Learn Your Place, Boy
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm by BrianThe military coup is almost underway so says one Bruce Ackerman in the Washington Post this morning. Take that NewsMax! Gen. Stan McChrystal had the nerve of trying to get the President’s attention while he was off galavanting across Denmark to win crooked land deals for Chi-town’s Crony Communists and it’s a sign of the apocalypse.
Is there some other way, through our Dowdian tinted glasses that we’re supposed to interpret this post by Jim Crow in the Washington Post?
News of McChrystal’s position (ed. – against Obama undermining the Karzai government) had been leaked to Bob Woodward and was published in The Post early last week. But it is one thing for some nameless Washington insider to engage in a characteristic power play; quite another for McChrystal to pressure the president in public to adopt his strategy. This is a plain violation of the principle of civilian control.
Nevertheless, precedents have the habit of adding up. Unless McChrystal publicly recognizes that he has crossed the line, future generals will become even more aggressive in their efforts to browbeat presidents.
…
Though McChrystal may feel “crushed,” he should show more self-restraint. Indeed, his breach should provoke a broader discussion of the meaning of civilian control in the 21st century. It may well make sense for the Pentagon, or a special commission, to frame more concrete guidelines so that we may avoid future breaches.
The Pentagon should throw McChrystal in the brig, huh? Let the Black Panthers go, open the gates of Gitmo and prosecute the CIA agents but Heavens forbid! – a breach of protocol. The thing is McChrystal is his guy! He picked him. This isn’t some leftist holdout fragging him like Richard Clarke did to Bush. Some political holdover with an axe to grind sending out a vague e-mail saying some day, some time, a guy who attacked us before who he failed to pursue for 8 years is probably going to do it again eventually.
This is your guy – who you are ignoring – desperately trying to get your attention and that he needs some help and you’re off playing footsie with the OIC to raise money for political patrons. More than likely because he’s doing it because loves his country and in no small part because you’re going to blame him when it all goes to shit after you dedicate all the resources necessary for him to lose the task you put in his charge.
Ackerman may be content to tell the Generals to sit down, shut up, ride in the back of the bus and drink at segregated water fountains but it’s time for the current resident in the White House to embrace the rich mosaic of diverse opinions when his own people are trying to prevent him from getting a lot of good people killed over political expediency.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Greetings:
I have long thought that one of the insidious problems in our current day military is the Congressional approval process for flag and general officers. While these officers must operate at the military/political nexus, I believe that the approval process swings the pendulum towards officers with better politica and careerl skills to the detriment of the better skilled war-makers.
Within the last week, there were reports that General McChrystal might be tendering his resignation over the Afghan strategy difficulties. In my mind, that would have been an honorable course of action. If a military commander cannot accept the position that he and his subordinates are to be put in, then his withdrawal, whether from his specific position or the military, is in total alignment with the concept of “Duty, Honor, Country”.
Regrettably, these days, we don’t come across many general officers who are willing to sacrifice their careers to make their point. But, then again, honor, whether personal or professional, does not draw much respect these days.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
They Dined While Soldiers Died…
Isn’t that pretty much the mantra that we heard from the left attacking Pres Bush when he was presiding over the war on terror? Except then it was “He lied and [somebody] died”.
Now our soldiers are under Pres Obama’s watch and their lives are …
October 4th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
I couldn’t tell you what worth Obama puts on the lives of soldiers because he rarely ever mentions them. I guess that’s an indication.
Obama’s too erudite to be caught reading My Pet Goat to some school children. No, when the fall finally comes to his pride he’ll be doing what he’s always doing – telling people about himself and his greatness and how others can be great too if only when they help him.
It’s a cliche to say that he’d do better with Kafka as he embraces the cockroach that he’s become and isolates himself in the roach motel with his parasitic Chicago cronies.