GENERAL ERROR - AT 11:02 P.M. ET:  The Washington Times, not a liberal paper, alerts us to a problem involving the general who's now been appointed to lead our efforts in Afghanistan.  This is one of those frustrating stories about the right man for the right job, but one with a cloud over him.  The questions are entirely legitimate, and must be answered.  The old adage applies:  The higher the rank, the more we demand in competence and integrity.  The story:

The general picked to command U.S. forces in Afghanistan privately warned superiors in 2004 that Army Ranger Cpl. Patrick Tillman may have been accidentally killed by his comrades, even as he approved a Silver Star recommendation that inaccurately portrayed the ex-football star as having died from enemy fire, documents show.

Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal was cited by a Defense Department inspector general's report for being "accountable for the inaccurate and misleading assertions" contained in the medal citation, but he escaped punishment in an episode that scarred the Pentagon's credibility and upset the Tillman family.

Now five years later, the late soldier's father wants Congress to demand answers of Gen. McChrystal as part of his ascension to a new role on one of America's most important battle fronts.

"I still don't have all the facts," Patrick Tillman Sr. told The Washington Times in a short phone interview on Friday.

COMMENT:  The air should be cleared before the general takes command.  This, on a more serious level, reminds us of Patton's famous "slapping" incident.  Treatment of enlisted personnel is a serious issue in military leadership.  The family involve here is entitled to know the facts.

May 17, 2009