The White House has refused to say that America's top military commander in Afghanistan is safe in his job after he and his aides made derogatory remarks about President Obama's administration. The remarks, which included calling a top presidential adviser a clown, feature in an article in the magazine Rolling Stone to be published later this week. General McChrystal has apologized for the remarks as Paul Adams reports.

General McChrystal's apology is fulsome. He describes the Rolling Stone article as a mistake which, in his words, reflects poor judgment. He goes on to say that he has enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and his national security team. But the article frequently paints a rather different picture. Most senior American officials involved in Afghanistan are criticized in some way, mostly by unnamed members of the general's staff. He's described as having been disappointed when he met President Obama for the first time.