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Politics : Bill Clinton Scandal - SANITY CHECK -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Les H who wrote (14242)	11/11/1998 3:56:00 PM
From: Who, me?	Respond to of 67261

The wimp can't even take criticism like a man!!! The Coward!!! Marine officer probed for blasting Clinton By Rowan Scarborough A reserve Marine Corps officer is under investigation for advocating the impeachment of President Clinton in an article in The Washington Times on Monday. Maj. Gen. David Mize, commander of Marine Forces Reserve in New Orleans, has appointed a colonel to conduct a preliminary inquiry into reserve Maj. Daniel J. Rabil. In a Times op-ed column, Maj. Rabil called for the president's removal. He labeled Mr. Clinton a "lying draft dodger" and "moral coward" who has "always had contempt for the American military." Maj. Paula Buckley, Gen. Mize's spokeswoman, said the investigating officer will determine whether Maj. Rabil violated Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The code prohibits officers from making disparaging remarks about certain public officials, including their commander in chief. Maj. Rabil is the second Marine officer to come under investigation for criticizing Mr. Clinton's sexual misconduct. The Marines on Oct. 16 appointed an officer to investigate Maj. Shane Sellers, a 20-year veteran who referred to Mr. Clinton as an "adulterous liar" in a Navy Times article. Under the headline in The Washington Times, "Please Impeach My Commander in Chief," Maj. Rabil questioned whether officers should follow the orders of a president who had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and lied about it. "Should we be asked to follow a morally defective leader with a demonstrated disregard for his troops?" Maj. Rabil wrote. "The answer is no, for implicit in the voluntary oath that all servicemen take is the promise that they will receive honorable civilian leadership. Bill Clinton has violated that covenant. It is therefore Congress' duty to remove him from office." Maj. Rabil also accused Mr. Clinton of being "integrity impaired" and blamed his military social policies for the 1996 suicide of Adm. Jeremy Boorda, the chief of naval operations. "It is immoral to impose such untrustworthy leadership on a fighting force," said Maj. Rabil, who acknowledged his biting criticism could result in losing his commission. Maj. Buckley said that Maj. Rabil can only be punished under the UCMJ if he wrote the article while on a weekend drill, active duty or some other official Marine duty. However, even if Maj. Rabil penned the criticism while a civilian, he can be administratively punished, she said, with something as mild as counseling or as stiff as dismissal from the Corps. Maj. Rabil, who works for a Phoenix marketing firm, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Maj. Buckley said that Gen. Mize became aware of the article after someone faxed the command a copy of Monday's "Early Bird," a Pentagon reproduction of news stories that contained Maj. Rabil's commentary. "I don't know what the exact sequence of events were," she said. "The information was disseminated up to the general and he made the decision he needed to appoint an investigating officer." Mr. Clinton's sexual adventures have stirred intense debate inside the military. Adultery and fraternization -- the kind of behavior Mr. Clinton exhibited with Miss Lewinsky -- are not only frowned upon in the military, they are against the law. Officers and enlisted personnel can be imprisoned or dishonorably discharged for such misconduct. But the Pentagon and White House maintain that the strong opinions expressed by Maj. Sellers -- and now by Maj. Rabil -- are the exception. Col. Scott Campbell, a Marine spokesman at the Pentagon, said the Corps has an obligation to review such cases. "I can't speculate on how most Marines feel about their civilian leadership, nor why two Marines felt compelled to write publicly about their feelings," Col. Campbell said. "I believe most Marines understand the intent and implications of Article 88, that ours is a system based on civilian authority over the military and that we were sworn to an oath to support and defend the Constitution, underscored by the Uniform Code of Military Justice." Tod Lindberg, the Times editorial page editor who decided to publish the article, said: "I had no trouble reaching the conclusion that somebody with the determination to come forward and speak his mind about President Clinton, despite the known risks to career, certainly deserved to be heard. We expect to have robust debates in The Times on this subject." The House Judiciary Committee opened hearings this week into whether Mr. Clinton should be impeached for lying about his affair with Miss Lewinsky. Maj. Daniel J. Rabil's article appears in our commentary section. washtimes.com