As the big military insubordination story continued to twist and turn overnight, a Rolling Stone insider has told The Slog that Stanley McChrystal and his aides has been “on the sauce” for much of the day.

The interview was given to Rolling Stone’s Michael Hastings after the General and his staff were forced to make the Berlin-Paris trip by bus.

The story is given credence by the reality of Stan’s personality and lifestyle away from the PR’d headlines. A West Point Green Beret, the General is anything but standard issue. Described by other sources as a ‘maverick hitman’, McChrystal has spent much of his career working on covert operations, and ignoring the rule book. He is widely credited with having hunted down Saddam Hussein. (But not, as yet, his Weapons of Mass Destruction.)

“McChrystal is a hard, hard man” said this latter source, “Insanely fit but also a play-hard guy. He doesn’t take shit from anyone. And he likes his bourbon.” Very much a ‘death or glory’ guy, Stan the Man has been fingered on several occasions as causing death or injury to those under his command by attempting ‘reckless ops’. But then, he does tend to succeed.

Meanwhile, the rumour machine is buzzing with ulterior motives for McChrystal’s actions in going so public with the RS interview.

Stay tuned, this could get interesting.