If History Is a Guide, McChrystal Is Gone

If you're placing bets on whether Stanley McChrystal will be out of a job tomorrow, history suggests he'll be fired. NPR rounds up examples:

• Abraham Lincoln: He finally had to relieve George McClellan of his duties because the general refused again and again orders to attack. McClellan also called Lincoln a "well-meaning baboon" in a letter.

• Harry Truman: He showed the popular Douglas MacArthur the door because the general was "unable to give his wholehearted support to the policies of the United States.”
• George Washington: He accepted the resignation of Thomas Conway after a failed attempt to oust Washington as commander-in-chief of the Army.
• Jimmy Carter: He fired John K. Singlaub after the general criticized the decision to remove troops from the Korean peninsula.