The headlines this morning are all about General McChrystal and an article in Rolling Stone.  My prediction is that this episode will extend far longer than it should, and will be used as much and as often as possible to separate Obama from his failures in Afghanistan.  It also serves to remove the oil soaked pelicans from the front pages of the major news site this morning.  

This mornings headlines follow this Administration's pattern of continually moving from "crisis" to "crisis", real or imagined, in an effort to stay ahead of the perception that our President views his time in office as just an extended golf getaway from teaching in Chicago.

For those of you that think my criticism is unfair, I would remind you that the President didn't take any interest in the gulf oil crisis until commentators started asking too many  questions on the White House's role in offering Federal jobs to primary candidates.  Obama suddenly had to take charge of the gulf oil spill.  The problem was that Obama simply seems incapable of taking charge of anything more strenuous than a tongue lashing or an apology. 

To date the US administration has turned down offers from 13 countries to help with the clean up.  The Administration has refused to wave environmental regulations or streamline the process to allow building protective barriers.  The reliance on a bureaucratic apparatus has halted clean up efforts, and forced BP at great expense in time and money to modify clean up ships to not run afoul of the protectionist twenties era legislation known as the 'Jones Act'. 

With this kind of action, it's no wonder that General McChrystal was called to Washington.  Obama can use the distraction for the next few news cycles to keep people's eyes off from the disaster in the Gulf and a corrupt Congress.  Talking to McChrystal plays to Obama's one strength, and we will know if Obama's really on top of his game if he dresses down the General without a teleprompter.