I asked Michael Yon about the McKiernan-to-McChrystal commander change in Afghanistan. Michael replied:

In December 2008, I saw General McKiernan briefing Secretary Gates in Afghanistan. That’s as close as I’ve come to General McKiernan. Though I do not personally know General McKiernan, I have heard only positive reports about him. His replacement, Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, has an outstanding reputation in the special operations community. McChrystal has a solid reputation for knowing the fight. Unfortunately, though our special operators are the best in the world at the fight, they only stumble and fumble with the press.

But the media front, too, “is crucial,” Yon emphasizes. “McChrystal can win every fight on the ground and still lose the war. Time will reveal whether McChrystal can adapt and win.”