Most everyone has probably read freelance reporter Michael Hastings’ high-impact profile inRolling Stone of the (now former) top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. (Since the publication of the article, in which the general and his aides made disparaging remarks about President Obama and his team, McChrystal met with the president and tendered his resignation. Obama has replaced him with Army General David H. Petraeus.) Now read the back story, in which the former Newsweek reporter discusses how he got into McChyrstal’s inner circle. From the interview:
One of the most vivid scenes in the stories comes when you are out with the general, his wife, and his team for a night on the town in Paris. His team is entirely forthright with you, did that surprise you?
Well, they were getting hammered, I don’t know at that moment if they were being the most forthright. Of course it was surprising. A lot of the reporting that is getting most of the attention happened right away in the first few days in Paris. So I was surprised—because they didn’t know me.
Read the entire interview here.