Congressman Mac Thornberry (TX-13) today issued the following statement after the announcement of new military leadership in Afghanistan:
"We should all be grateful that General David Petraeus agreed to take command in Afghanistan. No one else could have stepped in with a minimum amount of disruption to our efforts there. Yet, it did not have to be this way.
The President has every right to replace military commanders in whom he has lost trust. But trust is, at least in part, a choice. General McChrystal said some things he should not have said, and his staff engaged in immature banter -- all in front of a reporter. It was poor judgment. There was never any indication of insubordination or of policy differences, however. Even the President admitted that.
So it came down to personalities and political embarrassment. If every person in government who has made fun of Vice President Joe Biden is forced to resign, there will be few people left. The President argued that he did not make this decision "out of any sense of personal insult." And yet it seems that he did. We know from the health care debate and other controversies that the President does not take criticism well.
The issue should be who can best perform the essential mission in Afghanistan at this time. The mission is key for the security of our country and the safety of our citizens. General Petraeus was the only alternative who could avoid a severe setback to crucial operations about to take place. We should all wish him Godspeed."