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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (62198)	12/18/2002 11:33:55 AM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I had just read the Hersh article, and was going to post about it, when I see you beat me to it. It is amazing how you and I read the same story, and see it so differently. You see it as Rummy running amuck, I see it as Rummy trying to get those Pentagon Princes off the dime. I was really surprised that Hersh was a nice to Rummy as he was, given his general dislike of this administration. It shows that he understands the problem. As usual, you've got me wrong. You tend to think in terms of holistic dichotomies in which one must pick sides. You think folk must either be on Rumsfeld's side or the Joint Chief's side. My own take is a weak one because so much of this is done at a distance and anyone who has done any administrative activity knows it looks and feels much different up close. Nonetheless, here goes: 1. I've read some of the same observations about the military promotion policies. Last time I read it was in Halberstam's book. That was partly Wesley Clark's problem, or so says, Halberstam. That argument makes a great deal of sense. 2. It's easy to appreciate the Rumsfeld, et al, argument for the need for quick strike capability. 3. It's easy to see that Rumsfeld and his crew have no sense for international diplomacy. So they need to be watched on that front. The recent Times article only underlined this. 4. It's easy to see that Rumsfeld and his crew have not done their homework trying to persuade the military. 5. It's easy to see that Rumsfeld and his crew think they are god's own carriers of the truth. A distinct neocon failing that will cause all of his heartbreak somewhere down the road. Them's my thoughts.