Dolchstoßlegende

Or the "dagger in the back legend," translated into the softer "pull the rug out from under us," but the intent may be the same.

A retired general who served in Iraq said that the military had listened, “perhaps naïvely,” to Mr. Obama’s campaign promises that the Afghan war was critical. “What’s changed, and are we having the rug pulled out from under us?” he asked. Like many of those interviewed for this article, he spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from the military’s civilian leadership and the White House.

In what form such retaliation against a retired officer would take is not mentioned.