Tapper also has Gibbs' response as to why Obama has only talked to McChrystal once in 70 days-- chain of command and memos. The 60 Minutes episode Sunday, featuring McChrystal, left the impression that McChrystal was upset for not being able to communicate with the president. I was left with the impression that the reporting was biased and edited to look that way. But perhaps McChrystal felt as though he wasn't being heard.
“The president receives a memo every week from General McChrystal,” Gibbs said.Here is the clip. It looks as though there could've been a quick edit right after McChrystal answers the question. In other words, it wasn't filmed as a continuous line of questioning:
Gibbs says that the weekly memo, which has both military and diplomatic components, guides the President’s decisions regarding Afghanistan and emphasized that Obama meets regularly with the military chain of command.
In response to a question about how the president views McChrystal, Gibbs responded, “Understand that the President signed off on putting General McChrystal where he is.”
ABC
