US President Barack Obama faced a dilemma on Tuesday after his commander in Afghanistan showed disdain for the White House, as sacking the general could carry too high a cost at a pivotal moment in the war. General Stanley McChrystal's role as commander was hanging in the balance after a damaging profile in Rolling Stone magazine in which he and his aides openly mock top civilian officials and speak dismissively of Obama himself. Analysts said Obama must decide if he can still trust the general after the disrespectful display, or whether replacing him might derail the war effort amid an overhaul of strategy overseen by McChrystal. The embarrassing episode could not have come at a more sensitive moment in the troubled Afghan war, amid a surge of 30,000 US troops and plans for a make-or-break operation in the southern province of Kandahar. "This is an unfortunate distraction at a critical time," said a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Although Obama had plenty of grounds to fire McChrystal based on the article, sacking him could jeopardize a delicate timeline that envisages a military push against the Taliban and then the start of a US withdrawal in July 2011, some analysts said.
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