Asked whether Obama was considering ousting the general, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters, "I would say all options are on the table." McChrystal has apologised for the article, due to be published in Rolling Stone magazine on Friday.
It quotes McChrystal's aides calling one top Obama official a "clown" and another a "wounded animal." The general himself made belittling remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.
The Pentagon blasted McChrystal over his comments and stopped short of expressing confidence in his ability to continue leading the nearly nine-year-old war, seen by many analysts as in a stalemate with the Taliban. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said McChrystal had "made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgement." Admiral Mike Mullen, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the top US military officer, expressed his "deep disappointment."
"General McChrystal has apologised to me and is similarly reaching out to others named in this article to apologise to them as well," Gates said in a statement. McChrystal himself offered his "sincerest apology for this profile" before flying to Washington, where he will also meet with Gates on Wednesday. "It was a mistake reflecting poor judgement and should never have happened," McChrystal said in a statement.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai fully backed the US general and "believes he is the best commander the United States has sent to Afghanistan over the last nine years," a spokesman said. Just six months ago, Obama backed McChrystal's request for more troops, escalating an unpopular conflict in which costs and casualties are soaring.