was “The Runaway General” Written by Michael Hastings, the story is an in-depth look at Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Rolling Stone magazine has created an uproar in Washington, due to what they reveal about General McChrystal in this story. They paint the General as having a contentious relationship with the Obama administration, and show him slandering several civilian leaders.
Among the noteworthy excerpts from Rolling Stone is General McChrystal being ‘disappointed’ in his first meeting with Obama. He expresses frustration that the President wouldn’t back up his arguments for more troops, as the General wanted more than the 30,000 new troops he was given. He also bristled over Obama’s announcement to start withdrawing troops by July 2011.
In addition to being frustrated with the President himself, General McChrystal also had harsh words for civilian leaders, according to Rolling Stone magazine. He is quoted referring to Vice President Biden – who opposed General McChrystal’s desire for even more troops – as “Bite Me” Along with that, he is quoted as calling National Security Adviser James Jones a ‘clown’, with additional exasperation towards Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke and U.S. Ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry.
Thanks to this Rolling Stone story, General McChrystal is being called back to Washington, so he can explain himself in person. He has already started his apologies, as pundits begin to call for his firing. The administration is already suffering from the BP oil spill, and now this story shows dissent over Afghanistan at the worst time.
“The Runaway General” has made Rolling Stone magazine the biggest story in politics for the moment. But they are also a talking point for music fans as well, and for fans of Lady Gaga. Her revealing cover is no longer the biggest story from this issue – but it says something that it took General McChrystal’s mouth to knock her off.
Nevertheless, this edition of Rolling Stone will go down in history for the magazine. It is one thing to have Lady Gaga go even more overboard than usual. But if that wasn’t enough, they may help to shake up Obama’s entire Afghan strategy, if the call for General McChrystal’s firing gets any louder.
Sources
Rolling Stone- “The Runaway General”
ABC News- “Lady Gaga Bares Body and Brains in Rolling Stone”
Bloomberg Businessweek- “McChrystal Said to Be Called Back to Explain Remarks”
